Hispanic health

MedlinePlus Featured at 2011 San Antonio Community Health Worker/Promotor(a) Summit

On Friday, April 1st, the UT Health Science Center Briscoe Library exhibited at the 2011 San Antonio Community Health Worker/Promotor(a) Summit held at CHRISTUS Santa Rosa. Linda Levy and Peg Seger were there to demonstrate MedlinePlus for the Community Health Workers (CHWs) and other area health organizations in attendance. This year’s summit drew approximately 135 attendees, doubling the total for the previous year.

According to a 2010 Annual Report from the  Texas Department of State Health Services:

As of December 31, 2010, there were 1,153 community health workers, an increase of 84% as compared to 625 community health workeers at the end of 2009.

The number of Texas counties with at least one certified community health worker grew form 49 counties at the end of 2009 to 82 counties as of December 31, 2010, an increase of 67%.

Community health workers must complete at least 20 hours of continuing education every two years to renew their certificate, including at least ten (10) DSHS-certified contact hours.

CHWs reach out to members of the community through school, church and home visits in order to provide health information to patient groups who are contending with chronic diseases or conditions such as diabetes, asthma, and hypertension. By increasing the level of health literacy in at-risk populations, health outcomes and disease management show improvement by utilizing individuals who are drawn from the community in which patients live. The level of trust built through these efforts facilitate the communication necessary for meaningful change and health improvement.

The summit was sponsored by the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio’s Patient Navigator Research Program, Northwest Vista College, Community Resources LLC, South Central Area Health Education Center and the San Antonio CHW/Promotor@ Association.

Posted in Conferences, Hispanic health, Minority health, Staying Well. Connected., UTHSCSA Library News | Comments Off

Mental Health Care

South Texas to Benefit from$5.3 Million Grant

Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas Inc. has recently awarded a $5.3 million grant to the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. The grant will help fund the creation of the South Texas Access to Recovery Program (STAR), and help address the shortage of behavioral and mental health care professionals in the region.

According to Professor Pedro Delgado, M.D., professor and chair of the Dept. of Psychiatry at the Health Science Center, “The need for mental health care professionals in South Texas is immense. Texas has only about half the number of mental health providers per 100,000 residents compared to the national average, and one in 20 South Texans will develop severe mental illness at some time in their life”.

Among the underserved population in South Texas there are very few mental health care professionals who can provide care to the South Texas region and STAR, it is hoped,  will help address these issues.

The grant will also aid the Department of Psychiatry in creating a Community Behavioral Healthcare Track in which two psychiatry residents each year will be admitted to this new track within the four year residence program.

The School of Nursing will collaborate on the grant as well, and scholarships will be provided for psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner students.

To view the news article by Rosanne Fohn in its entirety, please click the link below:

http://www.uthscsa.edu/hscnews/singleformat.asp?newID=3964

Posted in Funding Opportunities, Hispanic health, Minority health, News, South Texas, Staying Well. Connected. | Comments Off

Mental Health Services for Migrant Farmworkers

Last week the 20th annual Midwest Stream Farmworker Health Forum was held in Austin, with several speakers highlighting the need for improved access to mental health services. “Immigration is a mental health issue because it puts so much stress on parents and families,” according to Roger Rosenthal, director of the Migrant Legal Action Program (as reported in BataviaNews.com).  A search of PubMed found an article in the American Journal of Public Health published in 2000, but otherwise there appears to be limited evidence of research in this area.

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Mexicans Migrating to U.S. Face Greater Mental Health Problems

Are there greater mental health problems awaiting those who emigrate from Mexico to the United States compared to those who stay in Mexico?  A recent study involving 550 Mexican-born migrants and 2,500 Mexicans who lived in their home country, points to that conclusion.  According to Associate Professor Joshua Breslau, of the UC Davis School of Medicine and researcher with the UC Davis Center for Reducing Health Disparities, “The results suggest that after migrating from Mexico to the U.S., migrants are more likely to develop significant mental-health problems than individuals who remained in Mexico.”   The greatest risk seems to be to those individuals 18-25 years of age, who migrate to the United States.  They are four-and-a-half times more likely to suffer depression and three-and-a-half times more likely to suffer anxiety than those who remained in Mexico.  Previous studies have shown that acculturation into American society is the cause of the deteriorating mental health.

Posted in Hispanic health, Staying Well. Connected. | Comments Off

NCLR’s Profiles of Latino Health

The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) is compiling information in response to 12 questions related to Latino/Hispanic health and their interactions with the health care system in the United States. The first five are available from their website now.

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New ADHD Research

The National Alliance for Hispanic Health has “released findings from a national survey of Hispanic and non-Hispanic parents investigating potential barriers to diagnosis and treatment of ADHD, as well as parents’ awareness and perception of ADHD treatment.” The information can be found under the Alliance News section of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health site.

Posted in Hispanic health, Reports, Staying Well. Connected. | Comments Off

New CDC report on HIV infection in Hispanics

A new report from the CDC is especially relevant on this National Latino AIDS Awareness Day. According to author Dr. Ken Dominguez, “The rate of HIV diagnosis for Hispanic males is about three times higher than the rate among white males. And for Hispanic females, it’s about five times higher than among white females.”

Among Hispanics with HIV, the means of infection varies widely. Much of the variation actually depends on where they were born: Mexican-born Hispanic injection-drug users were less knowledgeable about HIV and AIDS than their US-born counterparts, and Mexican-born men were more likely to be infected through male-to-male sexual contact. These and other findings can help focus prevention efforts in the right areas for specific populations.

Dr. Dominguez’s comments are available as a podcast. The full report is available on the CDC website in English.

Posted in Hispanic health, Minority health, Reports, Staying Well. Connected. | Comments Off

New Issue of Salud

The fall issue of the bilingual NIH MedlinePlus Salud magazine is now available. One of the articles in this issue is a profile of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes at the age of 8.

Posted in Articles, Hispanic health, Spanish Language Content, Staying Well. Connected. | Comments Off

New Media Tools and HIV/AIDS Education

In recognition of World AIDS Day December 1st…

The CDC estimates that although Latinos represent only 15% of the U.S. population, they make up 17% of new HIV infections. “An HIV/AIDS among Latinos/Hispanics” tip sheet is available at: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/hispanics/resources/factsheets/hispanic.htm

New technologies are being utilized by health professionals to reach the community with HIV information. A federal blog launched in 2006 serves as a gateway for information on using new media- podcasts, blogs, wikis- in response to HIV/AIDS. The purpose of this blog is to help improve prevention, treatment and research by providing a public forum. Blog posts include information about reaching the Latino population and creating culturally appropriate health education material.

This blog is maintained by AIDS.gov, a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Web site dedicated to providing federal HIV/AIDS information. To read the blog, visit:

http://blog.aids.gov/

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New NIH Cookbook Encourages Families to Eat Healthfully

Keep the Beat ™ Recipes: Deliciously Healthy Family Meals   is the new family cookbook from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, which is part of the National Institutes of Health.   The cookbook features more than 40 kid-tested recipes and a variety of healthy entrees, side dishes, and snacks that parents and children can enjoy together. The free cookbook also offers time-saving tips and helpful resources for busy families.

The recipes in the cookbook were designed and created for the NHLBI by David Kamen, a professor in Culinary Arts at the Culinary Institute of America, trained chef/instructor, and father of two. All of the recipes are based on heart-healthy principles from the NHLBI, include nutrition analysis, reflect the principles of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and provide guidance for preparing meals that are low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, and added sugars. The recipes also adhere to the NHLBI’s Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, which supports an overall healthy eating plan.

The cookbook as well as individual recipes are available for free on the Keep the Beat: Deliciously Healthy Eating website, and hard copies can be ordered through the NHLBI Health Information Center. The site also features a searchable database, family resources, healthy shopping and cooking tips, videos, and information for the media. Visitors are also invited to engage in an online community through the Keep the Beat Facebook page, which contains information about upcoming events and cookbook highlights.  Log on at <http://hin.nhlbi.nih.gov/healthyeating>  or contact the NHLBI Health Information Center at 301-592-8573 for more information.

Keep the Beat Recipes: Deliciously Healthy Family Meals was developed in collaboration with the NIH’s We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity and Nutrition) program. We Can! is a national education program supported by four NIH institutes and led by the NHLBI. The program is designed to provide parents, caregivers, and entire communities with strategies, tactics, and tools to help children stay at a healthy weight by eating healthfully, being active, and reducing screen time.  The cookbook can be used by the We Can! community sites as they implement programs for both parents and youth.

Posted in Hispanic health, Minority health, Resources, Staying Well. Connected., Youth | Comments Off