HealthCare UnTold

HealthCare Untold Hosts Gerardo and Barbara discuss a recent Executive Summary on the 2022 Latino Gross Domestic Product by Matthew Fienup from the Center for Economic Research, California Center for Economic Research, California Lutheran University.  This report highlights the power of the Latino dollar and the total economic output (or GDP) of Latinos in the United States. The Latino GDP was $2....

Juan Antonio Cuéllar has been responsible for digitizing the most extensive collection of Mexican and Mexican American recordings in the world known as The Strachwitz Frontera Collection. Since February 2002, Cuéllar has personally digitized, listened to, and archived over 130k songs, which are currently available through the UCLA Digital Library.  Born in Los Caños, Aguascalientes, he immigrated...

Rafael E. Salazar II, MHS, OTR/L (Rafi) is a licensed Occupational Therapist based in Georgia. Rafi has worked in a variety of settings, from orthopedic and musculoskeletal rehabilitation, to academia, and even healthcare consulting. He spent the majority of his clinical experience working at Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center, where he was the lead clinician and clinical education coordinator for...

Co-founder/Executive Director Odilia Romero and her organization Comunidades Indigenas en Liderazgo (CIELO) are committed to serving the multilingual indigenous communities in Los Angeles. There are over 17 indigenous languages representing thousands of indigenous families in Los Angeles today; these families are not able to access social services and information in their own languages. CIELO is s...

Today's returning guest is Dr. Sandra R. Hernandez, CEO of the California Health Foundation. Dr. Hernandez provides an update on the current Triple Health Threat of Covid-19, Flu and RSV. Dr. Hernandez recommends that we use our good judgement to help prevent the spread of these three respiratory infections and provides a breakdown on how to help manage this triple threat for you and your family....

Our guests today are Health Entrepreneurs Stephanie Moyal and Jake Mellman who created brand name "troop" gummies from Organic Mushrooms. This energetic duo worked tirelessly to create a tasty gummy that would preserve the incredible healing benefits of Mushrooms. Their Mushroom Gummies include Reish (Relaxation), Maitake (Healthy blood sugar), Cordyceps (Endurance), Lion's Mane (Brain Protection)...

Today's guest is Jesse Leon, author of "I'm Not Broken," his one of kind memoir which yet represents so many lived experiences in our community. As a Gay Latino author, he shatters the taboos about our silent traumas, sexual abuse, addiction, and mental health. He tells his secrets out loud for all to hear and then to heal those who read and listen to his story. It's important for all of us to sup...

The Esparza family, led by Ofelia Esparza, has  continued to bring  Dia De Los Muertos Altars  and activities  to the community during the Covid19  restrictions by going virtual in association with Self Help Graphic in Los Angeles, California. Ofelia Esparza shares her rich history of Altar making and her mother's influence on her artistic development. Honoring our Ancestors is so important to our...

Our guest today is Carol J. Ornelas the CEO of Visionary Home Builders, a non-profit developer in Stockton, California. Ms. Ornelas shares her organization's emergence from a small group of farm workers in 1983--whose sole purpose was to improve the living environment for farm workers in public housing--to its current status as a prominent leader in the development and renovation of housing in the...

We are remembering the Loma Prieta Earthquake which took place on October 17, 1989 in Watsonville, California, by recasting our original podcast. You will hear about the fundamentals of disaster preparedness, response, and recovery particularly for vulnerable communities.  Our podcast features Interviews with medical providers and Watsonville community leaders who responded immediately after the e...

Today’s guest is Jen Nation, Executive Director of Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center in National City, California.   Olivewood is an organization committed to improving health and environmental stewardship by providing children, adults, and families with the tools to make informed and healthy decisions in their kitchens and communities in support of the environment. As a result of participatin...

Jodi L. Schwartz is a dedicated social justice community advocate who has lived in the Bay Area with her wife for over 30 years. Throughout her career, Ms. Schwartz has worked with youth and their families in their struggle to disengage from the juvenile justice system, has teamed with youth in need of support in and out of school, and has supported youth in serving their peers and the broader com...

Our guest today is Dr. Daniel M. Fernandez, a Professor and Researcher from California State University Monterey Bay. Dr. Fernandez's recent research involves collecting and studying water from fog; he has deployed and maintains, with help from student assistants, a network of nearly 50 standard fog collecting devices from central to northern California.  This network first began in 2005 and has b...

Arturo came out  of the closet as a student at UCLA, and  quickly became a Gay leader working for the largest Gay/Lesbian Organization in Los Angeles. His activism within the Gay/Lesbian movement included persuading white activists  to recognize people of color. This was a great challenge and he was not easily accepted by the  primarily white leadership. Then came the AIDS Epidemic which changed h...

On today's episode, Gerardo and Barbara review an article from Healthline.com on the 13 Ways That Sugary Soda is Bad for Your Health. Sugary Drinks are the number one cause of obesity in the US diet and contribute to Multiple Health Risks including an early death.   Water is the most important liquid for our bodies and reducing intake of sugary drinks can help reduce heart disease, obesity, and di...

Today's episode is with the Hosts of RAMA BLUEPRINTS Podcast, Socorro Gamboa and Darren de Leon. The RAMA BLUEPRINTS Podcast is dedicated to telling the story of the Mission District in San Francisco and the youth development leadership movement that was created by the nonprofit Real Alternatives Program (RAP). RAMA BLUEPRINTS podcast is interviewing BIPOC youth leaders that emerged from this move...

Today's guest is David Totaro, Chief Government Affairs Officer for BAYADA, a nonprofit home health care provider with 360 offices in 23 states and several international locations. BAYADA is leading the charge to advocate against recent notifications that The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS) has proposed an alarming $1.33 billion dollar budget cut for home healthcare services in 2023....

Listen in and Donate to keep Watsonville Community Hospital open for the community of the Pajaro Valley in California. The  only local hospital in Pajaro Valley provides essential services; without a viable hospital, this community would face multiple health risks. Listen in and learn how the Watsonville/Pajaro Valley Community came together with local elected officials, government entities, busin...

Dr. Virgie Bright Ellington is an internal medicine physician and medical billing expert. A dedicated patient advocate, Dr. Virgie practiced more than 20 years in primary care and psychiatric settings and as a health insurance executive. Dr. Virgie now helps patients understand complex medical procedures, communicate effectively with their healthcare providers, and avoid financial devastation from...

Karen Elizabeth Nunez is one of the many medical practitioners who are committed to serving our nation's most vulnerable communities. She pursued training in several medical specialties and shares her crash course in urgent and emergency care as a nurse practitioner in the Los Angeles County Jail, various Shelters in San Francisco, and Drug Treatment Programs in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She showed...

National Health Center Week - Safety Net Clinic Coalition of Santa Cruz County Today on HealthCare UnTold, our co-host, Jasmine Najera facilitated a roundtable discussion with members of the Safety Net Clinic Coalition (SNCC), which brings together leaders to improve health outcomes for Santa Cruz County residents who receive care through publicly funded programs. Each year, SNCC leaders join thou...

Today's podcast is with Dulce Juarez who is the Co-Director of Chispa Arizona. Chispa Arizona envisions an inclusive and reflective democracy that prioritizes communities' rights to clean air and water, healthy neighborhoods, and a safe climate for generations to come. While Latinos are among the worst impacted by climate change, we are also some of the most committed to supporting strong governme...

Even though we are all tired of the Covid 19 pandemic, the pandemic is not through with us. In fact, the new variant BA.5 is so contagious that it is evading our immunity. The good news is that Vaccines and Boosters are helping to reduce the severity of Covid infections and that wearing N95 masks can still protect us from catching and spreading this virus. There are serious potential health conseq...

Co-Host's Gerardo and Barbara discuss the benefits of eating a Healthy Latino Diet. So many of our cultural foods in the Latino Diet are really good for you, here is the advice from the National Lipid Association: Eat Lots of Vegetables Eat Plant-Based or Lean Protein Choose Healthy Fats Choose Fiber-Rich Whole Grains and Tubers Choose a Variety of Fruits Eat Low-Fat Dairy Foods Use Spices for Fla...

Our guest today is Mark Magana, the Founding President and CEO of GreenLatinos.  GreenLatinos is an active comunidad of Latino/a/x leaders, emboldened by the power and wisdom of our culture, united to demand equity and dismantle racism, resourced to win our environmental, conservation, and climate justice battles, and driven to secure our political, economic, cultural, and environmental liberation...