Staying Well Connecteds

Staying Well. Connected.

Adolescent substance use may be mediated by family, school, and individual factors

Several research studies have found major racial and ethnic differences among adolescents and adults who use alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana, and there have been a number of hypotheses that attempt to explain these differences.  A recent study, with results published in the September 2010 issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, examines individual, peer, and family factors that may be associated with substance use and assesses whether these factors differ by racial and ethnic groups.  More than 10,000 seventh and eighth grade students participated in the study, which found that Hispanic students reported significantly higher rates of lifetime and past-month use of the substances studied compared to African American, Asian, and Caucasian students.  For Hispanic students, individual factors such as perceived peer use were important in affecting substance use, while family and school factors affected use less directly.

Shih, R, Miles JN, Tucker, JS, Zhou, AJ, D’Amico, EJ.  Racial/Ethnic Differences in Adolescent Substance Use: Mediation by Individual, Family, and School Factors.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. 2010 Sep: 71(5): 640-51.

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

New Support Group for Parents of Children Affected by Heart Problems

The city of Brownsville now has a local chapter of Mended Little Hearts, a support group for parents of children with heart defects and heart disease.   According to Michelle Gonzalez, coordinator for McAllen, “Our goal is to raise awareness in the Brownsville community, garner support for the congenital heart defect community as well as support those families that are affected by these defects.”  Prior to this time, the nearest chapter was located in McAllen. 

Mended Little Hearts is affiliated with the American Heart Association.

Posted in South Texas, Staying Well. Connected., Youth | Comments Off

Did you know … PubMed for community college librarians

On a recent trip to Laredo, Linda Levy taught PubMed to librarians from Laredo Community College.  The librarians work with students from several programs in Allied Health, and they were interested in furthering their own knowledge of PubMed searching.  During the class, the librarians learned about utilizing the features of PubMed, including the MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) thesaurus, the limits, and the ability to filter searches to find systematic reviews or articles with a specific clinical focus such as diagnosis or treatment.

Posted in Classes, Staying Well. Connected. | Comments Off

How Will Health Care Reform Affect the Use of Curanderismo?

Will easier access to health care affect the use of complementary and alternative medicine in the Valley?  With changing health care reform, only time will tell whether it will have an effect on the use of folk healers among the Valley population.  While some may use Curanderismo because they can’t afford conventional treatment, others choose this method of treatment because they don’t trust conventional doctors, or because of tradition.  Still many, according to Albert Salinas, a curandero in Edinburg, see clients who use Curanderismo in conjunction with conventional treatments.  Complementary use of the traditional healing arts may be the best way to take advantage of modern medicine while not abandoning one’s beliefs.   According to Antonio Zavaleta, director of the Texas Center for Border and Translational Studies at the University of Texas-Brownsville, “We don’t want to discourage people from visiting curanderos.  We only want them to stop if we see they are being harmed”.

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

UT Health Sceince Center Medical Library attends Operation Lone Star

UT Health Science Center Regional Campus Medical Library Staff attend Operation Lone Star at J.B. Alexander High School in Laredo, Texas.

Legia Gomez discusses UT Medical Library services to a community member

Operation Lone Star brings military and civil personnel to Laredo, Texas to provide FREE medical and dental services to the general population.

Monday – Thursday, August 2 – August 5 – 8:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Friday, August 6 – 8:00 – 2:00 p.m.

Location:

J.B. Alexander High School

3600 East Del Mar. Blvd., Laredo, Tx. 78045

Services Provided:

  • Immunizations (back to school and adult vaccines)
  • Sports Physicals
  • High Blood Pressure Screenings
  • Medical Referrals
  • Preventative Health Education
  • Medical Exams
  • Vision Exams
  • Oral Health Education
  • Limited Dental Services (10-20 clients per day)
  • Diabetic Screenings
  • Limited Pharmaceutical Services

    Dr. Charles Bauer (Professor, Surgery, Emergency Medicine, and Orthopedic Surgery) and Patti Gutierrez (UT Medical Library - Laredo)

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Operation Lone Star – Begins in Laredo, Texas

Operation Lone Star

brings military and civil personnel to Laredo, Texas

to provide FREE medical and dental services to the general population.

Monday – Thursday, August 2 – August 5 – 8:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Friday, August 6 – 8:00 – 2:00 p.m.

Location:

J.B. Alexander High School

3600 East Del Mar. Blvd., Laredo, Tx. 78045

Services Provided:

  • Immunizations (back to school and adult vaccines)
  • Sports Physicals
  • High Blood Pressure Screenings
  • Medical Referrals
  • Preventative Health Education
  • Medical Exams
  • Vision Exams
  • Oral Health Education
  • Limited Dental Services (10-20 clients per day)
  • Diabetic Screenings
  • Limited Pharmaceutical Services

For more information please call:

City of Laredo Health Department 956-795-4951 

Posted in Staying Well. Connected. | Comments Off

Nativity and Information Technology Use

(With thanks to Siobhan Champ-Blackwell’s BHIC) A report released earlier this week from the Pew Hispanic Center looks at differences in technology use among Hispanics who were born in the United States relative to those who were born in other countries. “While 85% of native-born Latinos ages 16 and older go online, only about half (51%) of foreign-born Latinso do so.”

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

13th Annual Cancer Update

The UT Health Science Center Regional Campus in Laredo, Texas

 hosted the Doctors Hospital 13th Annual Cancer Update on Wednesday, July 21, 2010. The cancer update was open to local physicians, nurses, and students.

Guest speakers included:

Alejandro Pruitt, MD, FACG, Gastroenterologist from the Gastroenterology Consultants of San Antonio, Texas.    

Steven Abbate, MD. General Surgeon from San Antonio, Texas.

Andrea Schwab, JD, CPA from the TMA Office of the General Counsel Attorney in Austin, Texas.

Topics and learning objectives offered from the evenings presentations included methods of recognizing, diagnostic and management approaches for pancreatic cancer.  Surgical options and treatment plans to determine the outcome of patients with pancreatic cancer was presented.

Another topic discussed during the update, was the Health Care Reform and the legal implications affecting physicians today.

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La Fiesta Del Verano

On Saturday July 24 the UT Health Science Center Library attended the La Fiesta Del Verano Community Expo held at South Park Mall.  The event was sponsored by the Palo Alto Community Center and featured the H.E.Buddy and a Karate exhibition, along with various booths.  The UT Health Science Center Library demonstrated MedlinePlus to over fifty weekend mall shoppers that afternoon.

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Posted in Health Fairs, Staying Well. Connected. | Comments Off

UT Library Staff Members Travel to Laredo

Linda teaching the MedEd participants

Library staff members recently spent several active days in Laredo.  On Tuesday, July 13, and Wednesday, July 14, Linda Levy and Paula Maez worked with about 30 high school students participating in the MedEd program summer camp. Using scenarios based on the Gulf oil spill disaster, Linda and Paula introduced the students to health professionals and scientists who might be involved and the information resources that they might use.  The students learned to use resources such as PubMed (physicians), ToxNet (toxicologists), MedlinePlus (volunteers), the CDC site (food scientists), and the EPA site (epidemiologists and environmental engineers).

On Tuesday afternoon, Paula, Linda, Jorge Martinez, and Keith Cogdill went to Mercy Ministries of Laredo

Teaching the promotoras

to bring two laptops and other equipment purchased through Express Outreach Award funding from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine – South Central Region.  The equipment will enhance the delivery of health information that  the Mercy promotoras currently provide through community talks and home visits.  During this visit, Jorge trained the promotoras to use the equipment, and Linda and the promotoras also spent time practicing with MedlinePlus and MedlinePlus en español, especially focusing on the education videos.

Posted in Classes, South Texas, Staying Well. Connected. | Comments Off