SaludToday Guest Blogger
Simmons College School of Social Work The changing face of America. Racial disparities in mental health treatment. As the two trends merge, we may see a growing gap in meeting the needs of minority populations in terms of mental health — and an increasing call for professionals in social work who can step up to the plate to create solutions that will help bridge it. By 2042, "racial minority groups” will make up most of the U.S. population, according new U.S. Census Bureau’s predictions. By 2060, Pew Research expects white Americans to make up only 43% of the population, and Latino and black Americans will together make up 45%. Compare this to SocialWork@Simmons's new data on racial disparities in mental health treatment and you’ll see why ...
New research suggests, cancer has surpassed heart disease as the leading cause of death among Latinos in the U.S. A new study attempted to uncover the data regarding the prevalence of cancer and the risk factors that affect Latinos. Over 16,000 Latinos participated in the study and it was found that 4% of the population had instances of some type of cancer. The rates of cancer varied by Hispanic ancestry group. Overall, the lack of significant findings regarding risk factors, such as smoking, contributed to the findings of the survey. With the prevalence of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a growing number of Latinos now have access to healthcare. As more and more Latinos take part in this healthcare, this will give future evaluations of cancer prevalence more data to sort from. This ...
Editor’s Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2015 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now for 2016. Jazmin Martinez
Anaheim, Calif. The strong mentorship and support of a faculty member at her university gave Jazmin Martinez the motivation to continue preparing for a career in Latino health disparities. Jazmin's ultimate goal is to obtain a doctorate in public health and focus on health disparities. Jazmin fundamentally believes that we need more ethnic minority professors in this country.
Jasmin obtained her bachelors at California State University, double-majoring in Chicano and Latino Studies and Political Science. She is currently working on her Masters in Public Health at CSULB. After completing her masters, Jazmin plans to ...
In California 1.5 million Latino immigrants live without health insurance, but that soon could change for hundreds of illegal families due to a strong movement in the state government and counties, Univision News reports In June, the state legislature passed two bills that expands access to public health services to undocumented immigrants that will be in effect next year. Most recently the governor of California, Jerry Brown signed a budget that grants access to health care to children without a legal status in the country. “Children are relatively healthy, and it will not cost a lot of money to take care of their health compared to other population groups,” Steven Wallace, professor at the UCLA Fielding school of public health, told Univision News. The County Medical ...
Dr. Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable, a long-time Latino health researcher, will become the new director of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIHMD is the NIH's leading organization for planning, reviewing, coordinating and evaluating its minority health and disparities research activities. In his new role, Dr. Pérez-Stable will oversee a $270 million budget to conduct and support research, training, research capacity and infrastructure development, public education and information dissemination programs to improve minority health. Dr. Pérez-Stable leads the northwest region of Redes En Acción, a national Latino cancer research network funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and led by Dr. Amelie G. ...
Access to health care after the Affordable Care Act is improving among all racial/ethnic groups, especially Hispanics, but more work remains, according to a new report. According to the report, the 2014 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report, the nation's rate of uninsured people has declined. The decline was greater among Hispanics and blacks, who historically have had higher rates of unsiuninsurance rates compared with whites. For Hispanics, the rate of those uninsured dropped from 40.3% to 33.2%, and for blacks dropped from 24.6% to 15.9%. "These findings indicate that the Affordable Care Act's Health Insurance Marketplaces is making health insurance available to millions of Americans who might otherwise have been uninsured," said AHRQ Director Dr. Richard Kronick ...
Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2014 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now for the 2015 Èxito! program. Alexandra Conde Toro
Santa Rosa Bay, Puerto Rico Alexandra Conde Toro has a heart for hearing and understanding people’s stories—characteristics she developed in her native Bayamón, Puerto Rico, a culture infused with the joy and encouragement of families, folk music, and stories. Conde Toro uses her passion for her community to address health problems they suffer. Conde Toto, who has a bachelor’s degree in human biology from The University of Puerto Rico, Bayamon Campus, is currently pursuing a master’s degree in research and evaluation of health systems at the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Science Campus. She ...
Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2014 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now for the 2015 Èxito! program. Angela Gutierrez
Baldwin Park, Calif. Angela Gutierrez learned from her father to turn every barrier into an opportunity, and to acquire knowledge to improve her native community in Baldwin Park, Calif. Inspired by his words—“If we do not have the knowledge, how can we change?”—Gutierrez earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and public health policy from the University of California, Irvine, and a master’s degree in public health from CSU Fullerton. She now is a research assistant for the Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain Center and teaches in the CSU Fullerton Department of Health Science. Gutierrez seeks to ...
Editor's Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2014 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now for the 2015 Èxito! program. Hena Din
San Diego, Calif. Born to Pakistanian parents in San Diego, Hena Din cites her dual Muslim and American heritages as what drives her emotions, spirituality, and her passion for learning. Din has always enjoyed being in school and conducting research. This led to her earning a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in public health with an emphasis on health promotion and behavioral sciences from the University of California, San Diego. She is currently helping minority students discover health career paths. Driven by her ongoing passion to expand her knowledge through higher education, Din applied for ...
