Meet Salud America!’s Social Media Coordinator

by

Resource
Share On Social!

Carlos Valenzuela, with dreams of becoming the next Jorge Ramos, got a degree in broadcast journalism and worked as a community affairs TV reporter.

But he soon found a way to use his skills to improve people’s lives.

Impressed by the passionate health advocacy of his mentor, Floyd Robinson, who directs health and wellness at the University of Houston, Valenzuela started developing health prevention campaigns for the city of Houston’s health department.

“I learned the big impact health campaigns can have in minority communities in areas like obesity, diabetes, and sexually transmitted infections,” he said.

Today Valenzuela is taking health communications to a new level as social media coordinator at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio.

He develops content for Salud America! and the IHPR’s social media campaign for Latino health, which include a blog and Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.

Latinos are very active on social media, using it more than whites or blacks. Latinos also tend to be populous in some of the segments who use social media sites the most, including 18-29-year-olds, those with less than a high-school education or some college, and those making less than $30,000 a year, studies have shown.

“We know this is an opportunity to reach Latinos with health messages where they spend a large amount of time,” Valenzuela said. “This is especially significant because Latinos suffer from many health disparities, such as higher rates of obesity.”

Salud America! is becoming a go-to source of Latino health information, from cancer prevention to healthy lifestyles to demographic trends.

“It motivates me to know that, thanks to my work and the work of the communications team and the whole staff at the IHPR, we’re helping the Latino community and Latino children and families live a healthier and more active lifestyle,” Valenzuela said.

Explore More:

Healthcare Access

By The Numbers By The Numbers

25.1

percent

of Latinos remain without health insurance coverage

Share your thoughts