Three UT Health San Antonio faculty members have been honored as Health Care Heroes by the San Antonio Business Journal. The annual awards recognize the many professionals that make up San Antonio’s vital health care industry. Donald Jenkins , MD, FACS, was honored in the Outstanding Physician Hospital-Based category. Dr. Jenkins is the associate deputy director of the Military Health Institute…
Johanna Matos, APRN, UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing, urges parents to take steps to help keep their children healthy as schools prepare to start in-person classes. That includes getting the flu shot this year and making sure kids are up to date on routine vaccinations. Medical Minute is a collaboration between UT Health San Antonio and KENS 5. Make sure your little loved ones are up to…
By: Will Samson SAN ANTONIO — COVID-19 continues to disproportionately impact Latinos, killing more than 33,000 and hospitalizing many more of our mothers, fathers, children and grandparents. That is why Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio is launching the “Juntos, We Can Stop COVID-19” digital communication campaign to inform and urge Latino families to take action to help slow the spread of…, About Salud America!, Salud America!, is a national Latino health equity program that creates culturally relevant and research-based stories, videos and tools to inspire people to start and support healthy changes to policies, systems and environments where Latino children and families can equitably live, learn, work and play. Salud America! and its award-winning communications help our digital network — more than 300,000 parents,…, About UT Health San Antonio, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, , also referred to as , UT Health San Antonio, , is one of the country’s leading health sciences universities and is designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education. With missions of teaching, research, patient care and community engagement, its schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry, health professions and graduate biomedical sciences have graduated more than 37,000 alumni who are leading change, advancing…
By: Jessica Binkley As many schools are opening remotely this year, eyes are focused on how this will affect students’ academic learning. But extracurricular activities like band, choir, theater and athletics are also vital to the healthy development of children and young adults. “Extracurriculars play a big role, especially for those kids where the classroom may not be their strongest point,”…
By: Dr. Ramon Cancino, M.D., Primary Care, UT Health Hill Country The flu season will quickly descend upon San Antonio and collide with the COVID-19 pandemic, and we must do our best to prepare. To do this, everyone who is able to get a flu shot must do so. In doing so, we can come together as a team to help our entire community. Influenza viruses spread in the United States every year from the…, Here are four things we can do to prepare our community:, Call your Primary Care Physician (PCP) and schedule a time to get your annual flu shot, ., , Flu shots are safe for those who do not have true medical contraindications. Many PCP offices carry flu shots to give to patients, and they will start receiving them from suppliers soon. Many offices will have flu shot clinics where patients can walk in or schedule an appointment to get flu shots. If you do not have a PCP, find one who is right for you., Engage your friends and community. , The more people who are vaccinated, the less likely it is for this contagious disease to be transmitted to others. This is called herd immunity. Remind friends, family, and community members that, even though they may not be in one of the high-risk groups, getting vaccinated prevents them from getting the flu and transmitting it to someone else who may be more vulnerable. , Follow current recommendations regarding COVID-19., The same actions that protect us and others from COVID-19 (mask wearing, hand washing, social distancing) will protect us also from the flu. Continue to follow guidance from medical leaders around these mitigation strategies., Get evaluated by the appropriate person if you feel sick. , Call your physician and get evaluated either in person or via telemedicine. Physicians will follow U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and health department guidance on COVID-19 and flu testing if your assessment requires it. Your symptoms can often be diagnosed and treated without a trip to the emergency room or hospital. Last flu season, the CDC estimated that between 39…
By: Joe Feist As the coronavirus marches on with no end in sight and summer turns to fall, health officials across the country are increasingly concerned by a possible catastrophe: a “twindemic,” or surge in COVID-19 cases coupled with a severe, or even average, flu season. Such a scenario “could be devastating to the health care system” that’s already stressed, said Fred Campbell, MD, an…, Read more: Four things you need to do before flu season hits. ,
By: Jessica Binkley With more sports teams from The University of Texas at San Antonio approaching the return of their season, and a new conference rule requiring weekly COVID-19 tests for all athletes, coaches and trainers, the School of Nursing stepped up to help take on the task of high-volume testing. The UT Health Physicians primary care team initially set up an onboarding process to test…
By: Jessica Binkley “Stay safe, stay healthy!” For many, this has become the new sign-off of choice. And while we all now know the best practices to stay safe — wearing a mask, frequent hand washing and social distancing — staying healthy during the pandemic has become increasingly difficult. Beyond contracting the virus, the disruptions caused to daily life by COVID-19 can also be detrimental to…
By: Dr. Maria Fernandez Falcon, pediatrician at UT Health Physicians COVID-19 has spread around the world; it can affect anyone, from young children to seniors. Scientists are still learning about how the virus behaves and the characteristics of this infection. But despite the unknowns, there are actions we can take and habits we can teach our children to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.…
By: Joe Feist COVID-19 has had a massive, devastating effect on humanity’s physical health. But as the virus continues to spread and social distancing and other public health measures go on interminably, mental health issues are skyrocketing as well. “This pandemic is multifaceted,” said UT Health San Antonio clinical health psychologist Kathryn E. Kanzler, PsyD. “Not only do we have the threat…, Stay connected, Most importantly, she said, is maintaining relationships with what and who we value the most. “The circumstances of the pandemic have separated us from our usual ways of living, our usual activities and routines and people,” Dr. Kanzler said. “When we stop doing the things that are meaningful to us, for whatever reason, it can make us feel worse. You lose the connection to what’s important.” The…, Move it, “Any time we can be active and physically exercising, that’s going to help with stress and mood,” Dr. Kanzler said. “It makes a big difference with our body’s functioning, our sleep, fatigue. Whether you valued exercise or not before the pandemic, now is a great time to figure out what may be a good exercise for you and do it.” It doesn’t have to be all that strenuous either, she added. A brisk…, Snooze, “A lot of times, the things we need to do the most when we’re stressed, we stop doing them,” she said. “It’s really important to make sure we get as much sleep as we can. I will say that having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep could be a normal thing right now. But a lot of times people stay up late because they’re looking at their phones or watching some show or Netflix or something;…, Eat well, “What we eat can absolutely affect our mood,” Dr. Kanzler said, “as well as our physical health. Now is a great time to pay attention to what makes our body feel good. And I don’t mean temporarily, like from a lot of sugar or caffeine or something. … A healthy diet would be eating fruits and vegetables, whole foods, minimally processed foods, staying away from fried foods or foods that are very…, Chill, Relaxation techniques vary widely based on the individual, Dr. Kanzler said. “For some people it might be listening to relaxing music. Others might sit in a quiet room and take some deep slow breaths. Some people relax through movement, like yoga. Taking a walk might be relaxing. There are a lot of different things we can do to calm our bodies and minds.”, Try this, try that, Dr. Kanzler said it’s more than OK to experiment with all these coping mechanisms. “It’s important for people to find what works for them, whether it’s a particular way to exercise or relax or whatever,” she said. “Everyone is different. The best exercise for you is the one you’ll actually do. Don’t be afraid to try new things.” So learn Italian. Take that violin out of the closet and dust it off…, Someone to lean on, If you’re feeling particularly down or stressed, Dr. Kanzler said, ask for help. “Reach out for support. Maybe that’s just a friend or family member. Sometimes we need other people in our lives who can say, come on, you can do it. It’s hard to generate that by yourself, especially if you happen to be living alone or you’re lonely. Drumming up that motivation to make a change or do something…, Pay it forward, Caring about and helping others even when facing our own difficulties — getting outside of ourselves — makes us happier and healthier, too. It’s important to remember that certain groups are more affected by the pandemic than others, Dr. Kanzler said. “People from marginalized communities, those who are economically vulnerable, who have chronic diseases, people from our Black and Latinx…, Bottom line, “There is a lot of uncertainty these days,” Dr. Kanzler said. “In time, things will change and our pandemic blues will fade. While we await the future, it’s helpful to accept things as they are and make changes where we can. Right now, it’s important to stay focused on what matters most — taking care of our health and taking care of each other.” If you are having symptoms of depression and…