Wilmer Valderrama to Co-Host Cielo Latino with Miss Universe Dayana Mendoza
Cielo Latino, the annual fundraiser for the Latino Commission on AIDS, is the Nation's Largest Fundraiser in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the Latino community
PRESS RELEASE
NEW YORK, March 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Dennis deLeon, president of the Latino Commission on AIDS, announced Wilmer Valderrama and Miss Universe Dayana Mendoza as co-hosts for Cielo Latino on May 12, 2009 at Cipriani Wall Street.
"The Latino Commission on AIDS is honored and joyful to have the talent and support of Miss Universe Dayana Mendoza and actor Wilmer Valderrama, who both hail from Venezuela, in our annual fundraising effort and our global fight against HIV/AIDS," said deLeon.
Following his role as "Fez" in "That 70's Show," Wilmer created,
produced, and hosted the hit MTV show, "Yo Momma," all the way through its third season. Currently he is working on a new TV show, "The Emancipation of Ernesto," which he will also co-executive produce, and two new films, "Days of Wrath" opposite Laurence Fishburne and "Columbus Day" with Val Kilmer.
"I am inspired by the leadership of the Latino Commission, its mission, and its tireless efforts to help the Latino community battle this disease," said Valderrama. "It's critical to amplify our voices regarding the issues and increase our support of the organization now more than ever."
Miss Universe Dayana Mendoza follows in a long line of support from the Miss Universe Organization over the years. Although having a very successful modeling career, Mendoza hopes to fulfill her lifelong ambition to become either an interior designer or work in the field of advertising.
"It is an honor to be a part of Cielo Latino," said Miss Universe,
Dayana Mendoza. "As a madrina of the Latino Commission on AIDS, I have traveled the globe hoping to educate and raise awareness about this epidemic. The support of those who participate in Cielo Latino will strengthen the message that Unidos Podemos!"
In addition to the celebrity co-hosts, many others, such as actors
Rosie Perez and Lupe Ontiveros, honorary co-chairs of the Cielo Latino, and Jaslene Gonzalez, America's Next Top Model, will be present on May 12th to join the Commission in raising awareness about HIV/AIDS and help bring an end to the epidemic.
For further information on sponsorship packages, tickets and other means to support the event, please visit http://www.latinoaids.org/cielo or contact Elayne Monnens at 212-584-9318.
The Latino Commission on AIDS is a national nonprofit membership organization dedicated to fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS in the Latino community. In response to the critical, unmet need for HIV prevention and care for Latinos, a coalition of Latino leaders founded the agency in 1990.
The Commission realizes its mission by spearheading health advocacy for Latinos, promoting HIV education, developing model prevention programs for high-risk communities, building capacity in local organizations and health departments, and by conducting community-driven research and evaluation.
Through its extensive network of member organizations and community leaders, the Commission works to mobilize an effective Latino community response to the health crisis created by HIV/AIDS. The Commission is currently providing services in more than 40 States, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Since 1993 the Commission has been directed by Dennis deLeon, a national advocate and visionary leader of the Latino community's struggle to contain the AIDS epidemic.
Contact:
Rena Cortez, 212-807-1337, ext. 13
rcortez@arcos-ny.com
Guillermo Chacon, cell 212-920-1611
Gchacon@latinoaids.org
SOURCE Latino Commission on AIDS
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Hispanic diabetics could benefit from Mexican cactus
Agave syrup's benefits are in debate
The sweetener's profile is rising, but the agave plant contains a range of fructose levels, calling into question any healthful gains over other alternatives.
By Elena Conis, LA Times, March 30, 2009
A sweetener made from the juice of a Mexican cactus is an increasingly common ingredient in bottled teas, energy drinks, nutrition bars and desserts from health food stores.
In just the last few years, agave syrup's popularity has soared: The number of agave products on the market more than tripled between 2003 and 2007, according to market analysis firm Data Monitor. This year, a major food manufacturer -- McCormick & Co. -- placed the syrup on its list of top 10 flavors for 2009. In addition to being an ingredient in many foods, bottles of the syrup are now sold in many stores.
Some experts attribute agave's popularity to its delicate taste. The syrup, sometimes called agave nectar, is up to three times as sweet as table sugar, so it takes less of it to sweeten, say, a cup of tea or a cake recipe. Chefs and food scientists also attribute agave's recent popularity surge to its reputation for being a more healthful alternative to sugar.
"People are disgusted with aspartame and Splenda, and they're looking for an alternative to high-fructose corn syrup," said Kantha Shelke, a food chemist specializing in natural foods and principal with the Chicago-based food science think tank Corvus Blue. But Shelke adds that consumers' high hopes for agave may be somewhat misguided. "People say it's a healthful alternative, but it's not really. A sugar is a sugar is a sugar," she says.
Agave offers no advantage in terms of caloric content: about 16 calories per teaspoon, the same as table sugar. But the syrup's chemical makeup can differ significantly from that of other sweeteners. Whereas table sugar is composed of sucrose, which is broken down to yield half fructose and half glucose, agave can contain up to 90% fructose, Shelke says. That increase in fructose means -- theoretically, at least -- that agave nectar doesn't result in the same dangerous spikes in blood glucose that other sweeteners can cause in diabetics.
Such a high fructose content isn't typical of all agave products. "Depending on how the syrup is processed, it may or may not contain more fructose," says Roger Clemens, a professor at USC and spokesman for the Institute of Food Technologists, whose research has focused on functional foods, food processing and nutrition.
Variations in the amount of heat used in agave syrup production result in light, amber and dark forms of the syrup; in Mexico, preference for different versions varies by region. Agave syrup can also be made from different varieties of the agave plant, which yields variations in mineral content. (All forms of the syrup generally contain very small, but varying, amounts of calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium.)
Depending on the source and processing method used, agave syrup can, therefore, contain as little as 55% fructose, the same amount found in high-fructose corn syrup -- in which case the syrup would offer no advantage to diabetic consumers trying to avoid too much glucose, Clemens says.
The syrup's range of fructose content also means it's not necessarily the most logical choice for consumers looking to get away from the fructose levels in high-fructose corn syrup.
Further, any benefit that agave might offer to diabetics remains pure supposition, Clemens says. To date, the scientific literature contains few studies on agave, and no clinical studies on its safety for diabetics.
Blood-sugar concerns aside, consumers have found other reasons to choose agave. Some vegans use it in place of honey. Some raw-food adherents use it as their sweetener of choice, but Shelke points out that some agave is processed at high heat; syrups processed with enzymes instead of heat can technically be considered raw.
Food manufacturers and cooks, meanwhile, have found a number of reasons to use agave. It imparts a subtle sweetness to desserts and can be used to balance the saltiness of meat dishes. Its delicate flavor has made it an increasingly popular ingredient in bottled teas and health drinks. Its chemical composition lends itself to making moist, pliable nutrition bars. The longer chains of fructose that it contains, called fructans, are a type of fiber -- which food manufacturers can advertise on their labels.
Agave syrup isn't a viable sweetener substitute in all cases, says Iliana de la Vega, Latin Cuisines specialist for the Culinary Institute of America's San Antonio branch. It tastes good in tea, but, much like honey, "it doesn't go in coffee," she says.
She does, however, offer an increasingly trendy alternative: "It's extremely useful for cocktails. Try it in a margarita."
health@latimes.com
The sweetener's profile is rising, but the agave plant contains a range of fructose levels, calling into question any healthful gains over other alternatives.
By Elena Conis, LA Times, March 30, 2009
A sweetener made from the juice of a Mexican cactus is an increasingly common ingredient in bottled teas, energy drinks, nutrition bars and desserts from health food stores.
In just the last few years, agave syrup's popularity has soared: The number of agave products on the market more than tripled between 2003 and 2007, according to market analysis firm Data Monitor. This year, a major food manufacturer -- McCormick & Co. -- placed the syrup on its list of top 10 flavors for 2009. In addition to being an ingredient in many foods, bottles of the syrup are now sold in many stores.
Some experts attribute agave's popularity to its delicate taste. The syrup, sometimes called agave nectar, is up to three times as sweet as table sugar, so it takes less of it to sweeten, say, a cup of tea or a cake recipe. Chefs and food scientists also attribute agave's recent popularity surge to its reputation for being a more healthful alternative to sugar.
"People are disgusted with aspartame and Splenda, and they're looking for an alternative to high-fructose corn syrup," said Kantha Shelke, a food chemist specializing in natural foods and principal with the Chicago-based food science think tank Corvus Blue. But Shelke adds that consumers' high hopes for agave may be somewhat misguided. "People say it's a healthful alternative, but it's not really. A sugar is a sugar is a sugar," she says.
Agave offers no advantage in terms of caloric content: about 16 calories per teaspoon, the same as table sugar. But the syrup's chemical makeup can differ significantly from that of other sweeteners. Whereas table sugar is composed of sucrose, which is broken down to yield half fructose and half glucose, agave can contain up to 90% fructose, Shelke says. That increase in fructose means -- theoretically, at least -- that agave nectar doesn't result in the same dangerous spikes in blood glucose that other sweeteners can cause in diabetics.
Such a high fructose content isn't typical of all agave products. "Depending on how the syrup is processed, it may or may not contain more fructose," says Roger Clemens, a professor at USC and spokesman for the Institute of Food Technologists, whose research has focused on functional foods, food processing and nutrition.
Variations in the amount of heat used in agave syrup production result in light, amber and dark forms of the syrup; in Mexico, preference for different versions varies by region. Agave syrup can also be made from different varieties of the agave plant, which yields variations in mineral content. (All forms of the syrup generally contain very small, but varying, amounts of calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium.)
Depending on the source and processing method used, agave syrup can, therefore, contain as little as 55% fructose, the same amount found in high-fructose corn syrup -- in which case the syrup would offer no advantage to diabetic consumers trying to avoid too much glucose, Clemens says.
The syrup's range of fructose content also means it's not necessarily the most logical choice for consumers looking to get away from the fructose levels in high-fructose corn syrup.
Further, any benefit that agave might offer to diabetics remains pure supposition, Clemens says. To date, the scientific literature contains few studies on agave, and no clinical studies on its safety for diabetics.
Blood-sugar concerns aside, consumers have found other reasons to choose agave. Some vegans use it in place of honey. Some raw-food adherents use it as their sweetener of choice, but Shelke points out that some agave is processed at high heat; syrups processed with enzymes instead of heat can technically be considered raw.
Food manufacturers and cooks, meanwhile, have found a number of reasons to use agave. It imparts a subtle sweetness to desserts and can be used to balance the saltiness of meat dishes. Its delicate flavor has made it an increasingly popular ingredient in bottled teas and health drinks. Its chemical composition lends itself to making moist, pliable nutrition bars. The longer chains of fructose that it contains, called fructans, are a type of fiber -- which food manufacturers can advertise on their labels.
Agave syrup isn't a viable sweetener substitute in all cases, says Iliana de la Vega, Latin Cuisines specialist for the Culinary Institute of America's San Antonio branch. It tastes good in tea, but, much like honey, "it doesn't go in coffee," she says.
She does, however, offer an increasingly trendy alternative: "It's extremely useful for cocktails. Try it in a margarita."
health@latimes.com
Hispanic insurance expert offers advice in tough economy
Insurance advice for today's economy
Adrian Perez, Latino Journal
Rudy Rivas is more than an insurance broker. His efforts have saved families from getting the wrong insurance, too much insurance, or options for no-cost health coverage. He has been the recipient of the Small Businessman of the Year award by the U.S. Congress and has also received the distinguished Ronald Reagan Gold Medal for his entrepreneurship. Having been honored as "One of the Business People to Watch" by Hispanic Magazine, it became apparent that Mr. Rivas was the person we wanted to ask questions about insurance in today's economy. Here's what he had to share.
Q. The nation is obviously in a recession and people are looking for ways to make ends meet, what would you recommend in terms of minimum insurance?
A. Folks need to understand that when we have Employer Healthcare it is part of our compensation. But, when we buy it ourselves it should be for the "Big things". A plan was introduced by the Government in 2004 called a Health Savings Accounts (H.S.A), which are basically high deductible plans that put the consumer in control of her/his healthcare costs. Folks can learn more at www.HSAInside.com
Q. Are there good programs for small and micro business owners to offer insurance to their employees?
A. Employers have offered Health plans as a part of a employees compensation, so a employer needs to pick plans that offer a good value to employees. California is the only State in America that offers such a high percentage of HMO plans. So in that vein, employers in California should look into offering H.R.A accounts and possible Hybrid HMO & H.S.A. plans that still offer up-front benefits that greatly diminish their monthly premiums. The days of low co-pays and 100 percent hospitalization are over. Today's employers need to get aggressive and ask for plan reductions outside of normal "Anniversary".
Q. California, Texas and Florida are states that have the highest number of Latinos in the U.S., do they also carry the largest number of uninsured Latinos?
A. Texas had the highest percentage of uninsured residents under the age of 65, with 40.5 percent of Hispanics uninsured. It is not much better in Florida where 40 percent of Hispanics are without healthcare. In California, figures show 33 percent. I disagree with such a low uninsured rate in California. I believe that figure is more along the 38-40 percent rate. In simple English, throughout America more than one out of every three Hispanics is uninsured.
Q. What's less expensive: Paying for emergency healthcare out of your savings or carrying a healthcare policy?
A. Recently President Obama revealed a fact in his speech regarding healthcare, "more than 25 percent of Americans said that housing problems resulted from medical debt, including the inability to make rent or mortgage payments and the development of low credit ratings." About 1.5 million families lose their homes to foreclosure every year due to unaffordable medical costs. Electing healthcare can literally save your financial status in America. Obtaining a health plan can literally save a person's future financial stability.
Q. As our population gets older, is there a bigger need for insurance?
A. Hispanics comprise the largest minority group in the United States, and the number of older Hispanics is growing rapidly. By 2050, Hispanics will be the fastest growing population in the 65-and-over age group, reaching 15 million. Diabetes topped the list of concerns for the majority of the community members. Twenty-three percent of Hispanic elders have diabetes compared to 14.3 percent of their non-Hispanic peers. They are also more likely to be hospitalized for diabetes due to poor disease management. It is imperative that every Hispanic go to a physician today and receive a complete physical. Recently I went in to my physician and my Doctor said I should diet. I have since then lost 25lbs my BMI is now down to 26, I feel great and I challenge every single Hispanic male to join me in feeling better and eating better.
Q. A typical couple in their 30s have three children (two boys and a girl) what type of insurance would you recommend?
A. When a family comes to me looking for healthcare, I first inform them about State plans for children. Families should buy according to needs, for example a young lady who needs maternity coverage should make sure that is a covered benefit. For a young man, pick a plan that does not cover maternity and for most men picking a high deductible plan will work fine. Anyone buying Insurance of any sort should consider it as a financial equation. Take your monthly premium, multiply that amount by 12 and that will yield an annual cost. Now take the annual out of pocket max of your plan this yields the true costs of healthcare, a calculation I created. Feel free to contact me for your personal calculation, overspending on healthcare is just foolish.
Mr. Rivas owns and operates Health Insurance Agencies in California and Florida. He is a well-known speaker on "Taking Control of Health Insurance Premiums," with HSA and HRA type plans. His company, www.hispanicinsure.com, has over 1000 Active Groups, and or Individuals.
Adrian Perez, Latino Journal
Rudy Rivas is more than an insurance broker. His efforts have saved families from getting the wrong insurance, too much insurance, or options for no-cost health coverage. He has been the recipient of the Small Businessman of the Year award by the U.S. Congress and has also received the distinguished Ronald Reagan Gold Medal for his entrepreneurship. Having been honored as "One of the Business People to Watch" by Hispanic Magazine, it became apparent that Mr. Rivas was the person we wanted to ask questions about insurance in today's economy. Here's what he had to share.
Q. The nation is obviously in a recession and people are looking for ways to make ends meet, what would you recommend in terms of minimum insurance?
A. Folks need to understand that when we have Employer Healthcare it is part of our compensation. But, when we buy it ourselves it should be for the "Big things". A plan was introduced by the Government in 2004 called a Health Savings Accounts (H.S.A), which are basically high deductible plans that put the consumer in control of her/his healthcare costs. Folks can learn more at www.HSAInside.com
Q. Are there good programs for small and micro business owners to offer insurance to their employees?
A. Employers have offered Health plans as a part of a employees compensation, so a employer needs to pick plans that offer a good value to employees. California is the only State in America that offers such a high percentage of HMO plans. So in that vein, employers in California should look into offering H.R.A accounts and possible Hybrid HMO & H.S.A. plans that still offer up-front benefits that greatly diminish their monthly premiums. The days of low co-pays and 100 percent hospitalization are over. Today's employers need to get aggressive and ask for plan reductions outside of normal "Anniversary".
Q. California, Texas and Florida are states that have the highest number of Latinos in the U.S., do they also carry the largest number of uninsured Latinos?
A. Texas had the highest percentage of uninsured residents under the age of 65, with 40.5 percent of Hispanics uninsured. It is not much better in Florida where 40 percent of Hispanics are without healthcare. In California, figures show 33 percent. I disagree with such a low uninsured rate in California. I believe that figure is more along the 38-40 percent rate. In simple English, throughout America more than one out of every three Hispanics is uninsured.
Q. What's less expensive: Paying for emergency healthcare out of your savings or carrying a healthcare policy?
A. Recently President Obama revealed a fact in his speech regarding healthcare, "more than 25 percent of Americans said that housing problems resulted from medical debt, including the inability to make rent or mortgage payments and the development of low credit ratings." About 1.5 million families lose their homes to foreclosure every year due to unaffordable medical costs. Electing healthcare can literally save your financial status in America. Obtaining a health plan can literally save a person's future financial stability.
Q. As our population gets older, is there a bigger need for insurance?
A. Hispanics comprise the largest minority group in the United States, and the number of older Hispanics is growing rapidly. By 2050, Hispanics will be the fastest growing population in the 65-and-over age group, reaching 15 million. Diabetes topped the list of concerns for the majority of the community members. Twenty-three percent of Hispanic elders have diabetes compared to 14.3 percent of their non-Hispanic peers. They are also more likely to be hospitalized for diabetes due to poor disease management. It is imperative that every Hispanic go to a physician today and receive a complete physical. Recently I went in to my physician and my Doctor said I should diet. I have since then lost 25lbs my BMI is now down to 26, I feel great and I challenge every single Hispanic male to join me in feeling better and eating better.
Q. A typical couple in their 30s have three children (two boys and a girl) what type of insurance would you recommend?
A. When a family comes to me looking for healthcare, I first inform them about State plans for children. Families should buy according to needs, for example a young lady who needs maternity coverage should make sure that is a covered benefit. For a young man, pick a plan that does not cover maternity and for most men picking a high deductible plan will work fine. Anyone buying Insurance of any sort should consider it as a financial equation. Take your monthly premium, multiply that amount by 12 and that will yield an annual cost. Now take the annual out of pocket max of your plan this yields the true costs of healthcare, a calculation I created. Feel free to contact me for your personal calculation, overspending on healthcare is just foolish.
Mr. Rivas owns and operates Health Insurance Agencies in California and Florida. He is a well-known speaker on "Taking Control of Health Insurance Premiums," with HSA and HRA type plans. His company, www.hispanicinsure.com, has over 1000 Active Groups, and or Individuals.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Hispanic immigrants share health concerns
At Clinic, Tales and Health Concerns of Hispanics
By DENISE GRADY, NY TIMES, March 28, 2009
MINNEAPOLIS — As in many public hospitals across the country, the largest number of foreign-born patients at Hennepin County Medical Center are Hispanic immigrants. They are in the emergency room, the maternity ward, neighborhood clinics and in a part-time clinic in the main hospital set aside for Spanish-language patients.
The clinic, open three half-days a week, is so busy that it is hard to get an appointment. Dr. Carmen Divertie, an internist from Peru, founded it 15 years ago, modeling it after a clinic for Russians at the hospital.
Many of Dr. Divertie’s patients are recent immigrants from Mexico or Ecuador, and she assumes that virtually all are illegal, though she does not ask. The hospital has a policy of not considering immigration status in offering care, but the money spent on illegal immigrants accounts for a sizable part of the hospital’s unreimbursed tab of $45 million a year — a sore point for people upset about illegal immigration, even in this city with a long history of reaching out to immigrants.
Dr. Michael Belzer, the medical director at Hennepin, said wryly, “We’ve cornered the market on the uninsured.”
The hospital’s Spanish, Somali and Russian clinics all lose money because many insurers will not cover the cost of interpreters and because appointments take longer with everything being said twice, said Dr. Craig Garrett, who started the Russian clinic and oversees all three.
Even with Hennepin’s open-door policy, hospital officials say, getting health care is increasingly difficult for many illegal immigrants. Previously allowed to use Medicaid, people here illegally are no longer eligible, except for children, pregnant women or those with emergency cases. Some illegal immigrants are too afraid to approach a public hospital like Hennepin, fearful that any official interaction might tip off immigration agents.
The chatter in the hallways and waiting rooms indicates that Minneapolis — a full 1,150 miles from the Mexican border — is less a destination of convenience than necessity for illegal immigrants. Some went first to California, Chicago or New York, and then came here to get their children away from gangs or find affordable housing, jobs, good schools and health care.
“Some have already lost a child,” Dr. Divertie said of the gang violence in other cities.
One woman who arrived at the clinic last summer for a checkup said she had recently paid a coyote, or human smuggler, $3,000 to cross the heavily guarded border into Arizona. The crossing took just two hours.
“She must have had a good coyote,” Dr. Divertie said.
The patient, a widow in her 50s with five grown children, said the trip required running and jumping. A companion fell and broke her leg, and did not complete the trip. Dr. Divertie said some of her patients trained for crossing the border as they would for an athletic event.
Dr. Veronica Svetaz, an Argentine physician at a Hennepin neighborhood clinic, treated a 13-year-old girl who had been raped and made pregnant by a coyote. The girl was so ashamed that she did not tell her mother what had happened until she realized she was pregnant. The family wanted to end the pregnancy, but by the time the decision was made, a late-term abortion was needed, requiring a trip to Chicago. The family could not afford it. The girl had the baby, and kept it.
“It’s overwhelming,” Dr. Svetaz said.
Teenage pregnancy is a huge problem, she said, and sometimes it seems as if more girls, and younger ones, are showing up pregnant every day. Some were abused, some slipped up on birth control, and some decided that 15 was a good age to have a baby. But what saves Dr. Svetaz from despair is what she described as her relentless drive to push and inspire them to go back to school and to avoid a second teenage pregnancy.
Dr. Svetaz takes care of entire Latino families, and in adults and teenagers she sees a great deal of back pain, injuries, diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, anxiety and stress.
“Mental health is huge,” she said. “The levels of anxiety and depression are amazing.”
But her patients worry about being labeled crazy if they admit to emotional problems.
“Latinos tend to somatize more,” she said, meaning that their psychological troubles are expressed as things like back and neck pain.
“This is where cultural competence comes in,” she said. “I’ve seen an 18- or 19-year-old with chest pain and a headache, who had a panic attack, but was worked up in the emergency room for heart attack and given a head CT or M.R.I.”
Hennepin has a discount program with sliding-scale fees for the indigent. But even the discounted fees are more than some can afford, Dr. Divertie said, so many delay care until the need becomes urgent. Hoping bronchitis will go away, they wind up with pneumonia. Patients with heart failure wait until they cannot breathe. For lack of Pap tests, women develop advanced cervical cancer, a deadly disease that can be prevented. Breast cancers also tend to be found late, when the odds of survival are lower.
People with diabetes show up at Hennepin’s clinics with blood sugar so high that they are sent straight to the hospital. Some have severe diabetic complications, even gangrene. And it is hard to convince Mexicans to take insulin, no matter how badly they need it, Dr. Divertie said. Many have seen diabetic relatives die while using insulin, and they blame the medicine rather than the disease.
“Most of my patients are illiterate, the majority, and they’re ashamed of it,” Dr. Divertie said. “They don’t tell you.”
Many of Dr. Divertie’s patients take antidepressants. Often, they live in overcrowded housing to lower their rent and work more than one job to send money back to their home country. Some long for children left behind and worry that they are being abused by relatives who are supposed to be looking after them.
“They come in crying,” she said.
On top of the emotional troubles are cultural beliefs and habits that can make immigrants difficult to treat.
“Lots of my patients come in and they’ve already been taking antibiotics that didn’t work, and that’s why they come to me,” Dr. Divertie said. CLICK HERE FOR MORE
By DENISE GRADY, NY TIMES, March 28, 2009
MINNEAPOLIS — As in many public hospitals across the country, the largest number of foreign-born patients at Hennepin County Medical Center are Hispanic immigrants. They are in the emergency room, the maternity ward, neighborhood clinics and in a part-time clinic in the main hospital set aside for Spanish-language patients.
The clinic, open three half-days a week, is so busy that it is hard to get an appointment. Dr. Carmen Divertie, an internist from Peru, founded it 15 years ago, modeling it after a clinic for Russians at the hospital.
Many of Dr. Divertie’s patients are recent immigrants from Mexico or Ecuador, and she assumes that virtually all are illegal, though she does not ask. The hospital has a policy of not considering immigration status in offering care, but the money spent on illegal immigrants accounts for a sizable part of the hospital’s unreimbursed tab of $45 million a year — a sore point for people upset about illegal immigration, even in this city with a long history of reaching out to immigrants.
Dr. Michael Belzer, the medical director at Hennepin, said wryly, “We’ve cornered the market on the uninsured.”
The hospital’s Spanish, Somali and Russian clinics all lose money because many insurers will not cover the cost of interpreters and because appointments take longer with everything being said twice, said Dr. Craig Garrett, who started the Russian clinic and oversees all three.
Even with Hennepin’s open-door policy, hospital officials say, getting health care is increasingly difficult for many illegal immigrants. Previously allowed to use Medicaid, people here illegally are no longer eligible, except for children, pregnant women or those with emergency cases. Some illegal immigrants are too afraid to approach a public hospital like Hennepin, fearful that any official interaction might tip off immigration agents.
The chatter in the hallways and waiting rooms indicates that Minneapolis — a full 1,150 miles from the Mexican border — is less a destination of convenience than necessity for illegal immigrants. Some went first to California, Chicago or New York, and then came here to get their children away from gangs or find affordable housing, jobs, good schools and health care.
“Some have already lost a child,” Dr. Divertie said of the gang violence in other cities.
One woman who arrived at the clinic last summer for a checkup said she had recently paid a coyote, or human smuggler, $3,000 to cross the heavily guarded border into Arizona. The crossing took just two hours.
“She must have had a good coyote,” Dr. Divertie said.
The patient, a widow in her 50s with five grown children, said the trip required running and jumping. A companion fell and broke her leg, and did not complete the trip. Dr. Divertie said some of her patients trained for crossing the border as they would for an athletic event.
Dr. Veronica Svetaz, an Argentine physician at a Hennepin neighborhood clinic, treated a 13-year-old girl who had been raped and made pregnant by a coyote. The girl was so ashamed that she did not tell her mother what had happened until she realized she was pregnant. The family wanted to end the pregnancy, but by the time the decision was made, a late-term abortion was needed, requiring a trip to Chicago. The family could not afford it. The girl had the baby, and kept it.
“It’s overwhelming,” Dr. Svetaz said.
Teenage pregnancy is a huge problem, she said, and sometimes it seems as if more girls, and younger ones, are showing up pregnant every day. Some were abused, some slipped up on birth control, and some decided that 15 was a good age to have a baby. But what saves Dr. Svetaz from despair is what she described as her relentless drive to push and inspire them to go back to school and to avoid a second teenage pregnancy.
Dr. Svetaz takes care of entire Latino families, and in adults and teenagers she sees a great deal of back pain, injuries, diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, anxiety and stress.
“Mental health is huge,” she said. “The levels of anxiety and depression are amazing.”
But her patients worry about being labeled crazy if they admit to emotional problems.
“Latinos tend to somatize more,” she said, meaning that their psychological troubles are expressed as things like back and neck pain.
“This is where cultural competence comes in,” she said. “I’ve seen an 18- or 19-year-old with chest pain and a headache, who had a panic attack, but was worked up in the emergency room for heart attack and given a head CT or M.R.I.”
Hennepin has a discount program with sliding-scale fees for the indigent. But even the discounted fees are more than some can afford, Dr. Divertie said, so many delay care until the need becomes urgent. Hoping bronchitis will go away, they wind up with pneumonia. Patients with heart failure wait until they cannot breathe. For lack of Pap tests, women develop advanced cervical cancer, a deadly disease that can be prevented. Breast cancers also tend to be found late, when the odds of survival are lower.
People with diabetes show up at Hennepin’s clinics with blood sugar so high that they are sent straight to the hospital. Some have severe diabetic complications, even gangrene. And it is hard to convince Mexicans to take insulin, no matter how badly they need it, Dr. Divertie said. Many have seen diabetic relatives die while using insulin, and they blame the medicine rather than the disease.
“Most of my patients are illiterate, the majority, and they’re ashamed of it,” Dr. Divertie said. “They don’t tell you.”
Many of Dr. Divertie’s patients take antidepressants. Often, they live in overcrowded housing to lower their rent and work more than one job to send money back to their home country. Some long for children left behind and worry that they are being abused by relatives who are supposed to be looking after them.
“They come in crying,” she said.
On top of the emotional troubles are cultural beliefs and habits that can make immigrants difficult to treat.
“Lots of my patients come in and they’ve already been taking antibiotics that didn’t work, and that’s why they come to me,” Dr. Divertie said. CLICK HERE FOR MORE
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Hispanic Immigrant health care important
Fine-Tuning Health Care for Hispanic Immigrants
by Evianna Cruz, America’s Quarterly, March 27, 2009
For Hispanic immigrants living in the United States, the obstacles to receiving adequate health care are many: lack of health insurance and language and cultural barriers in addition to immigration status are among the most important.
One example of the cultural differences is the home remedies that many immigrant groups use to treat health complications. In some communities of Colombia, it is common to use garlic to treat hypertension. In some parts of Mexico, it is a common practice to use cactus, aloe vera juice and bitter gourd to treat diabetes. Patients sometimes choose to self-medicate and self-diagnose rather than seek professional medical attention, which can lead to health complications in the future and frequent, last-minute visits to the emergency room.
Health care facilities in the U.S. that serve large immigrant populations are thoroughly examining these health beliefs and their implications with the hopes of increasing patient compliance and improving health outcomes. Dr. Cheryl Willman, director and CEO of the University of New Mexico Cancer Research and Treatment Center, recently told ScienceCentric, "As we continue to move forward with our scientific knowledge and medical treatments, we also need to understand if the potential benefits of what we are learning are being communicated effectively to those most at risk."
It’s an important point. In the United States, Hispanic immigrants suffer from health disparities when compared to the general population, often as a result of the low-quality and resource-limited health facilities they visit. Hispanic men and women have higher incidence and mortality rates for stomach and liver cancer as well as having higher rates of obesity. In 2005, Hispanics were 1.6 times as likely as non-Hispanic Whites to die from diabetes.
In addition, due to their legal status, immigrants can be reluctant to access health care facilities. Regardless of the progress made in the treatment of diseases, little progress will be made in health care if immigrants don’t feel they can approach facilities for treatment. Women will continue delaying breast-cancer screenings; cancer and HIV/AIDS will be identified in later stages, when they are more difficult to manage; home remedies will continue to be used as substitutes for rather than as complements to other treatments. Also, physicians may understand non-compliance simply and exclusively as negligence, rather than taking into account cultural factors. This makes effective patient-physician communication almost impossible.
Health care facilities are now enacting policies that take these factors, however hard to define and measure, into account. They are going a long way to train both physicians and the general staff in cultural competency, which goes beyond cultural awareness or cultural sensitivity to translate into congruent policies that enable physicians to work with culturally diverse populations. These can be anything from making Spanish-language pamphlets and information available to patients to developing dietary plans for diabetic patients that take into account the foods and dishes prevalent in their cultures to a patient bill of rights, highlighting the privacy that is maintained between the patient and health-care provider. Medical schools are even going as far as including cultural competency courses within their curriculum. The Liaison Committee on Medical Education now requires all medical schools to integrate cultural competence into their curricula.
While not eliminating the many other important factors contributing to health outcomes—lifestyle, dietary and exercise habits, genes—cultural competency goes a long way in establishing trust, one of, if not the most, important basis for building compliance. And it reduces U.S. health care costs in the long run.
by Evianna Cruz, America’s Quarterly, March 27, 2009
For Hispanic immigrants living in the United States, the obstacles to receiving adequate health care are many: lack of health insurance and language and cultural barriers in addition to immigration status are among the most important.
One example of the cultural differences is the home remedies that many immigrant groups use to treat health complications. In some communities of Colombia, it is common to use garlic to treat hypertension. In some parts of Mexico, it is a common practice to use cactus, aloe vera juice and bitter gourd to treat diabetes. Patients sometimes choose to self-medicate and self-diagnose rather than seek professional medical attention, which can lead to health complications in the future and frequent, last-minute visits to the emergency room.
Health care facilities in the U.S. that serve large immigrant populations are thoroughly examining these health beliefs and their implications with the hopes of increasing patient compliance and improving health outcomes. Dr. Cheryl Willman, director and CEO of the University of New Mexico Cancer Research and Treatment Center, recently told ScienceCentric, "As we continue to move forward with our scientific knowledge and medical treatments, we also need to understand if the potential benefits of what we are learning are being communicated effectively to those most at risk."
It’s an important point. In the United States, Hispanic immigrants suffer from health disparities when compared to the general population, often as a result of the low-quality and resource-limited health facilities they visit. Hispanic men and women have higher incidence and mortality rates for stomach and liver cancer as well as having higher rates of obesity. In 2005, Hispanics were 1.6 times as likely as non-Hispanic Whites to die from diabetes.
In addition, due to their legal status, immigrants can be reluctant to access health care facilities. Regardless of the progress made in the treatment of diseases, little progress will be made in health care if immigrants don’t feel they can approach facilities for treatment. Women will continue delaying breast-cancer screenings; cancer and HIV/AIDS will be identified in later stages, when they are more difficult to manage; home remedies will continue to be used as substitutes for rather than as complements to other treatments. Also, physicians may understand non-compliance simply and exclusively as negligence, rather than taking into account cultural factors. This makes effective patient-physician communication almost impossible.
Health care facilities are now enacting policies that take these factors, however hard to define and measure, into account. They are going a long way to train both physicians and the general staff in cultural competency, which goes beyond cultural awareness or cultural sensitivity to translate into congruent policies that enable physicians to work with culturally diverse populations. These can be anything from making Spanish-language pamphlets and information available to patients to developing dietary plans for diabetic patients that take into account the foods and dishes prevalent in their cultures to a patient bill of rights, highlighting the privacy that is maintained between the patient and health-care provider. Medical schools are even going as far as including cultural competency courses within their curriculum. The Liaison Committee on Medical Education now requires all medical schools to integrate cultural competence into their curricula.
While not eliminating the many other important factors contributing to health outcomes—lifestyle, dietary and exercise habits, genes—cultural competency goes a long way in establishing trust, one of, if not the most, important basis for building compliance. And it reduces U.S. health care costs in the long run.
Hispanics in Arizona lack health insurance
Nearly 4-in-10 Arizonans lacked health insurance in past 2 years
By Stephanie Innes, Arizona Daily Star | 03.27.2009
A new study says that nearly 40 percent of Arizonans under the age of 65 were without health insurance for one month or more during the last two years.
And Hispanics are much more likely to be without health insurance than non-Hispanics, says the study, released today by the New York-based Families USA, a health consumer organization.
The study, from the non-profit health consumer organization Families USA, says that 2.1 million Arizonans under the age of 65 went without health insurance at some point during 2007 and 2008. The study also says that 77 percent of those people were uninsured for six months or more.
“The huge number of people without health coverage in Arizona is worse than an epidemic,” said Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA. “At this point, almost everyone in the country has a family member, neighbor or friend who was uninsured — and that’s why meaningful health care reform can no longer be kept on the back burner.”
The Arizona results were not unique, however. Nationwide about 86.7 million Americans — one out of three people under the age of 65 — was uninsured at some point during the last two years, the study says.
The numbers for both the state and the country are much higher than data from the U.S. Census Bureau, which says about 46 million Americans were without health insurance in 2007. In Arizona, that number is 1.2 million, or nearly 20 percent of the population.
The Families USA numbers may be higher because it included people who were without health insurance at some point, but not for the entire year.
Other Arizona findings in the new study:
- Nearly four in five of Arizona’s uninsured — 79.1 percent — were in working families, working full-time or part-time.
- Hispanics in Arizona were much more likely to be uninsured than whites — 55.6 percent of Hispanics went without health insurance in 2007 and 2008, compared with 27.1 percent of whites.
By Stephanie Innes, Arizona Daily Star | 03.27.2009
A new study says that nearly 40 percent of Arizonans under the age of 65 were without health insurance for one month or more during the last two years.
And Hispanics are much more likely to be without health insurance than non-Hispanics, says the study, released today by the New York-based Families USA, a health consumer organization.
The study, from the non-profit health consumer organization Families USA, says that 2.1 million Arizonans under the age of 65 went without health insurance at some point during 2007 and 2008. The study also says that 77 percent of those people were uninsured for six months or more.
“The huge number of people without health coverage in Arizona is worse than an epidemic,” said Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA. “At this point, almost everyone in the country has a family member, neighbor or friend who was uninsured — and that’s why meaningful health care reform can no longer be kept on the back burner.”
The Arizona results were not unique, however. Nationwide about 86.7 million Americans — one out of three people under the age of 65 — was uninsured at some point during the last two years, the study says.
The numbers for both the state and the country are much higher than data from the U.S. Census Bureau, which says about 46 million Americans were without health insurance in 2007. In Arizona, that number is 1.2 million, or nearly 20 percent of the population.
The Families USA numbers may be higher because it included people who were without health insurance at some point, but not for the entire year.
Other Arizona findings in the new study:
- Nearly four in five of Arizona’s uninsured — 79.1 percent — were in working families, working full-time or part-time.
- Hispanics in Arizona were much more likely to be uninsured than whites — 55.6 percent of Hispanics went without health insurance in 2007 and 2008, compared with 27.1 percent of whites.
Hispanics in New Mexico uninsured
Study: More NM Hispanics uninsured than whites
Associated Press - March 27, 2009
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - About half of Hispanics and Native Americans in New Mexico were without health insurance for at least a month and up to two years in 2007 and 2008.
That's according to a new study from Families USA.
The study says only 28% of whites said they were uninsured during that same period.
Families USA, a health reform advocacy group, says 49.5% of Hispanics were without health coverage at some point over the two years.
And 56% of people who described themselves as Native American or as members of more than one ethnic group said they went without coverage sometime during the period studied.
New Mexico Human Services Department spokeswoman Betina Gonzales McCracken says the department recognizes that ethnicity does play a role in the uninsured.
Associated Press - March 27, 2009
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - About half of Hispanics and Native Americans in New Mexico were without health insurance for at least a month and up to two years in 2007 and 2008.
That's according to a new study from Families USA.
The study says only 28% of whites said they were uninsured during that same period.
Families USA, a health reform advocacy group, says 49.5% of Hispanics were without health coverage at some point over the two years.
And 56% of people who described themselves as Native American or as members of more than one ethnic group said they went without coverage sometime during the period studied.
New Mexico Human Services Department spokeswoman Betina Gonzales McCracken says the department recognizes that ethnicity does play a role in the uninsured.
Hispanics getting into Botox
More Hispanics Get Botox, Cosmetic Procedures
Miri Marshall-KFOX TV, March 27, 2009
EL PASO, Texas -- It comes in a little bottle, but it’s got a lot of beauty in it. It’s Botox. In a tough economy even though some people's bank statements look ugly, they are making sure their faces don't.
The American Society of Plastic Surgery said more people are using Botox.
"Botox along with fillers are in a better economic range, and that's the reason there's an increase,” said Dr. Peter Herman, with Dermatology & Aesthetic Center of El Paso.
While Botox is on the rise surgical cosmetic procedures were down 9 percent in 2008. Breast augmentation dropped 12 percent in 2008 and liposuction procedures were down 19 percent, compared to 2007.
Doctors also said more Hispanic clients are getting Botox, the numbers are up 18 percent nationwide. Herman explained why more Hispanics may be turning to Botox. He believes the Hispanic culture stayed away from cosmetic procedures because of an interference in nature.
“There may be a religious component to that, but the feeling now has changed," Herman said.
Plastic surgeons said more minorities are turning to cosmetic procedures. Hispanics made up 10 percent of the 12 million cosmetic procedures in the U.S. in 2008. African-Americans made up 8 percent, a 10 percent increase, and Asians made up 7 percent of cosmetic procedures in 2008, a 5 percent increase from 2007.
Herman said Botox has more benefits than just beauty.
"When people are job seeking or job hunting, a person with a more relaxed appearance and more cosmetically appealing is perhaps more likely to get a job," Herman said.
Miri Marshall-KFOX TV, March 27, 2009
EL PASO, Texas -- It comes in a little bottle, but it’s got a lot of beauty in it. It’s Botox. In a tough economy even though some people's bank statements look ugly, they are making sure their faces don't.
The American Society of Plastic Surgery said more people are using Botox.
"Botox along with fillers are in a better economic range, and that's the reason there's an increase,” said Dr. Peter Herman, with Dermatology & Aesthetic Center of El Paso.
While Botox is on the rise surgical cosmetic procedures were down 9 percent in 2008. Breast augmentation dropped 12 percent in 2008 and liposuction procedures were down 19 percent, compared to 2007.
Doctors also said more Hispanic clients are getting Botox, the numbers are up 18 percent nationwide. Herman explained why more Hispanics may be turning to Botox. He believes the Hispanic culture stayed away from cosmetic procedures because of an interference in nature.
“There may be a religious component to that, but the feeling now has changed," Herman said.
Plastic surgeons said more minorities are turning to cosmetic procedures. Hispanics made up 10 percent of the 12 million cosmetic procedures in the U.S. in 2008. African-Americans made up 8 percent, a 10 percent increase, and Asians made up 7 percent of cosmetic procedures in 2008, a 5 percent increase from 2007.
Herman said Botox has more benefits than just beauty.
"When people are job seeking or job hunting, a person with a more relaxed appearance and more cosmetically appealing is perhaps more likely to get a job," Herman said.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Hispanics not filling MD prescriptions because of cost
Consumer Reports Poll: Nearly 3 in 10 Hispanics Opted Not to Fill M.D. Script for Cost Reasons
44 percent of Hispanics lack health insurance
PRESS RELEASE
YONKERS, N.Y., March 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Struggling to meet health care costs, 29 percent of Hispanic adults said they had decided against filling a script for cost reasons, according to a national poll conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center. Survey respondents said that they also economized by asking their doctor for free samples, skipping doses, taking smaller doses, or sharing a prescription with someone else on the same medicine.
Consumer Reports' poll demonstrates that the majority of Hispanic consumers in the U.S. are struggling with healthcare costs. When asked about how easy or difficult it is to afford healthcare, 66 percent responded "difficult" or "very difficult," including 88 percent of those without health insurance. Three-quarters of consumers earning under $50,000 and those born outside the U.S. or Puerto Rico reported difficulty dealing with cost, along with nearly 7 in 10 of those under the age of 55.
CR's poll shows a large portion of Hispanics do not have health insurance (44 percent). Those most likely to be without health coverage were ages 18-34 (55 percent), in households earning less than $25,000 per year (54 percent), or foreign born (56 percent). Hispanics without health insurance are more than twice as likely as those with health insurance to forego a prescribed medication because of cost. They are nearly twice as likely to skip a dose to make a prescribed medication last longer. Moreover, one-quarter of uninsured Hispanics reported taking a smaller dos to make a prescription last longer versus 16 percent of Hispanics with health insurance. The uninsured also are more than 4 times as likely to share a prescription with someone else. This "sharing" trend is also popular with the younger Hispanics ages 18-34 years -- 22 percent said they had shared.
"We were surprised by the extent to which Hispanic consumers are cutting corners and the risks they're taking to save money. The most important thing is for patients to talk to their doctors about the cost of medicines. This can be challenging for some patients, especially where there are language and cultural barriers," said Dr. Jose Luis Mosquera, medical expert for Consumer Reports.
New Magazine Identifies Proven, Cost-Effective Alternatives
The poll is being released in conjunction with Consumer Reports Best Drugs for Less, a 60-page magazine that rates more than 200 prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines for more than 20 conditions including heart disease, asthma, diabetes, and depression. Consumer Reports Best Drugs for Less can be purchased by visiting http://www.ConsumerReportsHealth.org, where the Ratings can be accessed for free. The Ratings are part of a larger initiative by the newly launched Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center to provide consumers with health Ratings based on independent and unbiased review of the best scientific evidence available. (This information is available in English.)
Cutting Corners on Prescriptions
Over the past six months, 38 percent of Hispanic adults have taken a prescription medication. Recent Rx use tracked strongly with age, with 80 percent of Latinos ages 55 years or older having used a medication, compared with just 19 percent of those under age 35. Similarly, the poll found that one-third of Hispanics are currently taking a prescription drug.
Nationwide, Hispanics currently taking a prescription medicine spent out-of-pocket an average of $65 on medicines during the past 30 days, the poll shows. Respondents without health insurance spent far more than the insured ($81 vs. $58), and those earning at least $50,000 spent nearly as much ($78).
Of those taking prescribed drugs, 51 percent are doing one or more of the following to save money: 29 percent did not fill a prescription that is too expensive; 28 percent have requested free samples from their doctors; 19 percent have skipped a dose of prescription medication or have taken a smaller dose (like cutting pills in half); and 6 percent have shared a prescription with someone who takes the same medication. The figures are even higher for those without health insurance.
Drug Advertisements Influence Consumers' Choices -- Skepticism About Generics
Most Hispanics (70 percent) have been exposed to prescription drug ads, and among them, more than one-quarter (27 percent) have asked their doctor about a drug they learned about through advertising. Those in the lowest income-bracket (under $25,000) were also the most likely to ask their doctor about an expensive, brand-name drug they had seen or heard advertised. CR also found that doctors prescribe advertised medications that their patients request 43 percent of the time.
Many Hispanics who could benefit from generic prescriptions expressed skepticism about them. At least half of those without health insurance, aged 18-34, or those earning under $25,000 said they believe that generic medicines sometimes or never work as well as brand-name drugs.
Poll Methodology
The Consumer Reports National Research Center conducted a telephone survey using a nationally representative probability sample of Hispanic telephone households. 1,007 interviews were completed among Hispanic adults aged 18+. Interviewing took place over December 3-10, 2008. The sampling error is +/- 3.2% at a 95% confidence level.
44 percent of Hispanics lack health insurance
PRESS RELEASE
YONKERS, N.Y., March 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Struggling to meet health care costs, 29 percent of Hispanic adults said they had decided against filling a script for cost reasons, according to a national poll conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center. Survey respondents said that they also economized by asking their doctor for free samples, skipping doses, taking smaller doses, or sharing a prescription with someone else on the same medicine.
Consumer Reports' poll demonstrates that the majority of Hispanic consumers in the U.S. are struggling with healthcare costs. When asked about how easy or difficult it is to afford healthcare, 66 percent responded "difficult" or "very difficult," including 88 percent of those without health insurance. Three-quarters of consumers earning under $50,000 and those born outside the U.S. or Puerto Rico reported difficulty dealing with cost, along with nearly 7 in 10 of those under the age of 55.
CR's poll shows a large portion of Hispanics do not have health insurance (44 percent). Those most likely to be without health coverage were ages 18-34 (55 percent), in households earning less than $25,000 per year (54 percent), or foreign born (56 percent). Hispanics without health insurance are more than twice as likely as those with health insurance to forego a prescribed medication because of cost. They are nearly twice as likely to skip a dose to make a prescribed medication last longer. Moreover, one-quarter of uninsured Hispanics reported taking a smaller dos to make a prescription last longer versus 16 percent of Hispanics with health insurance. The uninsured also are more than 4 times as likely to share a prescription with someone else. This "sharing" trend is also popular with the younger Hispanics ages 18-34 years -- 22 percent said they had shared.
"We were surprised by the extent to which Hispanic consumers are cutting corners and the risks they're taking to save money. The most important thing is for patients to talk to their doctors about the cost of medicines. This can be challenging for some patients, especially where there are language and cultural barriers," said Dr. Jose Luis Mosquera, medical expert for Consumer Reports.
New Magazine Identifies Proven, Cost-Effective Alternatives
The poll is being released in conjunction with Consumer Reports Best Drugs for Less, a 60-page magazine that rates more than 200 prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines for more than 20 conditions including heart disease, asthma, diabetes, and depression. Consumer Reports Best Drugs for Less can be purchased by visiting http://www.ConsumerReportsHealth.org, where the Ratings can be accessed for free. The Ratings are part of a larger initiative by the newly launched Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center to provide consumers with health Ratings based on independent and unbiased review of the best scientific evidence available. (This information is available in English.)
Cutting Corners on Prescriptions
Over the past six months, 38 percent of Hispanic adults have taken a prescription medication. Recent Rx use tracked strongly with age, with 80 percent of Latinos ages 55 years or older having used a medication, compared with just 19 percent of those under age 35. Similarly, the poll found that one-third of Hispanics are currently taking a prescription drug.
Nationwide, Hispanics currently taking a prescription medicine spent out-of-pocket an average of $65 on medicines during the past 30 days, the poll shows. Respondents without health insurance spent far more than the insured ($81 vs. $58), and those earning at least $50,000 spent nearly as much ($78).
Of those taking prescribed drugs, 51 percent are doing one or more of the following to save money: 29 percent did not fill a prescription that is too expensive; 28 percent have requested free samples from their doctors; 19 percent have skipped a dose of prescription medication or have taken a smaller dose (like cutting pills in half); and 6 percent have shared a prescription with someone who takes the same medication. The figures are even higher for those without health insurance.
Drug Advertisements Influence Consumers' Choices -- Skepticism About Generics
Most Hispanics (70 percent) have been exposed to prescription drug ads, and among them, more than one-quarter (27 percent) have asked their doctor about a drug they learned about through advertising. Those in the lowest income-bracket (under $25,000) were also the most likely to ask their doctor about an expensive, brand-name drug they had seen or heard advertised. CR also found that doctors prescribe advertised medications that their patients request 43 percent of the time.
Many Hispanics who could benefit from generic prescriptions expressed skepticism about them. At least half of those without health insurance, aged 18-34, or those earning under $25,000 said they believe that generic medicines sometimes or never work as well as brand-name drugs.
Poll Methodology
The Consumer Reports National Research Center conducted a telephone survey using a nationally representative probability sample of Hispanic telephone households. 1,007 interviews were completed among Hispanic adults aged 18+. Interviewing took place over December 3-10, 2008. The sampling error is +/- 3.2% at a 95% confidence level.
Hispanic women targeted with home visits
Lay health workers boost cancer screening rates
REUTERS Mar 25, 2009
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Home visits from peers trained as health workers may encourage more low-income Hispanic women to get screened for breast and cervical cancers, a new study suggests.
In the U.S., Hispanic women are generally diagnosed with breast and cervical cancers at a later stage and have poorer survival rates than non-Hispanic women. Lower screening rates are thought to be partly to blame.
The current study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, tested the effectiveness of a program that trains lay people to educate low-income Hispanic women about the importance of mammography for detecting breast cancer early and Pap screening for cervical cancer detection.
Researchers led by Dr. Maria E. Fernandez, of the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, offered the program to women in two communities with large migrant-worker populations. Women in two other similar communities served as a comparison group.
All of the more than 700 women in the study were age 50 or older and had not been adherent to mammography or Pap test screening guidelines.
Experts recommend that women at average risk of breast cancer have a yearly mammogram beginning at age 40; Pap tests should be done at least every three years, beginning three years after a woman becomes sexually active.
Study participants in the program each received a home visit from a lay health educator -- a person from their community who, along with educating them on the importance of cancer screening, helped connect them with local health services.
Six months later, Fernandez and her colleagues found, 41 percent of the program participants had gotten a mammogram, versus 30 percent of the comparison group. Similarly, about 40 percent had gotten a Pap test, while less than one-quarter of the comparison group had.
Several studies have now shown the value of lay person health workers, according to the researchers.
The programs may work because the information is tailored to specific groups, or because people have greater trust in peers from their own community. Fernandez and her colleagues say that more studies are needed to understand the reasons so that even more effective programs can be developed.
SOURCE: American Journal of Public Health, May 2009.
REUTERS Mar 25, 2009
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Home visits from peers trained as health workers may encourage more low-income Hispanic women to get screened for breast and cervical cancers, a new study suggests.
In the U.S., Hispanic women are generally diagnosed with breast and cervical cancers at a later stage and have poorer survival rates than non-Hispanic women. Lower screening rates are thought to be partly to blame.
The current study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, tested the effectiveness of a program that trains lay people to educate low-income Hispanic women about the importance of mammography for detecting breast cancer early and Pap screening for cervical cancer detection.
Researchers led by Dr. Maria E. Fernandez, of the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, offered the program to women in two communities with large migrant-worker populations. Women in two other similar communities served as a comparison group.
All of the more than 700 women in the study were age 50 or older and had not been adherent to mammography or Pap test screening guidelines.
Experts recommend that women at average risk of breast cancer have a yearly mammogram beginning at age 40; Pap tests should be done at least every three years, beginning three years after a woman becomes sexually active.
Study participants in the program each received a home visit from a lay health educator -- a person from their community who, along with educating them on the importance of cancer screening, helped connect them with local health services.
Six months later, Fernandez and her colleagues found, 41 percent of the program participants had gotten a mammogram, versus 30 percent of the comparison group. Similarly, about 40 percent had gotten a Pap test, while less than one-quarter of the comparison group had.
Several studies have now shown the value of lay person health workers, according to the researchers.
The programs may work because the information is tailored to specific groups, or because people have greater trust in peers from their own community. Fernandez and her colleagues say that more studies are needed to understand the reasons so that even more effective programs can be developed.
SOURCE: American Journal of Public Health, May 2009.
Hispanics look for cosmetic surgery
More Hispanics opt for nip and tuck
Plastic surgery tailored to 'ethnic look'
Jennifer Harper, Washington Times, March 26, 2009
Asians accounted for 7 percent of plastic surgeries in 2007. The number of Hispanics opting for those surgeries is increasing.
Viva vanity.
Hispanics are the fastest-growing segment of the American population who are opting for a little nip and tuck. Disapproval of cosmetic surgery within that ethnic community has lessened while techniques that preserve distinctive Latin features have improved, say physicians.
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reported Wednesday that the number of Hispanics getting some improvement work done rose by 19 percent in the past year. The number of whites fell by 3 percent, however.
"We're seeing a rise in Hispanics opting for cosmetic procedures that coincides with the growth we're seeing in the nation's population," said Dr. John W. Canady, president of the Illinois-based group.
"There's less social stigma, as well as advances in procedures that allow patients to maintain their ethnic look. While the majority of patients continue to be Caucasian, the profile of the typical patient is changing," he said.
The most popular surgical procedure among Hispanics is liposuction, followed by breast enlargement and nose reshaping. More than 1.3 million had work done, compared with 8.8 million whites.
"I put off my vacation to do this. And I'm glad that I did it. Me being a Latina, it was very important for me to look natural," said Raquel Laurent, 41, and of Mexican descent.
She recently had her skin resurfaced by laser and smile lines plumped with injectable filler. "No matter what the ethnic background is, it's very important to feel better about yourself," added Ms. Laurent, of Morris, Ill.
The trend has not gone unnoticed. The Rodeo Drive Rhinoplasty center in Beverly Hills, Calif., for example, offers a distinct "ethnic" nose reshaping for their clientele - more than half of which are nonwhites.
"It is best to address the noses of various ethnic groups such as African-Americans and Hispanics and Asians individually. 'Cookie cutter' approaches to rhinoplasty rarely work well, and this is especially the case with non-Caucasian nose surgery," the group advises patients.
Dr. Tripti Burt, a plastic surgeon in Morris, said her fellow surgeons across the country are noticing an uptick in the number of Hispanic patients.
"They have a tightknit community. Word of mouth is very important to them, and it's helping grow this business," she said.
The number of blacks opting for cosmetic procedures is also growing, up by 10 percent; the number has increased by 5 percent among Asian-Americans, according to the newly released statistics.
Meanwhile, frugality trumps vanity: The bad economy has left some Americans with saggy guts, small breasts, droopy eyes, hairy skin and big noses. Fewer people are looking to surgery to correct imperfections.
The number of liposuctions has fallen by 19 percent in the past year. Tummy tucks have dropped by 18 percent. Breast augmentation is down by 12 percent, eyelid surgery by 8 percent, dermabrasion by 6 percent. Nose reshaping and laser hair removal are each down by 2 percent.
"Like most sectors, plastic surgery is feeling the effects of the economic downturn," Dr. Canady observed.
And no wonder. Improving one's appearance can prove a major financial consideration. The surgeon's fee alone for a typical tummy tuck weighs in at about $5,200. A "buttock lift" is $4,700, breast implants about $3,300.
Americans spent $10.2 billion on such things in 2008, the group said, down from $12.4 billion in 2007.
Plastic surgery tailored to 'ethnic look'
Jennifer Harper, Washington Times, March 26, 2009
Asians accounted for 7 percent of plastic surgeries in 2007. The number of Hispanics opting for those surgeries is increasing.
Viva vanity.
Hispanics are the fastest-growing segment of the American population who are opting for a little nip and tuck. Disapproval of cosmetic surgery within that ethnic community has lessened while techniques that preserve distinctive Latin features have improved, say physicians.
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reported Wednesday that the number of Hispanics getting some improvement work done rose by 19 percent in the past year. The number of whites fell by 3 percent, however.
"We're seeing a rise in Hispanics opting for cosmetic procedures that coincides with the growth we're seeing in the nation's population," said Dr. John W. Canady, president of the Illinois-based group.
"There's less social stigma, as well as advances in procedures that allow patients to maintain their ethnic look. While the majority of patients continue to be Caucasian, the profile of the typical patient is changing," he said.
The most popular surgical procedure among Hispanics is liposuction, followed by breast enlargement and nose reshaping. More than 1.3 million had work done, compared with 8.8 million whites.
"I put off my vacation to do this. And I'm glad that I did it. Me being a Latina, it was very important for me to look natural," said Raquel Laurent, 41, and of Mexican descent.
She recently had her skin resurfaced by laser and smile lines plumped with injectable filler. "No matter what the ethnic background is, it's very important to feel better about yourself," added Ms. Laurent, of Morris, Ill.
The trend has not gone unnoticed. The Rodeo Drive Rhinoplasty center in Beverly Hills, Calif., for example, offers a distinct "ethnic" nose reshaping for their clientele - more than half of which are nonwhites.
"It is best to address the noses of various ethnic groups such as African-Americans and Hispanics and Asians individually. 'Cookie cutter' approaches to rhinoplasty rarely work well, and this is especially the case with non-Caucasian nose surgery," the group advises patients.
Dr. Tripti Burt, a plastic surgeon in Morris, said her fellow surgeons across the country are noticing an uptick in the number of Hispanic patients.
"They have a tightknit community. Word of mouth is very important to them, and it's helping grow this business," she said.
The number of blacks opting for cosmetic procedures is also growing, up by 10 percent; the number has increased by 5 percent among Asian-Americans, according to the newly released statistics.
Meanwhile, frugality trumps vanity: The bad economy has left some Americans with saggy guts, small breasts, droopy eyes, hairy skin and big noses. Fewer people are looking to surgery to correct imperfections.
The number of liposuctions has fallen by 19 percent in the past year. Tummy tucks have dropped by 18 percent. Breast augmentation is down by 12 percent, eyelid surgery by 8 percent, dermabrasion by 6 percent. Nose reshaping and laser hair removal are each down by 2 percent.
"Like most sectors, plastic surgery is feeling the effects of the economic downturn," Dr. Canady observed.
And no wonder. Improving one's appearance can prove a major financial consideration. The surgeon's fee alone for a typical tummy tuck weighs in at about $5,200. A "buttock lift" is $4,700, breast implants about $3,300.
Americans spent $10.2 billion on such things in 2008, the group said, down from $12.4 billion in 2007.
April is Hispanic Safety Month
April designated Hispanic Safety Month
Rgj.com, STAFF REPORT • March 23, 2009
With Nevada’s Hispanic population steadily increasing, safety on the job remains an important issue for the state’s employers. To help promote the significance of this topic, the Safety Consultation and Training Section of the State of Nevada’s Division of Industrial Relations has designated April as Hispanic Safety Month.
Advertisement
For the fifth consecutive year, Nevada will use the month of April to highlight and support the well-being of Nevada’s Hispanic workforce.
Nationally, the Hispanic workforce experiences a high number of injuries and fatalities on the job. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the 908 fatal work injuries involving Hispanic or Latino workers in 2007, the highest number of fatalities after the Caucasian workforce.
Nevada is not immune to these statistics. In 2007, the last complete year of data, 18 percent of fatal occupational injuries and 29 percent of non-fatal injuries in Nevada involved employees of Hispanic or Latino origin. This number may be understated as Hispanic workers’ injuries are not often reported due to citizenship issues.
“Although we are experiencing a smaller workforce, safety training to Nevada’s Hispanic workforce is a critical part of ensuring safer environments on job sites across the state,” said Jan Rosenberg, chief administrative officer for SCATS. “With a smaller workforce, employers become less willing for their employees to attend safety trainings.
However, without this safety training, the actual cost of a lost time injury exceeds the cost of safety training.”
Free bilingual classes on safety and health in the workplace will be offered in Reno, Las Vegas and Elko during Hispanic Safety Month, and periodically throughout the year, to educate Nevada’s Hispanic employees on how to remain safe in the workplace.
Rgj.com, STAFF REPORT • March 23, 2009
With Nevada’s Hispanic population steadily increasing, safety on the job remains an important issue for the state’s employers. To help promote the significance of this topic, the Safety Consultation and Training Section of the State of Nevada’s Division of Industrial Relations has designated April as Hispanic Safety Month.
Advertisement
For the fifth consecutive year, Nevada will use the month of April to highlight and support the well-being of Nevada’s Hispanic workforce.
Nationally, the Hispanic workforce experiences a high number of injuries and fatalities on the job. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the 908 fatal work injuries involving Hispanic or Latino workers in 2007, the highest number of fatalities after the Caucasian workforce.
Nevada is not immune to these statistics. In 2007, the last complete year of data, 18 percent of fatal occupational injuries and 29 percent of non-fatal injuries in Nevada involved employees of Hispanic or Latino origin. This number may be understated as Hispanic workers’ injuries are not often reported due to citizenship issues.
“Although we are experiencing a smaller workforce, safety training to Nevada’s Hispanic workforce is a critical part of ensuring safer environments on job sites across the state,” said Jan Rosenberg, chief administrative officer for SCATS. “With a smaller workforce, employers become less willing for their employees to attend safety trainings.
However, without this safety training, the actual cost of a lost time injury exceeds the cost of safety training.”
Free bilingual classes on safety and health in the workplace will be offered in Reno, Las Vegas and Elko during Hispanic Safety Month, and periodically throughout the year, to educate Nevada’s Hispanic employees on how to remain safe in the workplace.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Latino eldercare an issue to consider
Latino Eldercare or What to do about Mama?
by Annette Leal Mattern, Empowher.com, March 21, 2009
When Mama reached her eighties, we assumed that she would move in with us but cardiac problems meant specialized support. In the Latino culture, it is expected that families bring their aging parents home when that time comes. So, was it okay to consider assisted living?
One of the fastest growing groups in the nation, elderly Latinos are estimated to number nearly 15 million in the next ten years. Some will have no choice but to live with family due to cultural and socio-economic barriers, particularly as more elders find themselves financially strained. Approximately one out of every 12 elderly Hispanics has no health insurance.
Elders with certain conditions, such as Alzheimer's or osteoperosis or cancer, can strain the household physically, emotionally and economically. About 21.4% of elderly Latinos have been diagnosed with diabetes which, if not managed, becomes a deadly condition.
Fortunately, Mama cherishes her independence and is happy in assisted living, as long as the family stays involved in her life. It's a win-win for our unique situation. Mama has constant supervision, regular programs designed by elder-care specialists, and plenty of contact with her loved ones.
When it's time for you to evaluate options, treat your elder parent with dignity and place their health and happiness above what others might think. Start the discussion before it's time; preparation and open dialogue can make the decision less traumatic and the transition more successful for all.
And if you're still unsure, vote with your heart.
by Annette Leal Mattern, Empowher.com, March 21, 2009
When Mama reached her eighties, we assumed that she would move in with us but cardiac problems meant specialized support. In the Latino culture, it is expected that families bring their aging parents home when that time comes. So, was it okay to consider assisted living?
One of the fastest growing groups in the nation, elderly Latinos are estimated to number nearly 15 million in the next ten years. Some will have no choice but to live with family due to cultural and socio-economic barriers, particularly as more elders find themselves financially strained. Approximately one out of every 12 elderly Hispanics has no health insurance.
Elders with certain conditions, such as Alzheimer's or osteoperosis or cancer, can strain the household physically, emotionally and economically. About 21.4% of elderly Latinos have been diagnosed with diabetes which, if not managed, becomes a deadly condition.
Fortunately, Mama cherishes her independence and is happy in assisted living, as long as the family stays involved in her life. It's a win-win for our unique situation. Mama has constant supervision, regular programs designed by elder-care specialists, and plenty of contact with her loved ones.
When it's time for you to evaluate options, treat your elder parent with dignity and place their health and happiness above what others might think. Start the discussion before it's time; preparation and open dialogue can make the decision less traumatic and the transition more successful for all.
And if you're still unsure, vote with your heart.
HIspanic habits increase cancer risk
Till death do us dine?
Doctors: Valley residents' habits augment cancer risk
Melissa McEver Valley Freedom Newspapers March 21, 2009
Rafael Ramirez didn't go to the doctor when he started feeling weak and had trouble breathing. Instead, he drank medicinal tea, as family and friends suggested.
He got worse.
Finally, in April 2004, Ramirez went to a doctor for a routine checkup. The doctor referred Ramirez, a 70-year-old Brownsville resident, to a gastroenterologist, who eventually diagnosed him with colon cancer.
"I didn't know anything about it," Ramirez said of the disease. "I just felt like I was getting the flu."
Ramirez underwent surgery the following month and is now cancer-free. But many other Rio Grande Valley residents remain unaware of the symptoms of colorectal cancer or the need to be screened regularly, and that lack of knowledge can be dangerous, local doctors said.
Too many residents skip routine colonoscopies, which could catch colon cancer at an early stage and save lives, said Dr. Carlos Ponce, a Brownsville gastroenterologist.
"A lot of people don't know they need a screening colonoscopy," Ponce said. "They think they only need one if they have symptoms."
The problem is that by the time symptoms appear, the cancer often has progressed, diminishing the chances for survival, Ponce said.
March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and local doctors want patients to know that cancer screenings are important, they said.
"This is a kind of cancer that can be totally cured if caught early," said Dr. Nurul Wahid, an oncologist at Texas Oncology in McAllen. "But in the Hispanic community, people often don't go for regular medical checkups and delay going to the doctor."
DELAYING SCREENINGS
Studies have indicated Hispanics seek preventive care, like cancer screenings, less often than non-Hispanic whites. A 2007 study by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that Hispanics are less likely than whites to be screened for colorectal, breast or cervical cancer.
About 28 percent of Hispanics ages 50 and older had undergone colonoscopies within the past five years as of 2005, according to CDC statistics. About 46 percent of non-Hispanic whites had undergone the screening.
Meanwhile, colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer among Hispanic Americans, according to the Prevent Cancer Foundation. Hispanics are also more likely than non-Hispanic whites to be diagnosed at a later stage.
The American Cancer Society recommends that people older than 50 undergo a test called a flexible sigmoidoscopy, in which the doctor uses a lighted tube to examine part of the colon, every five years, and a colonoscopy, in which a tube is used to examine the entire colon, every 10 years. Experts also suggest annual tests to check for blood in the stool.
Many patients seem to be nervous about these tests, but they are generally simple and painless, Ponce said.
Typically, the night before a colonoscopy, patients have to drink about 12 ounces of a chemical and consume only soft foods and liquids. The procedure itself takes about 10 minutes, and the patient is lightly sedated, he said.
Medicare, Medicaid and insurance plans often cover 100 percent of the screening, Ponce said. At his clinic in Brownsville, patients also have the option of paying for the procedure in installments.
HIGHER RISK?
Residents on the U.S.-Mexico border should be checked for colon cancer because they generally could face a greater risk of the disease than the broader population, doctors said. That is because diabetes and obesity - conditions prevalent in the Rio Grande Valley - can increase a person's risk of developing colon cancer.
Also, diets that are high in red and processed meats can increase a person's risk, the American Cancer Society says.
Red meat is a staple of the Valley diet, doctors said. But eating fruits and vegetables decreases the risk of colon cancer.
Lack of exercise, smoking and alcohol use also have been linked to colon cancer.
Statistics seem to suggest, however, that the incidence of the disease in this region actually is slightly lower than in the rest of the state. In Cameron County, for example, the incidence was about 53 per 100,000 men and about 30 per 100,000 women in 2008, compared to 59 per 100,000 men and 40 per 100,000 women in Texas that year.
Researchers have said they're not sure why cancer rates here are lower than in the rest of the state.
Still, because many residents put off cancer screening, the cases diagnosed here are more likely to be advanced, doctors said. And poor lifestyle choices don't help.
Making healthier choices, and getting regular screenings, can save many lives, Ponce said.
"If colon cancer is caught early, there's an 80 to 90 percent survival rate," he said.
Melissa McEver covers health and environment issues for Valley Freedom Newspapers. She is based in Harlingen and you can reach her at (956) 430-6252.
Doctors: Valley residents' habits augment cancer risk
Melissa McEver Valley Freedom Newspapers March 21, 2009
Rafael Ramirez didn't go to the doctor when he started feeling weak and had trouble breathing. Instead, he drank medicinal tea, as family and friends suggested.
He got worse.
Finally, in April 2004, Ramirez went to a doctor for a routine checkup. The doctor referred Ramirez, a 70-year-old Brownsville resident, to a gastroenterologist, who eventually diagnosed him with colon cancer.
"I didn't know anything about it," Ramirez said of the disease. "I just felt like I was getting the flu."
Ramirez underwent surgery the following month and is now cancer-free. But many other Rio Grande Valley residents remain unaware of the symptoms of colorectal cancer or the need to be screened regularly, and that lack of knowledge can be dangerous, local doctors said.
Too many residents skip routine colonoscopies, which could catch colon cancer at an early stage and save lives, said Dr. Carlos Ponce, a Brownsville gastroenterologist.
"A lot of people don't know they need a screening colonoscopy," Ponce said. "They think they only need one if they have symptoms."
The problem is that by the time symptoms appear, the cancer often has progressed, diminishing the chances for survival, Ponce said.
March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and local doctors want patients to know that cancer screenings are important, they said.
"This is a kind of cancer that can be totally cured if caught early," said Dr. Nurul Wahid, an oncologist at Texas Oncology in McAllen. "But in the Hispanic community, people often don't go for regular medical checkups and delay going to the doctor."
DELAYING SCREENINGS
Studies have indicated Hispanics seek preventive care, like cancer screenings, less often than non-Hispanic whites. A 2007 study by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that Hispanics are less likely than whites to be screened for colorectal, breast or cervical cancer.
About 28 percent of Hispanics ages 50 and older had undergone colonoscopies within the past five years as of 2005, according to CDC statistics. About 46 percent of non-Hispanic whites had undergone the screening.
Meanwhile, colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer among Hispanic Americans, according to the Prevent Cancer Foundation. Hispanics are also more likely than non-Hispanic whites to be diagnosed at a later stage.
The American Cancer Society recommends that people older than 50 undergo a test called a flexible sigmoidoscopy, in which the doctor uses a lighted tube to examine part of the colon, every five years, and a colonoscopy, in which a tube is used to examine the entire colon, every 10 years. Experts also suggest annual tests to check for blood in the stool.
Many patients seem to be nervous about these tests, but they are generally simple and painless, Ponce said.
Typically, the night before a colonoscopy, patients have to drink about 12 ounces of a chemical and consume only soft foods and liquids. The procedure itself takes about 10 minutes, and the patient is lightly sedated, he said.
Medicare, Medicaid and insurance plans often cover 100 percent of the screening, Ponce said. At his clinic in Brownsville, patients also have the option of paying for the procedure in installments.
HIGHER RISK?
Residents on the U.S.-Mexico border should be checked for colon cancer because they generally could face a greater risk of the disease than the broader population, doctors said. That is because diabetes and obesity - conditions prevalent in the Rio Grande Valley - can increase a person's risk of developing colon cancer.
Also, diets that are high in red and processed meats can increase a person's risk, the American Cancer Society says.
Red meat is a staple of the Valley diet, doctors said. But eating fruits and vegetables decreases the risk of colon cancer.
Lack of exercise, smoking and alcohol use also have been linked to colon cancer.
Statistics seem to suggest, however, that the incidence of the disease in this region actually is slightly lower than in the rest of the state. In Cameron County, for example, the incidence was about 53 per 100,000 men and about 30 per 100,000 women in 2008, compared to 59 per 100,000 men and 40 per 100,000 women in Texas that year.
Researchers have said they're not sure why cancer rates here are lower than in the rest of the state.
Still, because many residents put off cancer screening, the cases diagnosed here are more likely to be advanced, doctors said. And poor lifestyle choices don't help.
Making healthier choices, and getting regular screenings, can save many lives, Ponce said.
"If colon cancer is caught early, there's an 80 to 90 percent survival rate," he said.
Melissa McEver covers health and environment issues for Valley Freedom Newspapers. She is based in Harlingen and you can reach her at (956) 430-6252.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Hispanic diabetics need not lose their feet
Trying to save diabetic feet
Diabetes-related amputations have skyrocketed -- but doctors say that with vigilance, prevention and better circulation treatment, it doesn't have to be that way.
By Shari Roan, March 22, 2009
Los Angeles has one of the highest diabetes-related amputation rates in the country. Yet vascular surgeon Dr. George Andros can't seem to draw enough attention to the problem, which has skyrocketed not just here but nationally.
"It's not sexy," he acknowledges. "Who cares about diabetic feet? It has no sizzle."
Over the last 15 years, the U.S. rate of foot amputations from complications of diabetes has soared, approaching 100,000 annually, according to studies and government statistics.
Andros is among hundreds of health professionals internationally who say that's simply too high -- even accounting for the growing prevalence of the disease -- and are trying to figure out what to do about it. They concluded a three-day meeting on diabetic feet Saturday in Los Angeles.
A few nations have lowered their rates far below the United States', so it is possible to minimize amputations.
But the problem is complex. Diabetic amputees are often racial minorities, poor, obese or elderly, according to government data. Amputation prevention requires vigilance -- and often expensive medical care.
"These are old people, fat people, people who get ignored," says Andros, co-chairman of the just-concluded Diabetic Foot Global Conference.
The numbers, and the disparities, are likely to grow. The proportion of Americans with diabetes -- now 8% -- is expected to double in a decade because of obesity among young people.
Los Angeles' proportion is especially high, because of its concentrations of populations more likely to develop the disease: Latinos, African Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Diabetes can necessitate amputation because over time it weakens nerves, the immune system and circulation, allowing foot infections or inflammation to spread if not treated early.
But the U.S. healthcare system is poorly designed for what diabetics need most, preventive care; instead it doles out money for expensive urgent care such as amputations, says Andros, who is affiliated with Providence St. Joseph and Providence Holy Cross medical centers.
The cost of treating the disease rose 26%, to $116 billion, in the United States from 2002 to 2007, according to a new report by the diabetes consulting firm Close Concerns. Meanwhile, the cost of treating complications rose a staggering 110%, to $40 billion.
Patients' vigilance and better medical care could prevent 90% of diabetes-related amputations, experts say.
Ideally, prevention would begin with doctors and patients doing everything they can to prevent ulcers within a healthcare system that reimburses for those efforts, says Dr. David G. Armstrong, a podiatrist and director of the Southern Arizona Limb Salvage Alliance who co-chaired the conference with Andros.
For example, monitoring skin temperature with foot thermometers can detect heating, a sign of inflammation. And a new scale equipped with a lighted, magnified, mirrored surface lets diabetics check their weight while quickly examining their feet.
Data show such measures can reduce foot ulcers threefold to tenfold.
Simple visual foot exams (conducted regularly) and use of protective socks and shoes could preserve many limbs.
"It seems so simple," Armstrong says. "But this area gets such a short shrift."
How it begins
Most people with diabetes have Type 2. Type 1 diabetes, usually diagnosed in childhood, is thought to be caused by genetics or a viral infection.
Diabetics of both types are at increased risk for many conditions, including heart attack, stroke, kidney failure and blindness. Seemingly healthy feet may seem like the least of their worries, even though a third of diabetes-related hospitalizations are for foot ailments, says Armstrong.
"We have to counsel people that having a foot wound is like having a feared disease like cancer or HIV," Armstrong says. "But we don't do that."
The path to amputations begins somewhat benignly, with a numbness in the feet called peripheral neuropathy, from poor circulation. But the numbness -- developed by about half of adult diabetics -- means that a blister, cut or sore toe can go unnoticed.
"They can walk on a nail and they won't feel it for days or know it's there until they hear a tapping on the floor," Armstrong says. "They can wear a hole in their feet the same way you and I wear a hole in a sock or shoe. They've lost that protective sensation of pain."
About 15% of diabetics develop a foot ulcer. That's when the real danger sets in, says Dr. Joseph L. Mills, a vascular surgeon at the University of Arizona.
"We often don't see these patients until they have a problem," he says.
"They come in too late, and they lose a leg."
Doctors can do more, too. For example, they need to ask diabetic patients to remove their shoes and socks during checkups, says Dr. Gerry Rayman, an expert on diabetic feet at Ipswich Hospital in Britain. Physicians are also too quick to recommend amputation, he says, when they should first try limb-sparing surgery to restore circulation in the leg, such as bypass surgery or angioplasty. Until recently, such surgery had been considered too complex.
Rayman reported a 73% reduction in diabetic amputations at Ipswich Hospital from 1995 to 2005.
Sweden has seen a similar drop in diabetic amputations -- 78%, even as diabetes rates have risen -- because it has emphasized ulcer prevention and more aggressive treatment to restore blood flow in the leg, Dr. Jan Apelqvist of University Hospital of Malmo reported Thursday at the Diabetic Foot Global Conference.
Gilbert Merrill of Oxnard, 73, swears by circulation-improving surgery. The retired federal worker, who was diagnosed with diabetes 25 years ago, noticed tingling in his toes a few years ago and, several months later, a tiny cut on a right toe.
He sought treatment at a wound care center, but the ulcer became larger. The toes on his left foot also became inflamed.
He was told the right toe should be amputated. "But they told me they couldn't guarantee it would heal. If it doesn't heal, they would have to cut off more of my foot, and they might amputate up to my knee," Merrill recalled.
"I said, 'No, I don't want an amputation.' "
He was referred to Andros, who performed bypass surgery last May to restore circulation. A month later, Merrill had surgery on the left foot.
"After the surgeries, my ulcers started to clear up little by little," Merrill says. "My toes are as good as new. I walk every day now and do a little maintenance around my house. Before the surgeries, I couldn't walk much."
Concentrated effort
Better treatment may start with specialized care, such as at a diabetic foot clinic or by a team including both podiatrists and vascular surgeons.
"The problem with diabetic foot care is that it hasn't had its own specialty," Armstrong says. "The care in this area is so fragmented."
At last week's meeting, experts preached the "toe and flow" approach -- pairing a foot care doctor, such as a podiatrist, and a vascular surgeon. "Almost immediately these amputation rates begin to drop" with such coordination, Armstrong says.
Reducing amputations could save the nation millions of dollars, he says. A full foot amputation -- surgery and hospitalization -- costs $25,000 to $65,000, excluding rehabilitation.
Treating a single diabetic foot wound costs $7,000 to $28,000 over a two-year period, according to one study. Hyperbaric oxygen treatment, which increases the capacity of the blood to carry oxygen to infected tissue and heal wounds, costs from $8,000 to $10,000, Armstrong says.
A yearly foot exam, special shoes, a foot mirror or thermometer cost far less, although such measures may not be covered by health insurance.
Under the U.S. reimbursement system, Armstrong says, "prevention doesn't pay. But it's so important.
"We need to ask: How can we take the long view?"
shari.r oan@latimes.com
Diabetes-related amputations have skyrocketed -- but doctors say that with vigilance, prevention and better circulation treatment, it doesn't have to be that way.
By Shari Roan, March 22, 2009
Los Angeles has one of the highest diabetes-related amputation rates in the country. Yet vascular surgeon Dr. George Andros can't seem to draw enough attention to the problem, which has skyrocketed not just here but nationally.
"It's not sexy," he acknowledges. "Who cares about diabetic feet? It has no sizzle."
Over the last 15 years, the U.S. rate of foot amputations from complications of diabetes has soared, approaching 100,000 annually, according to studies and government statistics.
Andros is among hundreds of health professionals internationally who say that's simply too high -- even accounting for the growing prevalence of the disease -- and are trying to figure out what to do about it. They concluded a three-day meeting on diabetic feet Saturday in Los Angeles.
A few nations have lowered their rates far below the United States', so it is possible to minimize amputations.
But the problem is complex. Diabetic amputees are often racial minorities, poor, obese or elderly, according to government data. Amputation prevention requires vigilance -- and often expensive medical care.
"These are old people, fat people, people who get ignored," says Andros, co-chairman of the just-concluded Diabetic Foot Global Conference.
The numbers, and the disparities, are likely to grow. The proportion of Americans with diabetes -- now 8% -- is expected to double in a decade because of obesity among young people.
Los Angeles' proportion is especially high, because of its concentrations of populations more likely to develop the disease: Latinos, African Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Diabetes can necessitate amputation because over time it weakens nerves, the immune system and circulation, allowing foot infections or inflammation to spread if not treated early.
But the U.S. healthcare system is poorly designed for what diabetics need most, preventive care; instead it doles out money for expensive urgent care such as amputations, says Andros, who is affiliated with Providence St. Joseph and Providence Holy Cross medical centers.
The cost of treating the disease rose 26%, to $116 billion, in the United States from 2002 to 2007, according to a new report by the diabetes consulting firm Close Concerns. Meanwhile, the cost of treating complications rose a staggering 110%, to $40 billion.
Patients' vigilance and better medical care could prevent 90% of diabetes-related amputations, experts say.
Ideally, prevention would begin with doctors and patients doing everything they can to prevent ulcers within a healthcare system that reimburses for those efforts, says Dr. David G. Armstrong, a podiatrist and director of the Southern Arizona Limb Salvage Alliance who co-chaired the conference with Andros.
For example, monitoring skin temperature with foot thermometers can detect heating, a sign of inflammation. And a new scale equipped with a lighted, magnified, mirrored surface lets diabetics check their weight while quickly examining their feet.
Data show such measures can reduce foot ulcers threefold to tenfold.
Simple visual foot exams (conducted regularly) and use of protective socks and shoes could preserve many limbs.
"It seems so simple," Armstrong says. "But this area gets such a short shrift."
How it begins
Most people with diabetes have Type 2. Type 1 diabetes, usually diagnosed in childhood, is thought to be caused by genetics or a viral infection.
Diabetics of both types are at increased risk for many conditions, including heart attack, stroke, kidney failure and blindness. Seemingly healthy feet may seem like the least of their worries, even though a third of diabetes-related hospitalizations are for foot ailments, says Armstrong.
"We have to counsel people that having a foot wound is like having a feared disease like cancer or HIV," Armstrong says. "But we don't do that."
The path to amputations begins somewhat benignly, with a numbness in the feet called peripheral neuropathy, from poor circulation. But the numbness -- developed by about half of adult diabetics -- means that a blister, cut or sore toe can go unnoticed.
"They can walk on a nail and they won't feel it for days or know it's there until they hear a tapping on the floor," Armstrong says. "They can wear a hole in their feet the same way you and I wear a hole in a sock or shoe. They've lost that protective sensation of pain."
About 15% of diabetics develop a foot ulcer. That's when the real danger sets in, says Dr. Joseph L. Mills, a vascular surgeon at the University of Arizona.
"We often don't see these patients until they have a problem," he says.
"They come in too late, and they lose a leg."
Doctors can do more, too. For example, they need to ask diabetic patients to remove their shoes and socks during checkups, says Dr. Gerry Rayman, an expert on diabetic feet at Ipswich Hospital in Britain. Physicians are also too quick to recommend amputation, he says, when they should first try limb-sparing surgery to restore circulation in the leg, such as bypass surgery or angioplasty. Until recently, such surgery had been considered too complex.
Rayman reported a 73% reduction in diabetic amputations at Ipswich Hospital from 1995 to 2005.
Sweden has seen a similar drop in diabetic amputations -- 78%, even as diabetes rates have risen -- because it has emphasized ulcer prevention and more aggressive treatment to restore blood flow in the leg, Dr. Jan Apelqvist of University Hospital of Malmo reported Thursday at the Diabetic Foot Global Conference.
Gilbert Merrill of Oxnard, 73, swears by circulation-improving surgery. The retired federal worker, who was diagnosed with diabetes 25 years ago, noticed tingling in his toes a few years ago and, several months later, a tiny cut on a right toe.
He sought treatment at a wound care center, but the ulcer became larger. The toes on his left foot also became inflamed.
He was told the right toe should be amputated. "But they told me they couldn't guarantee it would heal. If it doesn't heal, they would have to cut off more of my foot, and they might amputate up to my knee," Merrill recalled.
"I said, 'No, I don't want an amputation.' "
He was referred to Andros, who performed bypass surgery last May to restore circulation. A month later, Merrill had surgery on the left foot.
"After the surgeries, my ulcers started to clear up little by little," Merrill says. "My toes are as good as new. I walk every day now and do a little maintenance around my house. Before the surgeries, I couldn't walk much."
Concentrated effort
Better treatment may start with specialized care, such as at a diabetic foot clinic or by a team including both podiatrists and vascular surgeons.
"The problem with diabetic foot care is that it hasn't had its own specialty," Armstrong says. "The care in this area is so fragmented."
At last week's meeting, experts preached the "toe and flow" approach -- pairing a foot care doctor, such as a podiatrist, and a vascular surgeon. "Almost immediately these amputation rates begin to drop" with such coordination, Armstrong says.
Reducing amputations could save the nation millions of dollars, he says. A full foot amputation -- surgery and hospitalization -- costs $25,000 to $65,000, excluding rehabilitation.
Treating a single diabetic foot wound costs $7,000 to $28,000 over a two-year period, according to one study. Hyperbaric oxygen treatment, which increases the capacity of the blood to carry oxygen to infected tissue and heal wounds, costs from $8,000 to $10,000, Armstrong says.
A yearly foot exam, special shoes, a foot mirror or thermometer cost far less, although such measures may not be covered by health insurance.
Under the U.S. reimbursement system, Armstrong says, "prevention doesn't pay. But it's so important.
"We need to ask: How can we take the long view?"
shari.r oan@latimes.com
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Group helps Latino families with special needs
Latino families of kids with disabilities aided
By Daily Democrat Staff, Daily Democrate 03/20/2009
Fiesta Educativa, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement and rehabilitation of Latinos with special developmental needs, invites community members to attend its mini-conference, which features two workshops presented by Disability Rights California.
The mini-conference, held in collaboration with Dingle Elementary School and the Yolo Family Resource Center, will take place from 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, May 23, at Dingle Elementary School, 625 Elm St., Woodland. The workshop topics include a discussion of parent/child rights and how to prepare for your child's education. The conference will be held entirely in Spanish.
There will be a continental breakfast, exhibitor fair, raffles and limited childcare. There is no cost to attend this event. However, space is limited and pre-registration is required.
To register please contact Amalia Leyva at 668-6411 or Josie Enriquez at 406-7221.
Fiesta Educativa was founded more than 30 years ago by parents and professionals committed to working together to provide families with resources to gain access to services, so that their family members with disabilities can be fully integrated into the community. For more information, please visit www.fiestaeducativa.org.
By Daily Democrat Staff, Daily Democrate 03/20/2009
Fiesta Educativa, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement and rehabilitation of Latinos with special developmental needs, invites community members to attend its mini-conference, which features two workshops presented by Disability Rights California.
The mini-conference, held in collaboration with Dingle Elementary School and the Yolo Family Resource Center, will take place from 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, May 23, at Dingle Elementary School, 625 Elm St., Woodland. The workshop topics include a discussion of parent/child rights and how to prepare for your child's education. The conference will be held entirely in Spanish.
There will be a continental breakfast, exhibitor fair, raffles and limited childcare. There is no cost to attend this event. However, space is limited and pre-registration is required.
To register please contact Amalia Leyva at 668-6411 or Josie Enriquez at 406-7221.
Fiesta Educativa was founded more than 30 years ago by parents and professionals committed to working together to provide families with resources to gain access to services, so that their family members with disabilities can be fully integrated into the community. For more information, please visit www.fiestaeducativa.org.
Latino diseased prevented through healthy eating, exercising
Nutrition and Physical Activity Prevents Diseases in Latinos
By Disly Juarez, Graduate Student, SDSU’s School of Public Health
La Prensa, San Diego March 20, 2009
This month we celebrate National Nutrition Month. This is a perfect time to think about our own diet and make nutritional and physical activity changes to improve our health. Many of you might think that you are in optimal health because nothing seems to hurt, right? However, according to a survey by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke ranked in the top 5 leading causes of death in the Latino population. So you might ask, “Why do I have a high risk for these diseases and what can I do to prevent them?”
The fact that many Latinos are not eating healthy foods helps explain why many of them are at high risk for health problems. For example, when Latinos acculturate to mainstream society, their consumption of many healthy foods decreases and begin to eat more “American” food, for example, McDonalds, Chinese fast food, and other foods high in fat and lack nutrients. Furthermore, eating foods high in fat are very damaging to your health. So what can you do to improve your nutrition? Here are some quick tips:
Quick Tips to Improve your Nutrition:
- Order healthy choices when you eat out. Select foods such as baked fish or chicken instead of fried foods.
- Drink a full glass of water before a meal and another one with it. You’ll stay hydrated and be less likely to overeat.
- Control your portion sizes.
- Eat more fruits and vegetables. For adults, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends 2 cups of fruit and 21⁄2 cups of vegetables each day.
- When shopping, try to choose mostly whole grains. For something to truly be whole grain, it must contain the word ‘whole’ as the first ingredient. (http://www.latinonutrition.org)
Regular physical activity is also important for preventing chronic diseases (e.g., coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, breast cancer, colon cancer) (www.CDC.gov). Historically, Latinos tend to have one of the lowest rates of leisure physical activity among racial/ethnic groups in the United States, despite an increase in their level of leisure-time physical activity during the past decade (www.CDC.gov). This lack of exercise is becoming a great concern that is affecting the health of our community, so here is some advice about how you can easily become more active.
Quick Tips to Becoming More Physically Active:
- Engage in a total of at least 30 minutes per day of moderate physical activity. You can break up the amount you do at one time, as long as you have bouts of ten minutes at a time. For example, 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes in the afternoon, and 10 minutes in the evening.
- Incorporate exercise into your daily activities. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park far away from your destination, or doing errands by bicycle instead of by car.
- Participate in activities you enjoy with your friends and family members, so you have support. Is there a sport or active hobby you enjoyed in the past, like dancing or gardening?
In conclusion, small changes in your nutrition and physical activity can improve your health and make you feel better. This month, begin practicing some of these quick tips, change the statistics, and enjoy a healthier life free of disease!
This message is brought to you by SDPRC/Familias Sanas y Activas.
For more info on our free physical activity programs in South Bay, please contact Sara Solaimani at 619-594-2965.
By Disly Juarez, Graduate Student, SDSU’s School of Public Health
La Prensa, San Diego March 20, 2009
This month we celebrate National Nutrition Month. This is a perfect time to think about our own diet and make nutritional and physical activity changes to improve our health. Many of you might think that you are in optimal health because nothing seems to hurt, right? However, according to a survey by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke ranked in the top 5 leading causes of death in the Latino population. So you might ask, “Why do I have a high risk for these diseases and what can I do to prevent them?”
The fact that many Latinos are not eating healthy foods helps explain why many of them are at high risk for health problems. For example, when Latinos acculturate to mainstream society, their consumption of many healthy foods decreases and begin to eat more “American” food, for example, McDonalds, Chinese fast food, and other foods high in fat and lack nutrients. Furthermore, eating foods high in fat are very damaging to your health. So what can you do to improve your nutrition? Here are some quick tips:
Quick Tips to Improve your Nutrition:
- Order healthy choices when you eat out. Select foods such as baked fish or chicken instead of fried foods.
- Drink a full glass of water before a meal and another one with it. You’ll stay hydrated and be less likely to overeat.
- Control your portion sizes.
- Eat more fruits and vegetables. For adults, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends 2 cups of fruit and 21⁄2 cups of vegetables each day.
- When shopping, try to choose mostly whole grains. For something to truly be whole grain, it must contain the word ‘whole’ as the first ingredient. (http://www.latinonutrition.org)
Regular physical activity is also important for preventing chronic diseases (e.g., coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, breast cancer, colon cancer) (www.CDC.gov). Historically, Latinos tend to have one of the lowest rates of leisure physical activity among racial/ethnic groups in the United States, despite an increase in their level of leisure-time physical activity during the past decade (www.CDC.gov). This lack of exercise is becoming a great concern that is affecting the health of our community, so here is some advice about how you can easily become more active.
Quick Tips to Becoming More Physically Active:
- Engage in a total of at least 30 minutes per day of moderate physical activity. You can break up the amount you do at one time, as long as you have bouts of ten minutes at a time. For example, 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes in the afternoon, and 10 minutes in the evening.
- Incorporate exercise into your daily activities. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park far away from your destination, or doing errands by bicycle instead of by car.
- Participate in activities you enjoy with your friends and family members, so you have support. Is there a sport or active hobby you enjoyed in the past, like dancing or gardening?
In conclusion, small changes in your nutrition and physical activity can improve your health and make you feel better. This month, begin practicing some of these quick tips, change the statistics, and enjoy a healthier life free of disease!
This message is brought to you by SDPRC/Familias Sanas y Activas.
For more info on our free physical activity programs in South Bay, please contact Sara Solaimani at 619-594-2965.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Latinos don't get best care after heart failure
Blacks, Latinos Less Likely to Get Best Care After Heart Failure
By DiversityInc March 19, 2009
A new study suggests that Blacks and Latinos are less likely to get the most advanced treatment for severe heart failure than whites, reports HealthDay News. Although the differences were modest, the study's authors say they are significant, particularly because they can't be explained by lack of insurance or medical condition.
The study examined a total of 108,000 Black, Latino and white Medicare patients who were treated for severe heart failure between 2005 and 2007 at more than 1,000 hospitals across the country. For certain heart-failure patients, the most advanced treatment involves the use of two devices to control the condition: an implantable defibrillator to regulate heart rhythm and a special pacemaker that realigns heartbeats when the right and left ventricles get out of synch, a newer approach called "cardiac resynchronization therapy." Despite the fact that more Blacks and Latinos met the treatment guidelines for the combined therapies, they were more likely to get the defibrillator alone, according to the report. White patients were more likely to get both therapies, even when they did not meet the treatment guidelines. According to the study, 79 percent of whites that were eligible for the combined treatment got it, while only 77 percent of Blacks and 75 percent of Latinos received both treatments.
The study also noted that more than a quarter of all deaths among Blacks and Latinos in 2005 were the result of heart disease, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, making it the No. 1 killer for these groups.
By DiversityInc March 19, 2009
A new study suggests that Blacks and Latinos are less likely to get the most advanced treatment for severe heart failure than whites, reports HealthDay News. Although the differences were modest, the study's authors say they are significant, particularly because they can't be explained by lack of insurance or medical condition.
The study examined a total of 108,000 Black, Latino and white Medicare patients who were treated for severe heart failure between 2005 and 2007 at more than 1,000 hospitals across the country. For certain heart-failure patients, the most advanced treatment involves the use of two devices to control the condition: an implantable defibrillator to regulate heart rhythm and a special pacemaker that realigns heartbeats when the right and left ventricles get out of synch, a newer approach called "cardiac resynchronization therapy." Despite the fact that more Blacks and Latinos met the treatment guidelines for the combined therapies, they were more likely to get the defibrillator alone, according to the report. White patients were more likely to get both therapies, even when they did not meet the treatment guidelines. According to the study, 79 percent of whites that were eligible for the combined treatment got it, while only 77 percent of Blacks and 75 percent of Latinos received both treatments.
The study also noted that more than a quarter of all deaths among Blacks and Latinos in 2005 were the result of heart disease, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, making it the No. 1 killer for these groups.
Hispanics offered bilingual records service
MMR Information Systems Offers First Bilingual Personal Health Record Through The Latino Coalition
PRESS RELEASE
LOS ANGELES, March 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MMR Information Systems, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: FVRL), which through its wholly-owned operating subsidiary, MyMedicalRecords, Inc. (collectively, "MMR") provides consumer-controlled Personal Health Records ("PHRs") (www.mymedicalrecords.com) and electronic safe deposit box storage solutions (www.myesafedepositbox.com), has entered into an agreement with The Latino Coalition ("TLC") (www.thelatinocoalition.com) to offer its Personal Health Record to individual and employer Coalition members in both English and Spanish. The employer program will enable member businesses to offer the MyMedicalRecords PHR as an employee benefit to groups of 10 employees or more on a similar basis to companies with groups of 1,000 employees or more. This program enables MMR to tap into a market previously underserved by other PHR providers.
The Latino Coalition has a network of more than 600,000 business owners nationwide. TLC's agenda is to develop initiatives and partnerships that will foster economic equivalency and enhance overall business, economic and social development of Latinos. MMR plans to launch its program with a presentation at The Latino Coalition's Annual Economic Summit in Washington, D.C. on May 6, 2009.
"We are pleased that MMR's vision of building a multi-lingual Personal Health Record has led to this affinity relationship with The Latino Coalition. This relationship is our first step towards extending the power and usability of our PHR to all segments of the consumer health population, including the growing Hispanic marketplace," said Robert H. Lorsch, Chairman and CEO of MMR Information Systems, Inc. "This program continues to validate our strategy of marketing our products by private labeling through affinity groups and other membership organizations, such as the AFL-CIO, Qvisory, Best Benefits, XO Financial and others. The Latino Coalition is another example of how a PHR works as a member benefit to these types of organizations."
"Personal Health Records represent a very important member benefit to The Latino Coalition and the Latino community in general," said Allen Gutierrez, Executive Director of The Latino Coalition. "We believe MMR and its products will further assist us in our agenda of reduced costs in the delivery of healthcare, including the education of our members on important issues affecting their health and the health of their employees which ultimately can lead to saving lives."
The MyMedicalRecords PHR is able to accept health information from any doctor, hospital or healthcare professional, regardless of the system being used by the medical provider. Members each receive their own personal telephone number, which also serves as their User ID for the service. They or their doctors can fax their information into their password-protected account or the user can upload files from their computer. In addition, each MyMedicalRecords PHR account comes with a private voice mailbox so that doctors can leave confidential voice messages. There are also useful health management tools, such as an interactive drug database, which can be used to check for interactions between over 20,000 prescription and over-the-counter drugs, licensed to MMR by Cerner Corp. (Nasdaq: CERN), and calendaring features to remind users of prescription refills and doctor appointments.
The program is expected to roll out in May and will be featured on The Latino Coalition Web site. Hector V. Barreto, Chairman of The Latino Coalition, also serves on the Board of Directors of MMR Information Systems, Inc.
About The Latino Coalition
The Latino Coalition (TLC) was founded in 1995 by a group of Hispanic business owners from across the country to research & develop policies relevant to Latinos. TLC is a non-profit, nationwide organization based in Irvine California, with offices in Washington, D.C. and Mexico. TLC was established to address policy issues that directly affect the well-being of Hispanics in the U.S. TLC's agenda is to develop initiatives and partnerships that will foster economic equivalency and enhance overall business, economic and social development of Latinos.
PRESS RELEASE
LOS ANGELES, March 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MMR Information Systems, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: FVRL), which through its wholly-owned operating subsidiary, MyMedicalRecords, Inc. (collectively, "MMR") provides consumer-controlled Personal Health Records ("PHRs") (www.mymedicalrecords.com) and electronic safe deposit box storage solutions (www.myesafedepositbox.com), has entered into an agreement with The Latino Coalition ("TLC") (www.thelatinocoalition.com) to offer its Personal Health Record to individual and employer Coalition members in both English and Spanish. The employer program will enable member businesses to offer the MyMedicalRecords PHR as an employee benefit to groups of 10 employees or more on a similar basis to companies with groups of 1,000 employees or more. This program enables MMR to tap into a market previously underserved by other PHR providers.
The Latino Coalition has a network of more than 600,000 business owners nationwide. TLC's agenda is to develop initiatives and partnerships that will foster economic equivalency and enhance overall business, economic and social development of Latinos. MMR plans to launch its program with a presentation at The Latino Coalition's Annual Economic Summit in Washington, D.C. on May 6, 2009.
"We are pleased that MMR's vision of building a multi-lingual Personal Health Record has led to this affinity relationship with The Latino Coalition. This relationship is our first step towards extending the power and usability of our PHR to all segments of the consumer health population, including the growing Hispanic marketplace," said Robert H. Lorsch, Chairman and CEO of MMR Information Systems, Inc. "This program continues to validate our strategy of marketing our products by private labeling through affinity groups and other membership organizations, such as the AFL-CIO, Qvisory, Best Benefits, XO Financial and others. The Latino Coalition is another example of how a PHR works as a member benefit to these types of organizations."
"Personal Health Records represent a very important member benefit to The Latino Coalition and the Latino community in general," said Allen Gutierrez, Executive Director of The Latino Coalition. "We believe MMR and its products will further assist us in our agenda of reduced costs in the delivery of healthcare, including the education of our members on important issues affecting their health and the health of their employees which ultimately can lead to saving lives."
The MyMedicalRecords PHR is able to accept health information from any doctor, hospital or healthcare professional, regardless of the system being used by the medical provider. Members each receive their own personal telephone number, which also serves as their User ID for the service. They or their doctors can fax their information into their password-protected account or the user can upload files from their computer. In addition, each MyMedicalRecords PHR account comes with a private voice mailbox so that doctors can leave confidential voice messages. There are also useful health management tools, such as an interactive drug database, which can be used to check for interactions between over 20,000 prescription and over-the-counter drugs, licensed to MMR by Cerner Corp. (Nasdaq: CERN), and calendaring features to remind users of prescription refills and doctor appointments.
The program is expected to roll out in May and will be featured on The Latino Coalition Web site. Hector V. Barreto, Chairman of The Latino Coalition, also serves on the Board of Directors of MMR Information Systems, Inc.
About The Latino Coalition
The Latino Coalition (TLC) was founded in 1995 by a group of Hispanic business owners from across the country to research & develop policies relevant to Latinos. TLC is a non-profit, nationwide organization based in Irvine California, with offices in Washington, D.C. and Mexico. TLC was established to address policy issues that directly affect the well-being of Hispanics in the U.S. TLC's agenda is to develop initiatives and partnerships that will foster economic equivalency and enhance overall business, economic and social development of Latinos.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Kaiser ranked 7th by Diversity Inc
Kaiser Permanente Ranked No. 7 on DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies for Diversity(R)
PRESS RELEASE
OAKLAND, Calif. March 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaiser Permanente was ranked No. 7 on the 2009 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity(R) list, up 36 spots from the pervious year. Kaiser Permanente was the only health care organization ranked in the top 20 of this prestigious list.
A total of 401 companies, an increase of 14 percent from last year, vied for the honor this year, underscoring the increasing emphasis on diversity management among progressive companies.
"At Kaiser Permanente, diversity management is a core value and an indisputable business imperative that is central to achieving our mission and business goals," says Ronald Knox, senior vice president and chief diversity officer at Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. "We are grateful for DiversityInc's recognition of our diversity efforts and commitment and honored to be included among the nation's corporate leaders in diversity."
"Kaiser Permanente is one of the unsung heroes in corporate diversity. It's been a diversity leader for many years, the type of company others quietly sought out for diversity advice and best practices. Its surge on this list is indicative of its increasing ability to let the world, including us, in on what makes it such a great company for diversity," said Luke Visconti, CEO of DiversityInc.
A key factor in Kaiser Permanente's success was the involvement of chairman and chief executive officer of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals, George C. Halvorson, whose direct reports are 14.3 percent Black, 14.3 Asian American, 4.8 percent Latino and 42.9 percent women. Kaiser Permanente also has one of the most diverse boards anywhere: 21 percent Black, 14.5 percent Latino, 14.5 percent Asian American and 36 percent women.
PRESS RELEASE
OAKLAND, Calif. March 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaiser Permanente was ranked No. 7 on the 2009 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity(R) list, up 36 spots from the pervious year. Kaiser Permanente was the only health care organization ranked in the top 20 of this prestigious list.
A total of 401 companies, an increase of 14 percent from last year, vied for the honor this year, underscoring the increasing emphasis on diversity management among progressive companies.
"At Kaiser Permanente, diversity management is a core value and an indisputable business imperative that is central to achieving our mission and business goals," says Ronald Knox, senior vice president and chief diversity officer at Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. "We are grateful for DiversityInc's recognition of our diversity efforts and commitment and honored to be included among the nation's corporate leaders in diversity."
"Kaiser Permanente is one of the unsung heroes in corporate diversity. It's been a diversity leader for many years, the type of company others quietly sought out for diversity advice and best practices. Its surge on this list is indicative of its increasing ability to let the world, including us, in on what makes it such a great company for diversity," said Luke Visconti, CEO of DiversityInc.
A key factor in Kaiser Permanente's success was the involvement of chairman and chief executive officer of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals, George C. Halvorson, whose direct reports are 14.3 percent Black, 14.3 Asian American, 4.8 percent Latino and 42.9 percent women. Kaiser Permanente also has one of the most diverse boards anywhere: 21 percent Black, 14.5 percent Latino, 14.5 percent Asian American and 36 percent women.
Unwed Hispanic women have babies
’07 U.S. Births Break Baby Boom Record
By ERIK ECKHOLM, NY Times, March 18, 2009
More babies were born in the United States in 2007 than in any other year in American history, according to preliminary data reported Wednesday by the National Center for Health Statistics.
The 4,317,000 births in 2007 just edged out the figure for 1957, at the height of the baby boom. The increase reflected a slight rise in childbearing by women of all ages, including those in their 30s and 40s, and a record share of births to unmarried women.
But in contrast with the culturally transforming postwar boom, when a smaller population of women bore an average of three or four children, the recent increase mainly reflects a larger population of women of childbearing age, said Stephanie J. Ventura, chief of reproductive statistics at the center and an author of the new report. Today, the average woman has 2.1 children.
Also in 2007, for the second straight year and in a trend health officials find worrisome, the rate of births to teenagers rose slightly after declining by one-third from 1991 to 2005.
“The 14 years with teenage birth rates going down was one of the great success stories in public health, and it’s possible that it’s coming to an end,” said Sarah S. Brown, chief executive of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, a private group in Washington.
But officials cautioned that the reversal has been small — a rise of 2 percent in 2006 and 1 percent in 2007 — and that it is too early to know what the rate will do next.
Even at the low point in 2005, the United States had the highest rates of teenage pregnancy, birth and abortion of any industrialized country. Because teenage births carry higher risks of medical problems and poverty for mother and child, state health agencies, schools and private groups have mounted educational campaigns to deter teenage pregnancy.
Still, the reasons for the steep decline and recent reversal are poorly understood. The discussion is colored by politics: some liberals say “abstinence only” sex education and restrictions on distribution of contraceptives are only leading to more pregnancies, while conservatives tend to blame the ever more permissive social climate.
Teenage abortion rates have been falling for years and are not believed to be a major factor in the birth trends. “The decline resulted from less sex and more contraception,” Ms. Brown said. “So the new trend must involve some combination of more sex and less contraception.”
The new report also found that the share of births to unmarried women of all ages reached a record high of 40 percent of all births in 2007, the most recent data available. This continued a marked trend upward in unwed births since 2002.
The growth has mainly been fueled by increases among adult women, Ms. Ventura said. Racial and ethnic differences remain large: 28 percent of white babies were born to unmarried mothers in 2007, compared with 51 percent of Hispanic babies and 72 percent of black babies. The shares of births to unwed mothers among whites and Hispanics have climbed faster than the share among blacks, but from lower starting points.
In yet another record high, the share of deliveries by Caesarean section reached 32 percent in 2007, up 2 percent from 2006. Experts have repeatedly said some C-sections are not medically necessary and impose excess costs, but the rate has steadily climbed, from 21 percent in 1996.
By ERIK ECKHOLM, NY Times, March 18, 2009
More babies were born in the United States in 2007 than in any other year in American history, according to preliminary data reported Wednesday by the National Center for Health Statistics.
The 4,317,000 births in 2007 just edged out the figure for 1957, at the height of the baby boom. The increase reflected a slight rise in childbearing by women of all ages, including those in their 30s and 40s, and a record share of births to unmarried women.
But in contrast with the culturally transforming postwar boom, when a smaller population of women bore an average of three or four children, the recent increase mainly reflects a larger population of women of childbearing age, said Stephanie J. Ventura, chief of reproductive statistics at the center and an author of the new report. Today, the average woman has 2.1 children.
Also in 2007, for the second straight year and in a trend health officials find worrisome, the rate of births to teenagers rose slightly after declining by one-third from 1991 to 2005.
“The 14 years with teenage birth rates going down was one of the great success stories in public health, and it’s possible that it’s coming to an end,” said Sarah S. Brown, chief executive of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, a private group in Washington.
But officials cautioned that the reversal has been small — a rise of 2 percent in 2006 and 1 percent in 2007 — and that it is too early to know what the rate will do next.
Even at the low point in 2005, the United States had the highest rates of teenage pregnancy, birth and abortion of any industrialized country. Because teenage births carry higher risks of medical problems and poverty for mother and child, state health agencies, schools and private groups have mounted educational campaigns to deter teenage pregnancy.
Still, the reasons for the steep decline and recent reversal are poorly understood. The discussion is colored by politics: some liberals say “abstinence only” sex education and restrictions on distribution of contraceptives are only leading to more pregnancies, while conservatives tend to blame the ever more permissive social climate.
Teenage abortion rates have been falling for years and are not believed to be a major factor in the birth trends. “The decline resulted from less sex and more contraception,” Ms. Brown said. “So the new trend must involve some combination of more sex and less contraception.”
The new report also found that the share of births to unmarried women of all ages reached a record high of 40 percent of all births in 2007, the most recent data available. This continued a marked trend upward in unwed births since 2002.
The growth has mainly been fueled by increases among adult women, Ms. Ventura said. Racial and ethnic differences remain large: 28 percent of white babies were born to unmarried mothers in 2007, compared with 51 percent of Hispanic babies and 72 percent of black babies. The shares of births to unwed mothers among whites and Hispanics have climbed faster than the share among blacks, but from lower starting points.
In yet another record high, the share of deliveries by Caesarean section reached 32 percent in 2007, up 2 percent from 2006. Experts have repeatedly said some C-sections are not medically necessary and impose excess costs, but the rate has steadily climbed, from 21 percent in 1996.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Hispanic Doctors to meet in New York summit
As a Boon to the Economy, Rx for NY Unemployment
PRESS RELEASE
WASHINGTON, March 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As New York's unemployment rate climbs to nearly 8 percent, policymakers are meeting at the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA) conference March 19-22 in New York to discuss how increasing the Latino health care workforce could be key to helping stimulate the nation's economy.
Hispanic doctors and national, state and local decision-makers will meet for the 13th annual conference of NHMA, a nonprofit group based in Washington, DC, that represents Hispanic physicians in the U.S. The conference, "Building a Health Care Workforce for the Hispanic Community," is March 19-22 at New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge.
"Amid the worst unemployment in a generation, health care is a hot spot for jobs -- and it will grow hotter, especially as President Barack Obama's stimulus package will pump billions of dollars into the economy," said Dr. Elena Rios, NHMA's president and CEO.
Invited participants and speakers to NHMA's conference include Dr. Garth Graham, deputy assistant secretary, Office of Minority Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Dr. Jo Ivey Boufford, president, New York Academy of Medicine; New York State Health Commissioner Richard Daines; George Thibault, president, Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, NY; Dr. Ciro Sumaya, dean, School of Rural Public Health, Texas A&M Health Science Center; Nilsa Gutierrez, chief medical officer, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, NY; Javier Escobar, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ.
In February, employers reduced payrolls by 651,000 jobs. Meanwhile, 26,000 jobs were added nationwide in health care and education. Still, the nation's jobless rate rose to 8.1 percent in February. New York's unemployment rate rose from 7 percent in December to 7.6 percent in January.
New York Congresswoman Nydia M. Velazquez (D), chairwoman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said, "NHMA pushes the health care industry to reflect the growing influence of Latinos in its workforce and to address the pressing health care needs of our community."
New York is receiving $24.6 billion over two years in federal economic stimulus.
Said New York State Health Commissioner Richard F. Daines, M.D., "New York State is dedicated to eliminating health disparities, as well as building a health care workforce that meets the needs of all New Yorkers."
NHMA supports federal policies to expand the health care workforce -- through the Health Careers Opportunity Program, "Centers of Excellence," for example, to fill shortages.
The Hispanic population wields $1 trillion of buying power. This market is projected to grow by 48 percent in four years. More than 15 percent of U.S. population is Hispanic. The Census Bureau projects 30 percent of Americans will be Hispanic by 2050.
Job training is critical, especially in health information technology as the system moves to electronic medical records.
In addition, NHMA supports investing in prevention, a goal that goes hand-in-hand with Obama's vision. At the White House Forum on Health Reform on March 5, at which NHMA was one of two Hispanic groups there, Obama said it is possible to expand health coverage in the U.S. while bringing soaring medical bills under control.
NHMA will issue a report on the recommendations from its conference.
Established in 1994 in Washington, DC, NHMA is a nonprofit association that represents licensed Hispanic physicians in the U.S. in its mission to improve health care for Hispanics and the underserved. For more information, visit www.nhmamd.org.
PRESS RELEASE
WASHINGTON, March 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As New York's unemployment rate climbs to nearly 8 percent, policymakers are meeting at the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA) conference March 19-22 in New York to discuss how increasing the Latino health care workforce could be key to helping stimulate the nation's economy.
Hispanic doctors and national, state and local decision-makers will meet for the 13th annual conference of NHMA, a nonprofit group based in Washington, DC, that represents Hispanic physicians in the U.S. The conference, "Building a Health Care Workforce for the Hispanic Community," is March 19-22 at New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge.
"Amid the worst unemployment in a generation, health care is a hot spot for jobs -- and it will grow hotter, especially as President Barack Obama's stimulus package will pump billions of dollars into the economy," said Dr. Elena Rios, NHMA's president and CEO.
Invited participants and speakers to NHMA's conference include Dr. Garth Graham, deputy assistant secretary, Office of Minority Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Dr. Jo Ivey Boufford, president, New York Academy of Medicine; New York State Health Commissioner Richard Daines; George Thibault, president, Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, NY; Dr. Ciro Sumaya, dean, School of Rural Public Health, Texas A&M Health Science Center; Nilsa Gutierrez, chief medical officer, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, NY; Javier Escobar, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ.
In February, employers reduced payrolls by 651,000 jobs. Meanwhile, 26,000 jobs were added nationwide in health care and education. Still, the nation's jobless rate rose to 8.1 percent in February. New York's unemployment rate rose from 7 percent in December to 7.6 percent in January.
New York Congresswoman Nydia M. Velazquez (D), chairwoman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said, "NHMA pushes the health care industry to reflect the growing influence of Latinos in its workforce and to address the pressing health care needs of our community."
New York is receiving $24.6 billion over two years in federal economic stimulus.
Said New York State Health Commissioner Richard F. Daines, M.D., "New York State is dedicated to eliminating health disparities, as well as building a health care workforce that meets the needs of all New Yorkers."
NHMA supports federal policies to expand the health care workforce -- through the Health Careers Opportunity Program, "Centers of Excellence," for example, to fill shortages.
The Hispanic population wields $1 trillion of buying power. This market is projected to grow by 48 percent in four years. More than 15 percent of U.S. population is Hispanic. The Census Bureau projects 30 percent of Americans will be Hispanic by 2050.
Job training is critical, especially in health information technology as the system moves to electronic medical records.
In addition, NHMA supports investing in prevention, a goal that goes hand-in-hand with Obama's vision. At the White House Forum on Health Reform on March 5, at which NHMA was one of two Hispanic groups there, Obama said it is possible to expand health coverage in the U.S. while bringing soaring medical bills under control.
NHMA will issue a report on the recommendations from its conference.
Established in 1994 in Washington, DC, NHMA is a nonprofit association that represents licensed Hispanic physicians in the U.S. in its mission to improve health care for Hispanics and the underserved. For more information, visit www.nhmamd.org.
Latino lawyer helps abused elderly
Latino attorney fights for abused nursing-home patients
(EFE Ingles Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) By Luis Uribe.
Los Angeles, Mar 17 (EFE).- Latino attorney Stephen Garcia has dedicated more than 15 years of his career to defending abused nursing home patients.
Garcia has consulted on class-action lawsuits representing consumers against some of the largest nursing homes and obtained millions of dollars in compensation for abused elderly clients.
"I didn't seek out this field. It sought me out," the 50-year-old lawyer, who heads the Garcia Law Firm in Long Beach, California, told Efe in an interview.
Sixteen years ago, when he was working as a criminal attorney, "Jesus Noe came to my office, at that time in Newport Beach, looking for a lawyer who spoke Spanish to take the case of his mother Zoyla, who had suffered burns on more than 40 percent of her body in a nursing home." Although it was not his specialty, Garcia was moved by the situation of abuse against an elderly woman and took the case. With the advice of his Uncle Bill, another lawyer in the family, he pursued the case and won, obtaining hefty damages for the victim.
"That led me to get to know more about the care of the elderly and to find innumerable cases of abuse that made me very angry. And so I've continued to be angry for 16 years," he said.
His contributions to the field motivated California Lawyer magazine to select him as the 2009 Attorney of the Year, giving him the award in the category of Elder Law.
But that honor has not distanced him from his Mexican roots, said this son of immigrants whose grandfather came to the United States to work in the fields with three children because his other kids had died in Mexico.
"My father was 3 years old when they came from Mexico and shortly thereafter my grandfather died," he recalled. It was then that the older brother - Uncle Humberto - helped his mother send the two younger children to study at St. John Bosco Catholic high school in Los Angeles.
Humberto went to college on a football scholarship. While Bill, finished high school, enlisted in the U.S. Army and fought in Korea, where he earned two medals for valor for saving several fellow soldiers from a grenade blast.
Later, with the help of L.A. Superior Court Judge Victor Chavez, one of the pioneers in the practice of law for Mexicans in California, Bill obtained a scholarship and studied law at Loyola Marymount University.
In the same way, Uncle Bill helped his brother Richard - Stephen's father - study law to round out the first generation of lawyers in the family.
From those roots and family solidarity that "has continued and will continue for generations," arose an authentic interest in helping the less-favored people in society.
Every Christmas, "in an organization called 'Amigos' (Friends) created by Joe Rivera, who died last year," they get together to deliver about 250 baskets of food to poor families in Boyle Heights, where they grew up.
But Garcia is concerned about the ongoing changes in values within the Latino community.
"Latino families generally don't leave their parents in a nursing home. They take care of them in their own homes. However, the culture is changing and the new generations, with fewer religious values and because of economic pressure, little by little are going to agree more to have their elderly cared for in those centers," he said.
This new situation obliges future generations to learn the importance of being attentive to what happens in nursing homes and similar facilities.
"Visit them frequently, go at different times and if you notice anything irregular, complain. It's important to make noise so that the problems are corrected," he said.
(EFE Ingles Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) By Luis Uribe.
Los Angeles, Mar 17 (EFE).- Latino attorney Stephen Garcia has dedicated more than 15 years of his career to defending abused nursing home patients.
Garcia has consulted on class-action lawsuits representing consumers against some of the largest nursing homes and obtained millions of dollars in compensation for abused elderly clients.
"I didn't seek out this field. It sought me out," the 50-year-old lawyer, who heads the Garcia Law Firm in Long Beach, California, told Efe in an interview.
Sixteen years ago, when he was working as a criminal attorney, "Jesus Noe came to my office, at that time in Newport Beach, looking for a lawyer who spoke Spanish to take the case of his mother Zoyla, who had suffered burns on more than 40 percent of her body in a nursing home." Although it was not his specialty, Garcia was moved by the situation of abuse against an elderly woman and took the case. With the advice of his Uncle Bill, another lawyer in the family, he pursued the case and won, obtaining hefty damages for the victim.
"That led me to get to know more about the care of the elderly and to find innumerable cases of abuse that made me very angry. And so I've continued to be angry for 16 years," he said.
His contributions to the field motivated California Lawyer magazine to select him as the 2009 Attorney of the Year, giving him the award in the category of Elder Law.
But that honor has not distanced him from his Mexican roots, said this son of immigrants whose grandfather came to the United States to work in the fields with three children because his other kids had died in Mexico.
"My father was 3 years old when they came from Mexico and shortly thereafter my grandfather died," he recalled. It was then that the older brother - Uncle Humberto - helped his mother send the two younger children to study at St. John Bosco Catholic high school in Los Angeles.
Humberto went to college on a football scholarship. While Bill, finished high school, enlisted in the U.S. Army and fought in Korea, where he earned two medals for valor for saving several fellow soldiers from a grenade blast.
Later, with the help of L.A. Superior Court Judge Victor Chavez, one of the pioneers in the practice of law for Mexicans in California, Bill obtained a scholarship and studied law at Loyola Marymount University.
In the same way, Uncle Bill helped his brother Richard - Stephen's father - study law to round out the first generation of lawyers in the family.
From those roots and family solidarity that "has continued and will continue for generations," arose an authentic interest in helping the less-favored people in society.
Every Christmas, "in an organization called 'Amigos' (Friends) created by Joe Rivera, who died last year," they get together to deliver about 250 baskets of food to poor families in Boyle Heights, where they grew up.
But Garcia is concerned about the ongoing changes in values within the Latino community.
"Latino families generally don't leave their parents in a nursing home. They take care of them in their own homes. However, the culture is changing and the new generations, with fewer religious values and because of economic pressure, little by little are going to agree more to have their elderly cared for in those centers," he said.
This new situation obliges future generations to learn the importance of being attentive to what happens in nursing homes and similar facilities.
"Visit them frequently, go at different times and if you notice anything irregular, complain. It's important to make noise so that the problems are corrected," he said.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Latino health care conference planned for April in Az
Health care providers and students invited to learn more about Latino health care issues on April 18
PRESS RELEASE
(Media-Newswire.com) - PHOENIX, Arizona “ Health care concerns affecting the Latino community are an important issue to area health care providers and students entering the medical field. To spread awareness about the latest Latino health care topics, the "Salud Latina en Accion" conference, sponsored by a variety of Arizona-based health care organizations, will be held on April 18 at GateWay Community College. Current medical professionals, students and interested members of the public are invited to attend.
During the event, guest speakers will touch on a variety of topics, including identifying trends in Latino health, discussing management issues of selected Latino health problems and exploring innovative programs addressing Latino health disparities. The conference is sponsored by GateWay Community College, the National Association of Hispanic Nurses Valle del Sol Chapter, the Transcultural Nursing Society of Arizona and St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center. Conference support is also being provided by Pfizer Inc. and the Arizona Heart Association.
The "Salud Latina en Accion" conference takes place from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Saturday, April 18 at the Center for Health Careers building on the GateWay Community College campus in Phoenix. Registration cost is $60 for regular attendees and $25 for students. Cost includes continental breakfast and lunch. For more information, contact Janey Buri at 602-286-8546 or buri@gatewaycc.edu.
PRESS RELEASE
(Media-Newswire.com) - PHOENIX, Arizona “ Health care concerns affecting the Latino community are an important issue to area health care providers and students entering the medical field. To spread awareness about the latest Latino health care topics, the "Salud Latina en Accion" conference, sponsored by a variety of Arizona-based health care organizations, will be held on April 18 at GateWay Community College. Current medical professionals, students and interested members of the public are invited to attend.
During the event, guest speakers will touch on a variety of topics, including identifying trends in Latino health, discussing management issues of selected Latino health problems and exploring innovative programs addressing Latino health disparities. The conference is sponsored by GateWay Community College, the National Association of Hispanic Nurses Valle del Sol Chapter, the Transcultural Nursing Society of Arizona and St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center. Conference support is also being provided by Pfizer Inc. and the Arizona Heart Association.
The "Salud Latina en Accion" conference takes place from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Saturday, April 18 at the Center for Health Careers building on the GateWay Community College campus in Phoenix. Registration cost is $60 for regular attendees and $25 for students. Cost includes continental breakfast and lunch. For more information, contact Janey Buri at 602-286-8546 or buri@gatewaycc.edu.
Grant helps detect autism in Latino community
Autism Grant Could Have Big Impact in Latino Neighborhoods
Centers for Disease Control Label It a ‘Health Crisis’
By HEATHER CHAMBERS San Diego Business Journal Staff
Until recently, a program run by UC San Diego’s Autism Center of Excellence could only go so far to help parents who suspected their child was at risk for the complex brain disorder.
Language barriers hampered the English-speaking staff’s ability to interact with San Diego’s populous Latino community. But researchers knew that autism, like other developmental disabilities, knows no racial divide. Autism spans all racial, ethnic and social backgrounds.
A relatively small grant given by the San Diego-based National Foundation for Autism Research is anticipated to make a big impact on autism diagnosis and treatment in San Diego, according to program executives.
The $43,000 grant provided UCSD’s ACE program with a part-time, Spanish-speaking psychologist, among other resources.
“Rates of treatment were being reported in all areas except in Latinos,” said Sharon Leon, co-founder of NFAR and mother to a 15-year-old son with autism. “And they are one of the fastest-growing ethnic groups in our community.”
In an effort to reverse those trends, Leon said NFAR chose UCSD’s program, one of only six centers of excellence nationwide supported by the National Institutes of Health.
Using brain imaging of sleeping infants and small blood samples to identify genetic biomarkers, researcher Karen Pierce and her colleagues at UCSD are trying to understand the underlying causes of autism, one of the nation’s fastest growing, yet most elusive, developmental disabilities.
“We want to make clinical practice much more early so we can start treating these symptoms,” said Pierce, who acts as lead investigator and center director.
Autism is a complex brain disorder that impairs a person’s ability to communicate and socialize, and is often accompanied by extreme behavioral challenges. In California, there are an estimated 185,000 people living with autism. The state spends $320 million annually on autism treatment costs.
National Health Crisis
Growing rates of autism prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to call it a national public health crisis without a known cause or cure. The condition is more prevalent in children than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined.
Despite its growing prevalence, “It’s one of those diseases that has been less popularized,” said David Lightfoot, a director with the nonprofit Autism Speaks in San Diego.
Pierce, who received her master’s and doctorate degrees in experimental psychology, said she yearned to get a clearer picture of the complex disorder after getting punched by an autistic 16-year-old while on an outing to reward him for his good behavior. She shifted from treating autism to researching its underlying causes.
Centers for Disease Control Label It a ‘Health Crisis’
By HEATHER CHAMBERS San Diego Business Journal Staff
Until recently, a program run by UC San Diego’s Autism Center of Excellence could only go so far to help parents who suspected their child was at risk for the complex brain disorder.
Language barriers hampered the English-speaking staff’s ability to interact with San Diego’s populous Latino community. But researchers knew that autism, like other developmental disabilities, knows no racial divide. Autism spans all racial, ethnic and social backgrounds.
A relatively small grant given by the San Diego-based National Foundation for Autism Research is anticipated to make a big impact on autism diagnosis and treatment in San Diego, according to program executives.
The $43,000 grant provided UCSD’s ACE program with a part-time, Spanish-speaking psychologist, among other resources.
“Rates of treatment were being reported in all areas except in Latinos,” said Sharon Leon, co-founder of NFAR and mother to a 15-year-old son with autism. “And they are one of the fastest-growing ethnic groups in our community.”
In an effort to reverse those trends, Leon said NFAR chose UCSD’s program, one of only six centers of excellence nationwide supported by the National Institutes of Health.
Using brain imaging of sleeping infants and small blood samples to identify genetic biomarkers, researcher Karen Pierce and her colleagues at UCSD are trying to understand the underlying causes of autism, one of the nation’s fastest growing, yet most elusive, developmental disabilities.
“We want to make clinical practice much more early so we can start treating these symptoms,” said Pierce, who acts as lead investigator and center director.
Autism is a complex brain disorder that impairs a person’s ability to communicate and socialize, and is often accompanied by extreme behavioral challenges. In California, there are an estimated 185,000 people living with autism. The state spends $320 million annually on autism treatment costs.
National Health Crisis
Growing rates of autism prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to call it a national public health crisis without a known cause or cure. The condition is more prevalent in children than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined.
Despite its growing prevalence, “It’s one of those diseases that has been less popularized,” said David Lightfoot, a director with the nonprofit Autism Speaks in San Diego.
Pierce, who received her master’s and doctorate degrees in experimental psychology, said she yearned to get a clearer picture of the complex disorder after getting punched by an autistic 16-year-old while on an outing to reward him for his good behavior. She shifted from treating autism to researching its underlying causes.
Hispanic immigrants aced out of health care
Budget woes cut health care for illegal immigrants
By JULIANA BARBASSA
SACRAMENTO (AP) — Graciela Barrios, an undocumented immigrant, has long relied on her Sacramento County health clinic for the advice, medication and tests that keep her diabetes under control.
But next month, Barrios and thousands like her will be on their own as communities cut non-emergency health services to illegal immigrants and more local governments are forced to make similar decisions. Nearby Contra Costa County will vote Tuesday on whether to cut services to the 5,000 illegal immigrants they serve each year.
"The general situation there is being faced by nearly every health department across the country, and if not right now, shortly," said Robert M. Pestronk, executive director of the National Association of County and City Health Officials.
Data on health care for unauthorized immigrants is hard to come by, because community clinics and hospitals usually do not ask patients for their immigration status. But the Pew Hispanic Center estimates that of the 11.9 million illegal immigrants living in the United States, about 59 percent have no health insurance. That accounts for about 15 percent of the nation's approximately 47 million uninsured.
As the financial crisis takes a toll on local health systems and job losses spike the number of uninsured, health care providers are finding it increasingly difficult to meet the needs of those they serve, said Pestronk.
More than half of local health departments across the country laid off or lost employees in 2008, according to a survey in January by the health officials association. About one-third predicted layoffs in 2009.
In Sacramento County, such cuts at first meant closing three of six clinics. In February, with less money and more patients, county supervisors and health officials had to decide: close one more clinic — laying off up to 40 staffers to save $2.4 million — or cut services to the approximately 4,000 illegal immigrants treated annually.
"It was very difficult ethically for me," said Keith Andrews, head of primary health services at the county's Department of Health and Human Service. "People I've been caring for for years will be hurt."
Contra Costa County officials are doing the same hard math: if they vote to cut services, they will save about $6 million.
After letting go of social workers, cutting mental health services and watching a delivery room built to handle 120 births a month accommodate 240, there were few other options, said Contra Costa Health Services Director William Walker.
"We've never had this crisis before," said Walker, who submitted the plan being voted on Tuesday. "We've tried to carefully slice what we thought we could without cutting off our ability to respond. Now we're looking at bad choices among bad choices."
Counties may legally cut services to illegal immigrants. Although hospitals receiving Medicaid funds must provide emergency care for anyone who needs it, there is no law requiring health care providers to offer primary care.
Health officials and immigrant advocates say they do not know how many local health systems provide primary care to undocumented immigrants. Officials note that many hospitals and clinics do not ask a patient's immigration status, in part because treating chronic conditions such as asthma and hypertension keeps patients from emergency room visits that are far less effective and more expensive.
The fraying of the safety net provided by local health systems could have serious consequences — not only for illegal immigrants, who are among the most vulnerable, but for the rest of the population, said Sonal Ambegaokar, health policy attorney at National Immigration Law Center.
"Cutting care, you save $100 today, but you may end spending $500 tomorrow when that person shows up in the emergency room because you didn't provide them with basic medication," said Ambegaokar. "It's shortsighted."
Asking local health officials to verify immigration status also is problematic, said Julia Harumi Mass, staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California.
"The devil's in the details. Asking county workers to act as immigration officials puts them in a difficult position," she said.
For Barrios, the economic crisis has already hit home. The same economic forces that slashed Sacramento County's sales and property tax revenues also took her husband's job in a landscaping firm, and the family's bills are piling up, she said.
"I have no insurance, no resources, nothing to fall back on," said Barrios, who has one daughter. "I have no idea what I will do."
By JULIANA BARBASSA
SACRAMENTO (AP) — Graciela Barrios, an undocumented immigrant, has long relied on her Sacramento County health clinic for the advice, medication and tests that keep her diabetes under control.
But next month, Barrios and thousands like her will be on their own as communities cut non-emergency health services to illegal immigrants and more local governments are forced to make similar decisions. Nearby Contra Costa County will vote Tuesday on whether to cut services to the 5,000 illegal immigrants they serve each year.
"The general situation there is being faced by nearly every health department across the country, and if not right now, shortly," said Robert M. Pestronk, executive director of the National Association of County and City Health Officials.
Data on health care for unauthorized immigrants is hard to come by, because community clinics and hospitals usually do not ask patients for their immigration status. But the Pew Hispanic Center estimates that of the 11.9 million illegal immigrants living in the United States, about 59 percent have no health insurance. That accounts for about 15 percent of the nation's approximately 47 million uninsured.
As the financial crisis takes a toll on local health systems and job losses spike the number of uninsured, health care providers are finding it increasingly difficult to meet the needs of those they serve, said Pestronk.
More than half of local health departments across the country laid off or lost employees in 2008, according to a survey in January by the health officials association. About one-third predicted layoffs in 2009.
In Sacramento County, such cuts at first meant closing three of six clinics. In February, with less money and more patients, county supervisors and health officials had to decide: close one more clinic — laying off up to 40 staffers to save $2.4 million — or cut services to the approximately 4,000 illegal immigrants treated annually.
"It was very difficult ethically for me," said Keith Andrews, head of primary health services at the county's Department of Health and Human Service. "People I've been caring for for years will be hurt."
Contra Costa County officials are doing the same hard math: if they vote to cut services, they will save about $6 million.
After letting go of social workers, cutting mental health services and watching a delivery room built to handle 120 births a month accommodate 240, there were few other options, said Contra Costa Health Services Director William Walker.
"We've never had this crisis before," said Walker, who submitted the plan being voted on Tuesday. "We've tried to carefully slice what we thought we could without cutting off our ability to respond. Now we're looking at bad choices among bad choices."
Counties may legally cut services to illegal immigrants. Although hospitals receiving Medicaid funds must provide emergency care for anyone who needs it, there is no law requiring health care providers to offer primary care.
Health officials and immigrant advocates say they do not know how many local health systems provide primary care to undocumented immigrants. Officials note that many hospitals and clinics do not ask a patient's immigration status, in part because treating chronic conditions such as asthma and hypertension keeps patients from emergency room visits that are far less effective and more expensive.
The fraying of the safety net provided by local health systems could have serious consequences — not only for illegal immigrants, who are among the most vulnerable, but for the rest of the population, said Sonal Ambegaokar, health policy attorney at National Immigration Law Center.
"Cutting care, you save $100 today, but you may end spending $500 tomorrow when that person shows up in the emergency room because you didn't provide them with basic medication," said Ambegaokar. "It's shortsighted."
Asking local health officials to verify immigration status also is problematic, said Julia Harumi Mass, staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California.
"The devil's in the details. Asking county workers to act as immigration officials puts them in a difficult position," she said.
For Barrios, the economic crisis has already hit home. The same economic forces that slashed Sacramento County's sales and property tax revenues also took her husband's job in a landscaping firm, and the family's bills are piling up, she said.
"I have no insurance, no resources, nothing to fall back on," said Barrios, who has one daughter. "I have no idea what I will do."
Friday, March 13, 2009
Hispanic women targeted by Kaiser report
Kaiser Health Disparities Report: A Weekly Look At Race, Ethnicity And Health
New HHS Grant Will Allow Pennsylvania HIV, STI Education Program Targeting Hispanic Women To Continue
KAISER NETWORK [Mar 12, 2009]
The Community Prevention Partnership of Berks County, Pa. -- which runs a program that provides Hispanic women with education about HIV and sexually transmitted infection prevention, as well as domestic violence -- has received a five-year, $335,000 grant from HHS to continue the program, the Reading Eagle reports. About 300 local women have completed the program, and the grant will allow an additional 400 women in the city of Reading and surrounding township with the opportunity to participate.
The partnership's executive director, Cheryl Guthier, said that it focuses on the city of Reading because of its large Hispanic population, adding that the program plans to expand to Muhlenberg Township, which also has a large Hispanic population. The Eagle reports that the program's classes help alleviate the stigma that can prevent open discussion about HIV/AIDS and substance abuse. The partnership has offered the program for about eight years, the Eagle reports. The recent grant is the third from HHS' Center for Substance Abuse and Prevention. Guthier said because the grant is for five years, there is "more time to do services in the community, more time to evaluate whether or not it's effective." She added, "It will enable us to reach more people" (Negley, Reading Eagle, 3/10).
New HHS Grant Will Allow Pennsylvania HIV, STI Education Program Targeting Hispanic Women To Continue
KAISER NETWORK [Mar 12, 2009]
The Community Prevention Partnership of Berks County, Pa. -- which runs a program that provides Hispanic women with education about HIV and sexually transmitted infection prevention, as well as domestic violence -- has received a five-year, $335,000 grant from HHS to continue the program, the Reading Eagle reports. About 300 local women have completed the program, and the grant will allow an additional 400 women in the city of Reading and surrounding township with the opportunity to participate.
The partnership's executive director, Cheryl Guthier, said that it focuses on the city of Reading because of its large Hispanic population, adding that the program plans to expand to Muhlenberg Township, which also has a large Hispanic population. The Eagle reports that the program's classes help alleviate the stigma that can prevent open discussion about HIV/AIDS and substance abuse. The partnership has offered the program for about eight years, the Eagle reports. The recent grant is the third from HHS' Center for Substance Abuse and Prevention. Guthier said because the grant is for five years, there is "more time to do services in the community, more time to evaluate whether or not it's effective." She added, "It will enable us to reach more people" (Negley, Reading Eagle, 3/10).
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Latino actor believes in caregivers
Alzheimer's, caregivers are near to actor's heart
by Connie Midey - Mar. 12, 2009 The Arizona Republic
He was Dr. Phillip Watters on the CBS medical drama "Chicago Hope," and he'll return for another season as psychiatrist to the title character on USA Network's "Monk."
But it's in his real-life role as son that actor Hector Elizondo is tackling a health issue that affects more than 5 million Americans, about 78,000 of them in Arizona.
Elizondo, 72, known for roles as wide-ranging as God in the Broadway play "Steambath" and security director Joe in "The Princess Diaries" movies, was in Phoenix recently to talk about an educational campaign for caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients. The campaign is sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals.
The cause is near to Elizondo's heart. His mother, Carmen, was diagnosed with the then little-understood degenerative brain disease in the late 1960s, before she was 70. His father, Martin, was her primary caregiver for years. Both died in the mid-1970s, Martin on his birthday, just months before Carmen.
Question: How do you feel today when you look at family photos taken when your parents were young and healthy?
Answer: It's bittersweet, frankly. I realize what another world that was, what another life, and it reminds me again of what my father endured later during a time of darkness.
Q: We hear a lot about what Alzheimer's patients' experience. But that's just part of the struggle, isn't it?
A: My father was my mother's caregiver 24/7. I was in their neighborhood (in Manhattan), so I could see both of them deteriorating right in front of me. What he - what all of us - needed was help and understanding. He especially needed respite, but there was none then other than what we could afford him when we weren't working.
Q: You have said that four aunts and a cousin also had Alzheimer's disease. Are you worried by your family health history or by research showing the disease begins about seven years earlier in Latinos than in non-Latino Whites in the United States?
A: It concerns me, of course. It concerns me whenever I forget where my car keys are, (although) it's if you forget what the keys are for that you've got a problem. One of the problems in the Latino community is that people don't get early diagnosis, and that's one reason I'm doing this - to make folks aware. They wait six or seven years longer than they should. By that time, the ship has left the dock. So if you're having memory loss, don't take a chance. Just go see your doctor, take a simple test, and maybe you can circumvent it somehow.
Q: What helps?
A: The list is short, and these are ones that people don't like to hear. Exercise. Eat a proper diet. And keep yourself mentally engaged. It seems simple - no drugs involved, no money - but we're a culture that's not accustomed to that (lifestyle).
It's super important to create new social circles and not become isolated. We know stress is a huge, huge factor, and one of the ways to lessen that is, again, exercise. High blood pressure is a major factor, and other problems in the Latino community are obesity and diabetes.
Q: Do you lead your life differently after seeing loved ones affected by the disease?
A: I wasn't blessed with great natural health. That gave me the chance to reinvent myself at a very early age. I created a positive addiction to exercise at 15 and changed my eating habits drastically at 17, so I was ahead of the curve.
But I'm finding out now that I'm more relaxed when I'm more mentally engaged. That's why I'm going back to learning how to read music, for example. At my age, it's a daunting task, but it's the process that's important. To travel, hopefully, is more important than to arrive. (He laughs.) I'm traveling hopefully.
Reach the reporter at connie.midey@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8120.
by Connie Midey - Mar. 12, 2009 The Arizona Republic
He was Dr. Phillip Watters on the CBS medical drama "Chicago Hope," and he'll return for another season as psychiatrist to the title character on USA Network's "Monk."
But it's in his real-life role as son that actor Hector Elizondo is tackling a health issue that affects more than 5 million Americans, about 78,000 of them in Arizona.
Elizondo, 72, known for roles as wide-ranging as God in the Broadway play "Steambath" and security director Joe in "The Princess Diaries" movies, was in Phoenix recently to talk about an educational campaign for caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients. The campaign is sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals.
The cause is near to Elizondo's heart. His mother, Carmen, was diagnosed with the then little-understood degenerative brain disease in the late 1960s, before she was 70. His father, Martin, was her primary caregiver for years. Both died in the mid-1970s, Martin on his birthday, just months before Carmen.
Question: How do you feel today when you look at family photos taken when your parents were young and healthy?
Answer: It's bittersweet, frankly. I realize what another world that was, what another life, and it reminds me again of what my father endured later during a time of darkness.
Q: We hear a lot about what Alzheimer's patients' experience. But that's just part of the struggle, isn't it?
A: My father was my mother's caregiver 24/7. I was in their neighborhood (in Manhattan), so I could see both of them deteriorating right in front of me. What he - what all of us - needed was help and understanding. He especially needed respite, but there was none then other than what we could afford him when we weren't working.
Q: You have said that four aunts and a cousin also had Alzheimer's disease. Are you worried by your family health history or by research showing the disease begins about seven years earlier in Latinos than in non-Latino Whites in the United States?
A: It concerns me, of course. It concerns me whenever I forget where my car keys are, (although) it's if you forget what the keys are for that you've got a problem. One of the problems in the Latino community is that people don't get early diagnosis, and that's one reason I'm doing this - to make folks aware. They wait six or seven years longer than they should. By that time, the ship has left the dock. So if you're having memory loss, don't take a chance. Just go see your doctor, take a simple test, and maybe you can circumvent it somehow.
Q: What helps?
A: The list is short, and these are ones that people don't like to hear. Exercise. Eat a proper diet. And keep yourself mentally engaged. It seems simple - no drugs involved, no money - but we're a culture that's not accustomed to that (lifestyle).
It's super important to create new social circles and not become isolated. We know stress is a huge, huge factor, and one of the ways to lessen that is, again, exercise. High blood pressure is a major factor, and other problems in the Latino community are obesity and diabetes.
Q: Do you lead your life differently after seeing loved ones affected by the disease?
A: I wasn't blessed with great natural health. That gave me the chance to reinvent myself at a very early age. I created a positive addiction to exercise at 15 and changed my eating habits drastically at 17, so I was ahead of the curve.
But I'm finding out now that I'm more relaxed when I'm more mentally engaged. That's why I'm going back to learning how to read music, for example. At my age, it's a daunting task, but it's the process that's important. To travel, hopefully, is more important than to arrive. (He laughs.) I'm traveling hopefully.
Reach the reporter at connie.midey@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8120.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)