Texas Education Agency Creates Bilingual Materials for Latino Parents



Latinos have made great strides in education over the past decade. More and more Latinos are graduating from high school; dropout rates are at all-time lows, and even more are attending colleges and universities for the first time ever. Historically, one of the major obstacles in the way of Latinos attaining academic success have been language barriers. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has designed a new STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) report card that will share end-of-year test results that are bilingual and constructed in an “easy-to-understand format.” These report cards are mailed to parents and they can use their child’s unique code to log in and learn more at the Texas Assessment Management System website. There are practical resources for ...

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Language Can Endanger Care for Latinos with Diabetes


diabetes blood sugar latina girl

Are you a Latino with diabetes and limited English skills? You may be less likely to take prescribed diabetes medications than others, perhaps even if you see a Spanish-speaking doctor, a new study suggests, Reuters reports. The study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, examined 31,000 Latino and white patients with diabetes in Northern California. About 60% of Spanish-speaking Latino patients skipped filling prescriptions at least one-fifth of the time in the two years after they were told they needed the drugs to help control diabetes, according to the research. That was much worse than 52% of English-speaking Latinos and 38% of whites. "Latino patients with diabetes, even when insured and facing relatively low barriers to healthcare, are much more likely to have poor ...

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New Health Insurance Literacy Guide: Mi Salud, Mi Voz



Raising Women’s Voices (RWV), a national initiative working to make sure women’s voices are heard and women’s concerns are addressed as policymakers put healthcare laws into action, has finished preparation of Mi Salud, Mi Voz: Una Guía Paso a Paso Para Mujeres Sobre Cómo Usar el Seguro Médico. This guide is a Spanish translation of many popular health literacy materials. RWV Regional Field Manager Cecilia Saenz Becerra worked with three translators—Tony Macias, Jen Hofer, and Lucy Acevedo to produce the Spanish-language guide. “Working with the team of translators, we used Spanish language that was precise and accurate, while also trying to make it accessible to diverse Spanish-language readers,” she explained. Mi Salud, Mi Voz: Una Guía Paso a Paso Para Mujeres ...

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4 Easy Ways Latino Parents Can Help Tackle Obesity in Kids



Latinos are more likely to gain weight in childhood, studies show. Thus it is critical to start early in teaching children and families to eat healthy and be physically active, according to a new editorial by Dr. Eduardo Sanchez, chief medical officer for prevention at the American Heart Association. The editorial cites statistics on the unfortunate rise of Latino childhood obesity, including research by Salud America!, a research network funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and directed by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez of the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. Sanchez suggests four ways to help reverse the trend: Eat healthier. Teach children and their families how to cook our traditional recipes in the healthiest way. Get ...

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Survey: 6 in 10 U.S. Hispanic Speak English or Are Bilingual


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About six-in-ten U.S. adult Latinos, or 62%, speak English or are bilingual, according to a new analysis of Pew Research Center data. Among U.S.-born Latinos, the vast majority of the second generation speaks English (42%) or is bilingual (50%). By the third generation the percentage of English increases (76%) and bilingual decreases (23%). Foreign-born Latinos are the least likely to speak English (5%), but many are bilingual (35%). What do these data say? It means that, although Latino adults said Latino immigrants need to speak English to succeed while still valuing the ability to speak Spanish, the future of language use in the U.S. is increasingly English and bilingual, according to a Pew report. "And as a sign of the times, Spanglish, an informal hybrid of both ...

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Beatriz Sosa Prado: An Èxito! Grad Overcomes Immigration Challenges to Advocate for New Immigrants and Their Health



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. Beatriz Sosa Prado Los Angeles, Calif. Born in Mexico City, Beatriz Sosa Prado later immigrated with her family to Los Angeles. Influenced by the many challenges that immigrants encounter once they come to the United States, Sosa Prado pursued educational degrees with aims of being an advocate for them. Indeed, with the support of her family and husband, Sosa Prado earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California, Irvine, and a master’s degree in health science from California State University, Long Beach. She went on to become a bilingual nutritionist who helps Latina mothers in Los Angeles. Now ...

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Tweet with #SaludTues 12/9: Latinos and Health Coverage—Issues + Solutions



Latinos need strong health care coverage, as this population struggles with high rates of obesity, diabetes, and certain cancers. But 1 of 4 of the U.S. uninsured population is Latino. How can this change? Let’s use #SaludTues to Tweet strategies and resources on how to increase health care coverage among Latinos through the Affordable Care Act (#ACA) during a Tweetchat at 1 p.m. ET Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014: WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “Latinos and Health Coverage: Issues + Solutions” DATE: Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014 TIME: Noon-1 p.m. CT (1-2 p.m. ET) WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludToday CO-HOSTS: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (@HHSGov/@HHSLatino), Enroll America (@GetCoveredUS), and the Nation Council of La Raza ...

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5 Tips for Latino Moms-to-Be to Avoid Premature Birth



1 in 9 American babies are born too soon. Premature birth rates are especially high in U.S. Hispanics (11.3%) and African Americans (16.3%) than in Whites (10.2%), due to issues of stress, health care access, and more. These babies and families struggle with extended NICU stays, ongoing costs and time away from work, and potentially lifelong disabilities. That why the bilingual "Someday Starts Now" campaign is here. The campaign, run in English and Spanish by the Texas Department of State Health Services and coinciding with Prematurity Awareness Month in November, promotes the idea that a healthy, full-term baby begins with healthy, well-informed parents who are active participants in their health care. Here are five tips for women thinking about having a baby to ensure ...

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New Spanish Website Aims to Mobilize Mothers to Take Action on Women’s Issues



Check out the new MamásConPoder website for Spanish-speaking and bilingual members of MomsRising, a nonprofit advocacy group that educates the public and mobilizes grassroots action for critical women's issues. MomsRising is an on-the-ground and online multicultural organization of more than a million members and more than 100 aligned organizations working to increase family economic security, to end discrimination against women and mothers, and to build a nation where both businesses and families can thrive. MomsRising is also a new media outlet with more than 1,000 bloggers and a combined estimated blogging and social media readership reach to over 3 million people. Read more about the new MamásConPoder campaign in this blog post. If you sign up with the new website in the ...

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