Posts tagged Texas

Story: How a Latino Family is Eating Healthier

0
1 week ago
by admin in ,

Check out these videos about how a Latino family—the Eguez Hopkins family—is planting their own produce garden and eating healthy on a budget.

The videos are from Manantial de Salud, a federally funded Latino grassroots health network sponsored by the Latino Healthcare Forum in the Dove Springs neighborhood in Austin, Texas.

A Latina Cancer Survivor’s Story: ‘I’m Too Sexy for My Hair’

0
2 weeks ago
by admin in ,

040131LaFuente182Editor’s Note: To recognize National Cancer Survivor’s Day on June 2, 2013, SaludToday is telling the stories of Latino survivors through their own words.

By Julie La Fuente Louviere

At 29, I was living in Puerto Rico, and I was in the best shape of my life, training for a triathlon and weighing only 115 pounds of muscle.

I felt like I was in total control.

I found a knot near my collarbone, which I believed was nothing, but my husband made me get it checked out. The diagnosis was breast cancer. I was in shock. I thought cancer was something that only old people got. I learned the ugly side effects of chemotherapy, like losing hair and eyebrows, but I could give them up if I had to. If I had to lose a breast to survive, I was ready.

My motto became “Just do it.” If you want to live, you’ll do what you have to do. This thing called cancer was not going to take me down. I put temporary tattoos on my bald head and wore a T-shirt that my niece gave me that said “I’m Too Sexy for My Hair.”

After my treatment, there was no sign of cancer. More than four years later, I became pregnant again. But the cancer came back, now in my liver and bones. The doctors recommended termination of my pregnancy because they said it would be easier to treat. For me that was not an option. On Valentine’s Day, 1998, I gave birth to my second daughter, Alis Ami. I found out later that the doctors had given me two months to live. In a way, I believe it was my new daughter who saved my life.

I had faith before, but now I have a lot more. My prayers have been answered. I’m not as materialistic, and I’m not always in a rush. When you’ve had a close call like this, all the other stuff doesn’t matter. You know you have it together.

I enjoy each day to the fullest. If I want to stop and smell the flowers, I can. If I want to bake cookies with the girls, I do. Sometimes I get sad about the way I look, but I’m trying to fight for my life, not be a model.

I want to see my rosebuds bloom. I want to see my daughters graduate from college. All I can live with is hope. Tomorrow will be there. Today is today.

This story is taken from Nuestras Historias: Mujeres Hispanas Sobreviviendo el Cáncer del Seno, a bilingual booklet that tells of the cancer experience through the eyes of real life Latina survivors. The booklet was produced by Redes En Acción, a Latino cancer research network funded by the National Cancer Institute and led by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday.

Latinos & Cancer: Experts Tackle Cancer Myths, Disparities and Health Care in Webinar

0
2 months ago
by admin in

MaldanadoA trio of experts discussed Latino cancer issues, including disparities, cancer myths, and health care issues in a webinar April 4, 2013, for National Minority Health Month.

Speakers were:

  • Amelie Ramirez, DrPH, director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio
  • Elena Rios, MD, MPH, president of the National Hispanic Medical Association
  • Rosa Villoch-Santiago, MPA, director of health disparities for the American Cancer Society’s South Atlantic Division

Ramirez indicated that the rising U.S. Latino population faces heightened risks of certain cancer, compared to whites, according to a Saludify news report.

Ramirez also said Latino cancers are expected to rise 142% by 2030.

She also highlighted ways to reduce and prevent cancer, including making lifestyle changes like eating healthier and exercising.

Villoch-Santiago described the “Ventanilla de Salud” program, a national initiative that uses community health workers to reduce cancer disparities.

Rios said that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) can provide additional assistance for Hispanics regarding health care.

Read Saludify‘s full recap of the webinar here.

Who is Èxito!: Jenny Castillo

0
2 months ago
by admin in ,

Editor’s Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2012 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply by April 1, for the 2013 Èxito! program.

Jenny Castillo

Jenny Castillo
Austin, Texas

Native San Antonio resident Jenny Castillo not only cares about helping Latinos get off the couch and get fit to beat disease, she also knows the value of incorporating culturally infused methods of physical activity.

For example, her passion for flamenco and folklorico dance represent an exciting way to bring Latino families together to get active.

Castillo plans to put her passion for dance and her knowledge of Mexican American culture to good use as she pursues a master’s degree in health and kinesiology at The University of Texas at San Antonio. She expects to graduate in 2013.

She also works as a graduate research assistant on a study to prevent obesity and diabetes among low-income Latinas and an obesity intervention in Latina youth.

Castillo, who also has degrees in government and communications (with a specialty in political communications) from The University of Texas at Austin, was encouraged by a mentor to apply for Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training, which aims to increase research in Latino cancer disparities by encouraging master’s-level students and health professionals to pursue a doctoral degree and a cancer research career.

Once accepted into the program, she learned from respected public health researchers and faculty that there are resources available and many different avenues that can lead to doctoral degree and a career in Latino cancer health disparities research.

“Éxito! provided me confidence and tools to apply and be successful in a doctorate program,” Castillo said.

Who is Èxito!: Bianca Flores

0
2 months ago
by admin in ,

Editor’s Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2012 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply by April 1, 2013, for the 2013 Èxito! program.

Bianca Flores

Bianca Flores
Austin, Texas

Bianca Flores, a third-generation Texan with Mexican ancestry, wanted to learn more about the Mexican American community.

So she studied Spanish and Mexican Studies and, as she earned her undergraduate degree, increasingly identified herself with the many struggles people of color in the U.S. face, and the health inequalities they experience.

Flores wanted to help Mexican Americans make positive changes, so she earned her a master’s degree in public health nursing from the University of Texas at Austin, and worked as a nurse and a nursing instructor.

Now she directs health promotion activities at the People’s Clinic in Austin and strives to ensure that Latinos—and people of all races and ethnicities—live a healthy life.

She’s also taken another step forward in applying for and being accepted into Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training, which aims to increase research in Latino cancer disparities by encouraging master’s-level students and health professionals to pursue a doctoral degree and a cancer research career.

In combination with her educational background, experience, and tools gained from the 2012 Éxito! Summer Institute, Flores is becoming a public health asset.

Who is Èxito!: Paul Afnan

0
3 months ago
by admin in ,

Editor’s Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2012 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply by April 1, 2013, for the 2013 Èxito! program.

Paul Afnan

Paul Afnan
Houston, Texas

With encouragement toward higher education from his El Salvadorian mother, Paul Afnan earned a bachelor’s degree in conservation and resources studies and made the dean’s list with a 4.0 GPA at the University of California, Berkeley.

He knew he wanted to make a difference in people’s health.

So he interned with a scientific agency in Managua, Nicaragua, where he enrolled children into a dengue/influenza cohort study and created a predictive model for patients with febrile illnesses.

Afnan then moved from San Francisco to Houston, where he interned in infection control at Memorial Herman Hospital. Here Afnan conducted an environmental study examining Staphylococcus aureus samples and performed data extraction from medical records to research the risk factors of ventilator-associated pneumonia.

He also wanted to help family members who were struggled with cancer.

That’s why he is seeking his master’s degree in public health at The University of Texas School of Public Health, Houston. He expects to graduate in 2013.

To further explore pursuit of a doctoral degree, Afnan applied for and was accepted to join Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training, which aims to increase research in Latino cancer disparities by encouraging master’s-level students and health professionals to pursue a doctoral degree and a cancer research career.

During the 2012 Éxito! Summer Institute, Afnan was exposed to the necessary tools, information, and leaders in public health who were able to provide him with the assistance he needed to pursue a doctoral degree and a research career.

“The Summer Institute gave me an idea of where I wanted to focus my research,” Afnan said. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions.”

City Invests in Early Education for Latino Children

3
3 months ago
by admin in

kids groupSan Antonio business officials, educators, residents, and government officials have invested in free preschool for thousands of low-income, mostly Latino children, PolicyLink reports.

Voters approved a one-eighth penny increase in sales tax to pay for four new full-day pre-kindergarten centers, workforce training for early childhood educators, and grants for schools to expand preschool programs.

The increase was championed by Mayor Julian Castro to help ensure that all children enter kindergarten ready to learn and succeed. San Antonio schools have one of the lowest spending rates per pupil in the country, along with high dropout rates and low college attainment, according to the report.

Business leaders also supported the initiative:

Business leaders also see the initiative as the foundation for building a workforce pipeline in a city with a growing knowledge-based economy and a need for more high-skilled workers.

“The business community took a long-term view of business success,” said Richard Perez, president and CEO of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. “We have to make long-term investments to be prepared for the next economy.”

Research shows that even small investments in quality early education can yield large benefits later, including increased high school graduation rates, lower rates of incarceration, and higher lifelong incomes. Other programs show returns of over $10 in economic benefit for every $1 invested in early education.

It is not just the students themselves who benefit. Investments that enhance the capabilities of young people increase productivity broadly and stimulate business development, said Timothy J. Bartik, a senior economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute. He believes that early childhood education is a better economic development strategy than conventional approaches, such as tax breaks for businesses.

“Everyone has a huge stake in making sure that a broad range of the population has as many capabilities as possible,” he said.

Read more here.

Who is Èxito!: Melawhy Garcia

0
3 months ago
by admin in ,

Editor’s Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2012 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply by April 1, 2013, for the 2013 Èxito! program.

Mel Garcia

Melawhy Garcia
Anaheim, Calif.

Melawhy Garcia was just 17 when her mother was diagnosed with end-stage renal failure and colon cancer—unfortunately giving her firsthand knowledge of the income, insurance and other barriers faced by Latino cancer patients.

Since then, Garcia has put cancer in her crosshairs.

Garcia already has helped conduct research and awareness on cervical cancers and other health conditions prevalent among Latinos.

She emphasizes research on cancer prevention, obesity and more in her current position as the assistant director of the California State University, Long Beach, National Council of La Raza/CSULB Center for Latino Community Health. She is responsible for the center’s various health disparities programs in the Latino community.

Garcia, who has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in public health from California State University, Long Beach, was seeking additional training on cancer topics.

A mentor led her to Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training, which aims to increase research in Latino cancer disparities by encouraging master’s-level students and health professionals to pursue a doctoral degree and a cancer research career.

Once in the program, Garcia gained the necessary tools, guidance, and mentoring required to successfully apply for a doctoral program.

Webinar 3/12/13: The Impact of Systems and Neighborhoods on Latino Cancer

0
3 months ago
by admin in

Redes main 2You’re invited to join a free webinar March 12, 2013, to learn more about how systems and neighborhoods influence Latino cancer.

The webinar, hosted by researchers of Redes En Acción, a National Cancer Institute project led by the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, is at 11 a.m. CST (9 a.m. PST) on March 12, 2013, will explore two global factors that can help understand mechanisms behind health disparities: 1) systems of care defining access in a broad way and how these may affect disadvantaged patients; and 2) research on neighborhood influences on health disparities, with a focus on different approaches to measure “neighborhood.”

The webinar will last one hour.

Study: Latinas Have Severe Time Delay between Abnormal Mammogram, Confirmation of Breast Cancer

1
3 months ago
by admin in ,

Doc and patientLatinas who have an abnormal mammogram result take 33 days longer to reach definitive diagnosis of breast cancer than non-Hispanic white women, according to a new study by the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

Such a time delay can have a critical impact on tumor size, stage at diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and survival of subsequent breast cancer.

For this study, published online in SpringerPlus in March 2013, IHPR researchers worked with partners in the federally funded Redes En Acción: The National Latino Cancer Network to evaluate the differences in time to diagnosis of breast cancer among 186 Latinas and 74 non-Hispanic whites who received an abnormal mammogram result in six U.S. cities.

Analysis showed that Latinas’ median time to definitive diagnosis of breast cancer was 60 days, compared to just 27 days for non-Hispanic white women.

“This long delay puts Latinas at greater risk of being diagnosed with larger tumors and more advanced-stage breast cancer, which can affect prognosis,” said Amelie G. Ramirez, Dr.P.H., the study’s corresponding author, director of the IHPR, and Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the School of Medicine at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio.

Given this delay and that cancer now is the leading cause of Latino death, this study also signals a greater need for ethnically and culturally appropriate interventions to facilitate Latinas’ successful entry into, and progression through, the cancer care system, Dr. Ramirez said.

Dr. Ramirez’ team recently found that extra support for patients, called “patient navigation,” can lead to faster diagnosis for Latinas after an abnormal mammogram result.

In that study, published in Cancer, women who received help from trained patient navigators had significantly shorter time delays between an abnormal mammogram and definitive diagnosis—whether positive or negative for breast cancer—than those who did not receive navigation. Services provided by navigators included culturally-sensitive support and help overcoming barriers related to transportation, child care, insurance, language and more.

Go to Top