Salud Talks Salud America

Dr. Trinidad Solis describes the vital role rural healthcare workers play in infection control, especially for COVID-19.

Nurses play a vast role in preventing the development of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and the spread of infectious diseases, such as COVID-19. In this episode, Dr. Anna Maria Valdez, PhD, RN, CEN, CFRN, CNE, FAEN, FAADN, a senior contributing faculty member at Walden University; Gloria Barrera, MSN, RN, PEL-CSN, a certified school nurse at a public high school outside of Chicago; and Dr. Michelle Crespo-Fierro, PhD, MPH, RN, AACRN, a clinical assistant professor at New York University Meyers College of Nursing, discuss the importance and challenges of infection control in nursing. Additionally, as part of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’s Project Firstline, they discuss infection control strategies and resources nurses can use to minimize the spread of COVID-19 and other diseases.

Health screeners, patient navigators, and promotoras often are the first line of defense against the spread of disease in healthcare settings, as they deliver patient assessment and education services in hospitals, clinics, cancer centers, and in the community. In this episode, Dolores Garcia, a community health worker at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio; Dr. Judith Flores, MD FAAP, CHCQM, a board-certified pediatrician and Clinical Associate Professor at The New York University School of Medicine; and Dr. Ricardo Correa, MD, Es. D, FACP, FAPCR, CMQ, an associate professor of medicine for the University of Arizona College of Medicine Phoenix, discuss the role of screeners, navigators, community health workers, and promotoras in infection control and the challenges they face. Additionally, as part of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’s Project Firstline, they discuss infection control strategies and resources that screeners, navigators, and promotoras can use to minimize the spread of COVID-19 and other diseases.

Loriana Hernandez, an Emmy award-winning journalist and cancer survivor joins Salud Talks to discuss prehabilitation and what it means for Latinos.

The COVID-19 vaccine is a contentious topic for many Latinos and Americans. The divide between those who are vaccinated and those who are unsure or don’t want to get the shot grows wider every day. But we can use compassion and cultural relevancy when promoting vaccine benefits with our loved ones who are unsure about the shot!

Health disparities have impacted Latinos for many years. Worse, the COVID-19 pandemic only worsened these inequities. Still, these issues have gained national attention, and, hopefully, spur action, change. Recently, experts from the National Institutes of Health and UT Health San Antonio joined our Salud Talks podcast to discuss the COVID-19, health inequities, and the struggles Latinos face in the US today.