Strains for Hispanic Caregivers
January 28, 2011
By Karen Stabiner
The New York Times
Fabiola Santiago lives in the Miami suburbs, two miles from her 81-year-old mother and 87-year-old father, whom she looks after. As the single mother of three grown daughters, she might live in the city or in Miami Beach if she had no family responsibilities — but to her, that’s like saying she’d fly if she woke up tomorrow with wings. It’s a fantasy.
For Ms. Santiago, 51, as for many other Hispanic adults, familialismo — the expectation that family members will support and assist one another, including aging relatives — defines adult life. “Family takes care of family,” she said.
Her parents fled Cuba in 1969, bringing Ms. Santiago and her brother to the United States. When Ms. Santiago’s first daughter was born, her mother quit her job to care for the child, enabling Ms. Santiago to pursue a career in journalism. Eventually she became a staff writer at The Miami Herald.
“My parents left everyone they loved and everything they had so that my brother and I could live in a democratic country,” said Ms. Santiago. “How could I not take care of them now?”
Chicago Hospital Names First Latino CEO
October 28, 2010
Norwegian American Hospital named José R. Sánchez as its new President and CEO.
Sánchez, who has built a distinguished 30-year career as a health care executive and urban health care expert, will be the city’s only Latino to serve as a hospital CEO.
As Chair of the Illinois Senate’s Public Health Committee, William Delgado (D-Chicago) noted the significance of the Norwegian American Hospital’s choice of Sánchez.
“It is an honor to welcome Sánchez to Chicago,” Delgado said. “As the only hospital CEO in our city who is Latino, the Latino community should take pride in this development. Sánchez brings a unique understanding of the health service needs and challenges facing urban communities.”
During Sánchez’ three-decade career as a health care leader, he has focused much of his effort addressing care and accessibility for low-income and disadvantaged populations. Sánchez makes his way to Chicago from New York, where he served as senior vice president of the Generations/Northern Manhattan Network. During his tenure, he oversaw three acute care hospitals of which two were level one trauma centers and 34 community-based health centers in East Harlem, Central Harlem and the South Bronx in New York City.
Batanga’s new Lolasabe.com targets Spanish-dominant Hispanic women
October 25, 2010
Batanga is adding an owned and operated site called LolaSabe.com to its online ad network.
Lolasabe.com is in Spanish and offers tips and advice about beauty, cooking recipes, home decoration and motherhood. Most articles have a practical edge (how-to form).
In US, Hispanics live the longest, CDC says
October 13, 2010
By MIKE STOBBE
AP Medical Writer
ATLANTA – U.S. Hispanics outlive whites by more than two years and blacks by more than seven, according to the government’s first calculation of Hispanic life expectancy.
The startling report released Wednesday is the strongest evidence yet of the “Hispanic paradox” — long life expectancy for a population that has a large share of poor, undereducated members. A leading theory is that Hispanics who manage to immigrate to the U.S. are among the healthiest from their countries.
A Hispanic born in 2006 could expect to live about 80 years and seven months, the government estimates. Life expectancy for a white is about 78, and for a black, just shy of 73 years.
Astigmatism more common in Hispanic preschoolers
October 12, 2010
By Amy Norton
Reuters Health
(Reuters Health) – Young Hispanic children may be more likely to have the vision defect astigmatism than their African-American peers, a new study finds.
Astigmatism refers to a distortion in the curvature of the cornea that can blur near and distance vision. Fairly little has been known about how widespread the problem is among preschool children, and how their susceptibility may vary by ethnicity.
In the new study, researchers found that among 3,000 Hispanic children between the ages of 6 months and 6 years, 17 percent had at least mild astigmatism and 3 percent had a significant degree of astigmatism that would generally require corrective lenses.
Walgreens to Showcase Products Produced by Hispanic-Owned Businesses
October 1, 2010
DEERFIELD, Ill., Oct 01, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Walgreens (NYSE, NASDAQ: WAG) will highlight the successes of Hispanic-owned businesses during Hispanic Heritage Month in October as part of its Community Corner program, a supplier diversity initiative designed to allow consumers to easily identify and purchase products produced by diverse companies.
Walgreens will recognize these Latino vendor partners through print advertisements, in-store announcements, in-store product demonstrations and Walgreens.com.
White House highlights healthcare reform benefits for Latinos
September 9, 2010
The Obama administration on Wednesday announced the launch of the Spanish-language version of its HealthCare.gov insurance portal in an effort to tout the law’s benefits for Latinos — a key Democratic constituency.
The launch of www.CuidadoDeSalud.gov by the Department of Health and Human Services was accompanied by an op-ed from President Obama in which he called the reform law a “crucial turning point for healthcare in the Latino community.”
Diversity proposals aim to address doctor shortage, avert care crisis
August 7, 2010
A health care “disaster” is brewing in the United States, according to El Monte doctor Ignacio de Artola.
Twenty-five percent of Americans have health problems that dramatically increase their risk of developing heart disease and diabetes. Among Latinos, that incidence jumps to 50 percent.
But disaster can be averted if these people get access to regular primary care, according to de Artola, who is director of the Cleaver Family Wellness Clinic in El Monte and a professor at the University of Southern California.
Like all things in health care, that is easier said than done.
Living in U.S. Raises Cancer Risk
August 6, 2010
The risk of cancer for Hispanics increases by 40% when they move to the U.S., according to a new study.
The risks of specific cancers, however, differ widely among the Hispanic subgroups of Cubans, Puerto Ricans, and Mexicans, the researchers also found.
On the positive side, U.S. Hispanics generally have lower cancer incidence than non-Hispanic U.S. whites, says Paulo Pinheiro, MD, PhD, a researcher in the department of epidemiology and public health at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Florida, who led the study.
“On the negative side, they increase their risk when they come here for the majority of the analyzed [in his study] cancers,” Pinheiro tells WebMD. The study is published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers &Prevention.
Latinos going under the knife
August 4, 2010
Despite the recession, Americans are still looking toward plastic surgery to get their desired look, no matter the cost. In 2009, Americans dropped $10.5 billion on cosmetic procedures, the top ones being breast augmentation, liposuction, eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty and abdominoplasty. Non-surgical procedures had big numbers, too, with Botox injections, laser hair removal and chemical peels.
While plastic surgery is big across cultures, Latinos hold the highest number of procedures within minorities in the U.S. Coming in with nine percent of the Latino population getting work done; they are the fastest growing demographic surpassing African-Americans and Asians. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Latinos underwent $1.5 million procedures in 2009, up 12 percent from the previous year. Surgeons say things like lifts, tummy tucks and buttock augmentations are common with “mommy makeovers” within the Latino community.
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