By: Jessica Binkley In an effort to encourage more people to get vaccinated, UT Health San Antonio has partnered with San Antonio Metro Health District to offer COVID-19 vaccines during Fiesta. The Fiesta vaccination events come as part of a larger community outreach initiative to bring the vaccine to areas that need it most. “We need to go where the people are,” said Ruth Berggren, MD, MACP,…, Receiving the vaccine will be a walk-up process, with no registration necessary., The UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing’s mobile unit, including providers from the School of Nursing and the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine, will administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on June 19 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Mission Reach Flotilla Fiesta event., Metro Health will have additional Johnson & Johnson vaccination booths set up at the following Fiesta events:, •Fiesta Fiesta at Hemisfair Park, June 17, 3-7 p.m. •Fiesta de Los Reyes at Market Square, June 18, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. •Longest Day Run at Comanche Park, June 19, 8-10 a.m. •Run to Remember, June 19, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. •A Day in Old Mexico & Charreada, June 20 and 27, 12-5 p.m. •Night in Old San Antonio at La Villita, June 22-25, 4-8 p.m. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is…
Have you heard about “long COVID?” In this episode of our HealthyU Webcast Series, learn about complications, persistent symptoms, research, diagnosis focus and rehabilitation. Plus, get expert answers to some burning questions about this topic. Dr. Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez runs UT Health San Antonio’s COVID-19 recovery service and hosts this episode of the HealthyU Webcast Series. Watch COVID-…
The coronavirus pandemic amplified mental health stressors long experienced by vulnerable Hispanic populations but also fortified members’ coping strategies, according to focus groups of 43 community health workers (CHWs) embedded within these communities. The research is from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and its Center for Research to Advance Community Health (…, Published in the journal Health and Social Care in the Community, the article lists six mental health stressors described by the CHWs:, • economics (related to job insecurity) • immigration (e.g., undocumented immigration legal status) • misinformation • family stress (pertaining to changes in family dynamics and the home environment) • health (concerns such as limited health care access) • social isolation , Coping skills of the community were categorized into four themes:, • behavioral strategies (such as identifying reliable information) • cognitive strategies (e.g., collectivistic thinking) • social support • spirituality “The idea for this project came from the community health workers who were contacting us and asking for resources,” said first author Luz M. Garcini, PhD, MPH , a ReACH Scholar who specializes in understanding trauma, loss and grief among…, Fear and distrust, CHWs provided input in two focus groups conducted in English and Spanish in July 2020. At the time, Hispanic community members were concerned about discrimination and stigmatization, both if they were tested for COVID-19 and if they tested positive, the CHWs said. This fear exacerbated Hispanic communities’ concerns over immigration legal status. “According to the community health workers, those…, Ways to cope, In the midst of it all, the communities proved to be very resilient, Dr. Garcini said. “The community health workers found that people were using basic skills, what we call in psychology ‘behavioral activation,’” she said. “Gardening, cooking, cleaning the house, these were lifesaving skills for them.” Hispanic communities also sought refuge in spirituality. “A lot of praying was taking place,”…, Contact your primary care provider here or learn more about our behavioral health program here ., Value of community health workers, The study pointed out the great advantages of using CHWs to assess needs and deliver health care to distressed Hispanic communities. “In the focus groups, the community health workers helped us understand the huge pressure that they have, but also the huge opportunity that they can bring in helping us, as a nation, do a better job of reaching our underserved populations,” Dr. Garcini said. The…
Dr. Mandie Svatek was a live guest on KENS 5’s Morning news show where she talked about water safety heading into the summer including the risks associated with drowning and tips for parents when kids are around pools and the importance of taking swim lessons at any age. , Watch the full video on KENS 5 here.
UT Health San Antonio is expanding its recently announced partnership with UTSA to include an integrated college health plan for students aligned with current national best practices. UTSA and UT Health San Antonio first announced the formation of a comprehensive, inter-institutional partnership to advance their shared goal of creating a healthier society in April. For the initial step, UT Health…
You can schedule a vaccine appointment with your primary care provider here ., The Mays Cancer Center, home to UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson, has partnered with 71 other National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer centers and partner organizations to issue a joint statement today urging the nation’s health care systems, physicians, parents and children, and young adults to get the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination back on track. Dramatic drops in annual…, You can schedule a vaccine appointment with your primary care provider here ., Find your primary care provider here ., More information on HPV is available from the CDC and National HPV Vaccination Roundtable . This is the fourth time that all NCI-designated cancer centers have come together to issue a national call to action. All 71 cancer centers unanimously share the goal of sending a powerful message to health care systems, physicians, parents and children, and young adults about the importance of HPV…
By: Joe Feist The oak pollen count topped 40,000 in San Antonio the weekend of April 10-11. “Oh yeah, people are miserable,” said Edward Brooks, MD, professor of pediatrics and the chief of pediatric immunology and infectious disease at UT Health San Antonio. Worse than that, “all the trees pollinate at the same time, other than mountain cedar, meaning what you see on the news isn’t even counting…
The way mRNA is used to fight off COVID-19 could help eradicate some of the most terrifying diseases we face today. Dr. Barbara Taylor, an infectious diseases specialist, spoke to Fox San Antonio viewers about how mRNA vaccines work and the potential to use this vaccine platform in the future to protect people against HIV, Ebola and even cancer. Watch the full story.
With May being National Stroke Awareness Month, Dr. Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez answers your questions about stroke rehabilitation and how to detect a stroke using the simple acronym, F-A-S-T. FACE drooping ARM weakness SPEECH difficulty TIME to call 911 Learn more about the reason stroke patients encounter movement restriction, what spasticity really is, how you treat it, and how to retrain your…
A research team at UT Health San Antonio seeks to prevent Hispanic childhood obesity and the development of Type 2 diabetes with the help of a five-year grant from Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio. The potentially groundbreaking research led by principal investigator Lily Q. Dong, PhD, professor of cell systems and anatomy at UT Health San Antonio, is testing whether there is a genetic…