Every year, 240,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That’s why healthcare providers recommend women ages 50 to 74 get a mammogram – an X-ray of the breast that can help screen and diagnose cancer – every two years.   However, only about 3 in 4 women in that age group has had a mammogram in the past two years, as of 2022, according to a new study by the CDC.  For women who experience health-related social needs, even fewer haven’t gotten one.  This is alarming because, while mammograms can r ..read more

Calling all budding young public health leaders in The Alamo City! UT Health San Antonio is giving teens in the 11th and 12th grades the chance to expand their horizons and learn what it truly means to devote yourself to the public health field by hosting a free summer camp. The camp, which is free to attend and runs from June 17-21, 2024 in San Antonio, opens up the world of public health to students interested in careers like epidemiology, nutrition, researcher, and occupational health and safety. For a week, teens will dive into the 10 Essential Public Health Services, which make up public ..read more

The summer of 2023 was one of the hottest seasons on record for some areas across the US, bringing sweltering temperatures that caused heat stroke and heat exhaustion. Experts see this as a prime example climate change endangering health. While extreme weather events like heat are nothing new, the frequency of these events is cause for concern, especially when it comes to health and well-being. To tackle some of these issues, the World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a new toolkit to help healthcare professionals arm themselves with knowledge about climate change and health. Communicati ..read more

USDA has approved a final rule to improve nutrition and support breastfeeding in food packages in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). The final rule includes these changes: Require WIC-eligible whole grain breakfast cereals contain a whole grain as the first ingredient. Increase access to whole grains in breakfast cereal, bread, and grains, including “tortillas made with folic acid-fortified corn masa flour (once available in the marketplace).” Expand whole grain options to include foods like quinoa, blue cornmeal, and teff to reflect dietary gui ..read more

Cancer is often associated with an aging population, but something is changing in the demographics of cancer survivors — they are younger.  There are projected to be 85,980 new cases of cancer in individuals between ages 15 and 39, according to the National Cancer Institute.   Decade trends show that this number has been rising an average of 0.3% each year.  Even though most young adults and teens with cancer are expected to survive for five years following their diagnosis, researchers are trying to understand why young survivors often face long-term health impacts, such as nerv ..read more

Sadly, breast cancer impacts our Latina community. Latinas are more likely than White women to be diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), an aggressive type, according to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Join us for “Making Your Voice Heard in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Treatment,” our 30-minute webinar that is available on-demand starting on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. Hear the latest TNBC treatments and how Latinas deal with the difficult cancer journey. A doctor who specializes in treating breast cancer, a nurse practitioner, and a patient with breast cancer will explai ..read more

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking another step forward in its campaign against “forever chemicals,” also known as perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS). On April 10, 2024, the EPA announced its final ruling on the first-ever PFAS drinking water standard in the country. The EPA ruled in favor of the legally enforceable standard that limits PFAS, which has been linked to adverse health effects such as impacts to fetal growth and increased cancer risk, in drinking water. The final ruling on the matter comes nearly a year after closing public comment on the i ..read more

Nearly one of every two people are Latino in Harris County, Texas, which is home to Houston, the nation’s fourth-largest city. As the Latino community rises, equitable health, education, and opportunity is critical. That is why two Houston organizations, Children at Risk and Child Health Policy at the Baker Institute, published the 2024 Latino Child Health Initiative Report to examine the state of Latino child health in Precinct 2, one of four precincts in Harris County. The report identified high rates of type 2 diabetes and obesity among Latino children in Houston, as well as barriers to men ..read more

Alzheimer’s disease is a condition that impairs brain function and, over time, can cause memory, cognitive, and behavioral issues and eventually lead to death. The condition greatly impacts the health of the aging — especially Latinos. 14% of the American Latino population older than 65 are living with Alzheimer’s, compared with 10% of the White population. Alzheimer’s is projected to increase in older Latinos by 175% between 2018 and 2040, compared with a 32% increase in the White population, according to a new report, 2024 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures, from the Alzheimer’s Associati ..read more

The last thing a person wants to hear from their doctor is “You have cancer.”  Unfortunately, that’s the reality for the thousands of Americans, including many Latinos, diagnosed with cancer each year. After a diagnosis, people dealing with cancer discuss treatment options with their medical care team, which may include participation in clinical trials.  Clinical trials are studies with volunteers that test ways to find, prevent, and treat cancer and other diseases. They may also help improve the quality of life for volunteers affected by cancer or reduce the side effects of treatmen ..read more