Community health workers have been on mind quite a bit lately.  Not totally surprising, as the core of Health Outreach Partners’ work is strengthening, supporting, and integrating outreach programs in communities and health centers.  No other profession has more influence and impact on outreach programs than community health workers (CHWs).  As the COVID-19 public health crisis moves towards its third anniversary, I can’t help but reflect on how different the outcomes would be right now without the contributions of CHWs.  I firmly believe that without the hard work and dedication of CHWs many more people would have died and/or been hospitalized with much more serious illness from COVID-19 without their collective mobilization. (more…)

Image by Freepik.com 

Halloween just ended and the thoughts of the holidays sends a rush of adrenaline down my spine. The past two years have been a blur to me as I navigate through how I spent the holidays with fewer family and friends. How is this one going to be? The stress of putting things in order, sending invites and greeting cards across countries, and also the many gifts and meals to deal with. There’s one thing I keep reminding myself of: to prioritize my inner self, my emotional well-being before others. (more…)

(more…)

Many people romanticize the idea of having a college experience. The people you meet, the unbreakable bonds you create and the memories that will last a lifetime. But nobody talks about the pressure to choose a career, the realities of living with roommates, the unforeseen changes that occur... and in some cases a pandemic that will completely alter this romanticized version of reality. My college experience has not been the perfect picture that everyone paints and hopes for but it has taught me so much more than I ever could have imagined. I have been so lucky to create my own life in San Diego, establish a close-knit group of friends, become exposed to different-minded people, and acquire more knowledge in my field of study. (more…)

“To feel the problems of our world is to know its suffering, but this requires compassionate ‘response-ability.’ If we fail to address the world’s collective trauma with clarity and compassion, we imperil the survival of our children and our children’s children—and countless other species.” - Thomas Hübl

As I was standing at my gate in a packed airport on a layover in Phoenix, Arizona, I noticed that only a couple of people getting ready to board our plane were wearing a mask besides myself. I am not shocked or upset at people’s decision not to wear one. Wearing it was a personal choice - and at times the soreness I felt behind my ears from the tightness of my KN95 made me want to take off it for a bit. I still could not help but dwell on the question that, after everything that’s happened and still going on, what is the difference between those who choose to wear one and those who don’t? More specifically, how differently has everyone processed the last 2.5 years? (more…)

Image Source: Center for Reproductive Rights

When I first heard about Roe v. Wade being overturned, I was overcome with many emotions. I thought of the students I have taught. The students I will be teaching this upcoming fall. And students who I can’t teach because they’re in states where sex education is restricted. I felt rage. Hurt. And hope. (more…)

We are so excited to announce that a research study on the financial benefits of outreach, using HOP's Outreach Business Value Toolkit, was recently published in the Texas Public Health Association Journal! Read more about it below: (more…)

Image credit: Jasjyot Singh Hans for NPR

Attending the college of your dreams feels exciting. You worked so hard through all of K-12 to be afforded this opportunity. It often never truly crosses your mind the obstacles you should or would anticipate — almost like a case of tunnel vision whose consequences can only be seen later. (more…)

As a rising sophomore in college and a chronically indecisive person, I’ve changed my majors quite a few times: 3, to be exact. When I finally committed to nursing, however, people were hardly surprised. I grew up idolizing my grandmother, a retired nurse, so of course I would want to follow in her footsteps. In many ways, their assumptions are right: I aspire toward the level of compassion and knowledge she has cultivated as a nurse. However, hearing her stories nearly scared me from the profession entirely; she clearly touched and saved many lives, but her career was also filled with immense frustration at what seemed like a broken healthcare system. (more…)

The COVID-19 pandemic created a global shift affecting families worldwide and has caused immense consequences to children both mentally and physically. At its onset, much of the world was placed on a lockdown, which limited human interaction and replaced it with virtual forms of communication reliant on technology. An increased reliance on social platforms and the internet at-large have altered child development to the extent that their mental and physical health is at stake. (more…)

Today’s Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, overturning the landmark cases Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey is not only devastating to women but to humanity. This court has turned back the clock on human rights that will have far reaching implications for years to come for the reproductive health, welfare, and freedoms for many. Those who will be most affected are BIPOC individuals living in marginalized and under-resourced communities. This once more illustrates the huge inequity in health and human rights in the United States of America. (more…)

Sitting in a Denver hotel lounge enjoying the company of my colleagues after two years of isolation, Zoom meetings, and COVID anxiety, my phone is blowing up with messages. There is a leaked opinion document with a majority vote that will overturn Roe v. Wade and Casey v. Planned Parenthood, essentially eliminating all federal abortion protection. It takes my brain a few seconds to process these messages before I feel like I was punched in the chest. All the air is sucked out of my body and I fight to hold back a torrent of tears. While I am not surprised, the sadness and anger are instantly overwhelming. (more…)

Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects millions of Americans. In addition to everyday tasks, people with diabetes require self-management of daily glucose levels, meals, physical activity, and medication to keep healthy. Hispanic/Latinos are the largest non-white group in the United States and have the highest rates of Diabetes as compared to other ethnic groups; this can be related to the lack of healthcare, genetics, obesity rates, insulin resistance, lower economic status, and sociocultural factors. (1) In Hispanic/Latino culture, a strong emphasis on family may make it common for adult patients with diabetes to neglect certain health needs to prioritize other’s needs, a concept known as “Familisimo”. (more…)

As my dad reaches retirement age this year, conversations about what comes next have become more frequent between us. Retirement is on his mind although not in the “I’m ready to retire and vacation for the rest of my life” way. The reality is that for him, as is the case for millions of low-wage workers, retirement is a looming dark cloud of uncertainty and economic instability. (more…)

Every year, as a new year is upon us, I feel hope and excitement for all the possibilities the new year has in store. As we approach 2022 and look back on the last year (or two) it is hard to not be discouraged, exhausted, and filled with stress and anxiety as the pandemic continues. It doesn’t lend itself to feelings of excitement and possibility as the Omicron variant surges through our communities. When feelings of sadness and despair start to crowd my mind, it helps me recenter by taking a step back and reflecting on all I am grateful for. (more…)