Staying Well Connecteds

Staying Well. Connected.

February 2012: National Children’s Dental Health Month

In 2002, the Urban Institute reported that one of the most prevalent chronic illnesses facing children in the United States today is tooth decay. It is astounding that oral health problems persist among children in spite the fact that tooth decay is largely preventable through regular dental cleanings and checkups. Still, 24 percent of children ages 5 to 17 account for 80 percent of the tooth decay disease in permanent teeth among this age group. Socioeconomic disparities are blamed for these oral health burdens and low-income children are disproportionately affected. Inadequate access to dental care can be cited as the problem. Please read the report: http://www.urban.org/publications/309527.html

It is with this problem in mind that the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) offers Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Dental Services though a managed care model. Beginning March 1, 2012, HHSC will expand managed care dental services to include Medicaid. The goal of this expansion is to provide quality, comprehensive dental services to eligible recipients. HHSC will select two or more dental contractors to provide services to both Medicaid and CHIP Members. Please read the report:
http://www.hhsc.state.tx.us/medicaid/MMC/TMHP_article_0611.pdf

It is good to remember also, that we can help protect our children’s teeth and diminish the growth of caries with various applications of dental sealants and with topical and systemic fluoride, but most importantly, a sound education and a good oral hygiene program will go a long way to help maintain healthy teeth and gums for a long, long time.

“Something Fun” from the American Dental Association in honor of National Children’s Dental Health Month:

http://www.ada.org/sections/publicResources/pdfs/2012NCDHM_ActivitySheets_English_FULL.pdf

Posted in Articles, Minority health, South Texas, Staying Well. Connected., Websites, Youth | Comments Off

Laredo 14th Annual Health Occupations Planning Exposition (HOPE)

UT Health Science Center Librarian Linda Levy talking to Laredo area students attending HOPE

Sponsored by the Area Health Education Center (AHEC) of the Mid Rio Grande Border Area of Texas

Students and teachers alike were very interested in a number of the features of
MedlinePlus and learning how NLM resources could be used for class projects. In
student health fairs, the MedlinePlus Videos & Cool Tools section often
gets the most immediate attention. We also handed out materials on ToxNet and
heard comments that some classes were working on projects with related topics and that this was a resource that they could use. We used the iPad exclusively at this fair and found that students were more apt to try their hand at looking up topics in MedlinePlus while also getting a chance to use the iPad.

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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

Science Expo 2011

UT Health Science Center Librarian Peg Seger assisting future medical professional

 Health Professionals of Tomorrow storm UT Health Science Center

The UT Health Science Center played host to nearly 1,500 students from all over San Antonio and South Texas on  November 12, 2011. The majority of the students were high school seniors and juniors with a few extra who came along for the ride. The enthusiasm and excitement displayed by the students was exciting and spoke well of the future of medicine in the hands of these possible upcoming professionals. The UT Health Science Center Briscoe Library sponsored an exhibit table in the medical lecture hall commons area  during the Science Expo. On exhibit were such things as the availability of MedlinePlus, the PubMed database and how to effectively use the National Library of Medicine resources. Also on hand were materials containing information on medical librarianship and available scholarships. Many students had never encountered the MedlinePlus database and were extremely surprised at the amount of information available to them.  A few students did admit that they were still trying to decide on a career and were quite engaging when asked about their foreseeable choices. It was quite apparent that both students and staff experienced a wonderful time and left looking forward to future Science Expo gatherings.

 

Posted in Health Fairs, News, South Texas, Staying Well. Connected., UTHSCSA Library News, Youth | Comments Off

Harlingen CISD Librarians Visit Ramirez Library

Harlingen CISD Librarians

Photo credit: Harlingen CISD

Librarians from the Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District recently toured the Mario E. Ramirez, M.D. Library at the Regional Academic Health Center (RAHC) to learn more about local medical library services and to explore the potential for future partnerships between the RAHC and Harlingen CISD.

Librarians also participated in a class taught by Ramirez Library staff which offered an introduction to a wide variety of information resources and services available to school librarians from the National Library of Medicine.  A full summary of their visit was recently posted on the Harlingen CISD Web site.

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A Cancer Prevention, Early Detection and Treatment Workshop

On Thursday, October 27, 2011 from 8 a.m. – 12 noon, the UT Health Science Center Regional Campus located at 1937 E. Bustamante St, Laredo, Texas provided free cancer screenings, educational
exhibits and presentations on how to prevent detect and treat cancer.  The event was open to the public with screenings provided by community partners.

Cancer screenings were from 8 to 10:30 a.m. Breast and prostate cancer presentations by UT Medicine San Antonio physicians Ian Thompson, M.D., and Alfredo Santillan-Gomez, M.D., M.P.H., were held from 10:30 a.m. to noon. UT Medicine San Antonio is the faculty practice of the School of Medicine at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio.

  • Ian Thompson Jr., M.D., an internationally known expert in prostate cancer, is director of the Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) at the UT Health Science Center San
    Antonio. The CTRC is one of only four National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Centers in Texas. A professor in the Department of Urology, Dr. Thompson was the primary coordinator of the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial that evaluated the drug finasteride as a preventive medication. He also was an author on the recently published Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial that showed a 17 percent increased risk of prostate cancer in healthy men on the study who took vitamin E.
  • Alfredo A. Santillan-Gomez, M.D., M.P.H., an accomplished surgeon, is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Surgery’s Division of Surgical Oncology and Endocrine Surgery. He earned his medical degree with honors from Monterrey Tec Medical School, completed a master’s degree in public health from Harvard University and was awarded the Alando J.
    Ballantyne, M.D., Distinguished Fellowship in head and neck surgery at UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. He completed advanced training in surgical oncology at Moffitt Cancer Center.
  • Community
    partners     include the American Cancer Society, city of Laredo Health Department, Doctors Hospital of Laredo, Gateway Community Health Center, Laredo Community College, Laredo Medical Center, Laredo Specialty Hospital and Mercy Ministries of Laredo.

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27th Annual Update in Medicine

The UT Medical Library participated in the 27th Annual Update in Medicine Conference in Laredo, Texas on October 14thand 15th.  The Update in Medicine Conference is hosted annually by The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, the Mid Rio Grande Border AHEC and the Tri-County Medical Society.  The two day conference provided information on various health topics. The conference participants included physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and allied health professionals from Laredo and the surrounding areas.  The participants were able to attend the various discussions and presentations, network with health care professionals and visit the displays and exhibits during the conference.

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CDC Feature notes significant health disparities among Hispanics/Latinos

Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month was celebrated from September 15 – October 15. In a “CDC Feature,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that despite the fact that more than 50 million Hispanics represent the largest ethnic minority in the United States, striking health disparities remain for this population. The disparities include the following:

  • Only 37.3% of Hispanic/Latino persons under 65 had insurance coverage (2009 data).
  • Adolescent pregnancy and birth rates were three times that of whites, and Hispanic/Latina women were more than twice as likely to have little or no prenatal care (2007 data).
  • Hispanics/Latinos had a greater percentage of the total cases of tuberculosis than all other racial or ethnic groups (2007 statistics).
  • Hispanics/Latinos were disproportionately affected by chlamydia and HIV/AIDS (2007 statistics).
  • Influenza and pneumonia vaccination rates remain significantly lower among Hispanics/Latinos (2009 statistics).
  • Diabetes rates among Hispanics/Latinos were nearly 1.5 times greater than for non-Hispanic whites (2009 statistics).
  • Mexican American men aged 20-74 had a higher prevalence of overweight (79.2%) from 2005-2008 than non-Hispanic white men (72.9% overweight); or non-Hispanic black men (71.8% overweight).

The complete CDC Feature, including links to additional information about Hispanic health, is available at http://www.cdc.gov/Features/HispanicHeritageMonth/.

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21st Annual San Fernando Health & Safety Fair

The weather was beautiful but an early morning fire in downtown San Antonio caused a delay and some relocation of exhibit tables at the 21st Annual San Fernando Health & Safety Fair. The UT Health Science Center Briscoe library has exhibited at this fair for many years and this year was no exception. In spite of difficult circumstances due to smoke and emergency equipment, over 100 fair attendees visited the library exhibit table to learn about the health information resources provided through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Library of Medicine (NLM). Fair attendees learned how to look up medications and medical conditions on MedlinePlus® and many children were introduced to ToxMystery.

Posted in Health Fairs, Hispanic health, News, Staying Well. Connected., UTHSCSA Library News, Youth | Comments Off

Food Insecurity High in Texas

The rising rate of food assistance given to Texans shows a disturbing trend.  In a state ranked 2nd  in the United States in  food insecurity, nearly 44 percent of the applicants for food assistance in the state of Texas in 2010 were Hispanic.  The Texas Food Bank Network saw an increase of 45 percent in the number of people it distributed food to, as well as an 85 percent increase in food distribution to children, between 2006 and 2010.   According to John Charles Dwyer, policy director for TFBN, “Hunger is a growing problem in this state every year, and the Hispanic population is affected most”.   Among the reasons for the increased assistance are poverty, recession and high jobless rates.

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