April's Monthly Health News Update
April Edition of the #OurSalud Health News
Minority Health Month
Prevention is Power! Join activists across the nation during Minority Health Month and take action in your community to lower the incidence of health disparities in YOUR COMMUNITY!
Yesterday, LULAC in partnership with the environmental Defense Fund hosted a twitter town hall in honor of Earth Day. Together with Mom's Clean Air Force the partners hosted a great discussion with the Gina McCarthy, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. LULAC and EDF also released new Latino focused asthma fact sheets and its relation to indoor/outdoor air pollution. View the factsheets at lulac.org/asthma.
Health Ambassadors
If you are involved with health work in your community, you would be a great candidate for the LULAC Health Ambassadorship. Furthermore, you would be notified first of available grant opportunities!. Sign up today!
Health Ambassador Feature
Featured here is Florida State Director Lydia Medrano in an Univision television interview. She with Florida’s Congresswoman Kathy Castro emphasizes the importance of getting coverage and relieves concerns that information used can be used Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for enforcement purposes.
Texas LULAC members meet with Sebelius
Texas LULAC members met with with Secretary Sebelius in the Dallas, Fort Worth area to talk about enrollment but also the importance of expanding Medicaid in Texas, as hundreds of thousands of Latinos in Texas alone can gain access to health coverage through Medicaid. Read the full article in Spanish here.
Southeastern Health Equity Council Webinar 4/23: 2:00pm-3:00pm EDT
Do you live in the Southeast? The Southeastern Health Equity Council (SHEC) has developed a health equity report card that presents findings on gaps in health care access, healthy food access and cultural competency within the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Highlights from the Report:
- The percentage of racial and ethnic minorities with health insurance is lower than the national average.
- All Southeastern states scored an “F” in food security and scored poorly in fruit consumption, physical activity, obesity and diabetes.
- No state law requires cultural competency education for healthcare professionals. To watch the webinar, click here.
Affordable Care Act
More than 8 million Americans have gained coverage through the Affordable Care Act!
Pictured below is Director Archuleta of the Office of Personnel Management speaking with a LULAC council in Dallas, TX. Cecilia Muñoz, Assistant to the President and Director of the Domestic Policy Council also met with council members in the Dallas, TX area.
LULAC’s annual Women’s Conference brings ACA enrollment to Milwaukee.
Workshops at the women’s conference featured information on topics such as Medicare and the secrets of living a long and healthy life amongst others.
In the conference’s health clinic, LULAC had navigators assisting local Milwaukee residents enroll into the health insurance marketplace. These navigators allowed the local community members to take advantage of the last days of open enrollment. Read more in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin Journal Sentinel.
Advocacy
Did you miss the Legislative Conference and Gala? You can read a recap of the day here.
Health Equity & Access Under the Law (HEAL) for Immigrant Women and Families Act
LULAC has signed onto a bill introduced by Congresswoman Lujan Grisham that will remove barriers for immigrant women who are American citizens but still have to wait years to access the services and programs they are paying into with every paycheck. Below is an excerpt from a recent opinion editorial published by the Congresswoman.
“We see immigrant women in our health centers and our communities every day without access to timely preventive health care services because of unnecessary barriers to health care. Even if they are legal residents who pay taxes, [they] must wait five years before they can participate in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. …We hope to change that. The newly introduced Health Equity & Access Under the Law (HEAL) for Immigrant Women and Families Act will remove barriers to health coverage. …The HEAL Act would also benefit DREAMers. …Immigrants granted deferred action would be able to buy coverage on the health insurance exchanges…they would also be eligible for Medicaid and CHIP coverage if they meet the income requirements. We cannot continue to allow immigrants …to suffer needlessly. Lawfully present immigrants should not be … barred from health coverage by politicians simply because of their immigration status. Our health care and safety net programs exist to promote equal opportunity in this country, and support the health and economic stability of our families and communities. It makes sense that everyone who contributes to these programs should be able to participate in them.”
Read the full Opinion Editorial by the congresswomen on Roll Call.
Don’t Leave Latinos Uninsured, Urge Your Governor to Expand Medicaid!
Even though Open Enrollment is over, you can still take action to ensure 1 MILLION Latinos have access to affordable health insurance coverage!
Although Open Enrollment is over, nearly 1 MILLION Latinos can still gain access to health insurance through the expansion of Medicaid in states that have not already done so. States can opt into Medicaid expansion at any time and it makes financial sense for the state as any costs incurred due to expansion will be 100% covered by the federal government for the first three years and 95% of all costs for later years. With Latinos suffering from disproportionately high rates of preventable illnesses including diabetes, obesity, heart disease, hypertension, cervical cancer among others, closing the coverage gap is critical. Expanding health coverage will increase access to preventative care which can help with the early detection of ailments before they become life-threatening and costly.
80% of Latinos who fall into the coverage gap reside in Texas and Florida! Your voice is required in order to ensure that Latinos have access to affordable and quality health care. Expanding Medicaid eligibility now is vital to closing the coverage gap. If your state has already expanded Medicaid, take a second to thank your Governor and fill out the second petition!
LULAC and Tyson Foods partner to combat hunger in Milwaukee, Wisconsin by donating nearly 32,000 pounds of food .
Communities across the nation battle hunger and Wisconsin is no exception. Almost 574,000 people in Wisconsin rely on food banks with nearly 40% of those being children under the age of 18 and nearly 10% as senior citizens. This number is getting worse as 72% of pantries, 60% of soup kitchens and 65% of shelters say they are currently serving more clients than they were previously. 59% of school-age children participate in the federal school lunch program and nearly 50% participate in the federal school breakfast program which is important as 71% of those students are food insecure and rely on those programs to access healthy, nutritious food.
FDA Reports that 25 of 26 Antibiotic Makers Will Comply with New Policies
On March 26, 2014 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that 25 out of 26 drug companies (the makers of 99.95% of total sales of products affected by Guidance #213) that sell antibiotics for growth promotion “confirmed in writing their intent to engage with the FDA as defined in Guidance #213,”which is designed to curb antibiotic overuse and increase veterinary oversight on industrial farms. To comply with Guidance #213 , these companies will remove “growth promotion” from their products’ labels, which will effectively make it illegal for those drugs to be used for that purpose. In addition, drug companies have agreed to move all remaining uses of in-feed and in-water drugs to either prescription or veterinary feed directive status. This is designed to bring over-the-counter uses to an end and ensure that veterinarians oversee the use of these drugs.
Health Programs
How You Can Help Feed Children This Summer through the Summer Food Service Program
Every summer 17.5 million eligible low-income children may be going hungry as they lose access to the free and reduced priced meals available through the national school lunch program.
The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is a federally funded program that helps fill the summer meal gap for low-income children by reimbursing organizations that serve children meals at feeding sites during summer months. Schools, churches, recreation centers, playgrounds, parks, and camps can provide summer meals in neighborhoods with high percentages of low-income families, thereby making a positive impact on the lives of children in need. These summer food sites should be safe and familiar locations where children naturally gather during the summer.
Be an advocate! Partner with Existing Summer Feeding Sites or Sponsors:
Volunteer at a site: To find a site that needs volunteers contact your state agency or visit United We Serve.
- Work with your State agency to find an eligible location for a meal site as well as a sponsor to oversee and provide the meals!
- For more information click here. With your help we can find creative ways to make the summer meals address the needs of your community.
Read more about the program here. The Food and Nutrition Service held a series of webinars to walk interested parties through the process of beginning or supporting a Summer Feeding Site. Click here to view the playlist of all available videos.
Health Fairs
LULAC is proud to once again bring our National Cinco de Mayo Festival: Feria de Salud to the Washington, DC area on Sunday, May 4, 2014. For more information visit the event website at www.lulac.org/feria.