MinorityNurse.com

Vital Signs

Sites Worth Seeing

“Women and Depression” Brochure
www.nami.org/womendepression
The National Alliance on Mental Illness created this multicultural consumer brochure to increase awareness of the disproportionately high rates of depression and suicide in women—and especially women of color. The 13-page booklet discusses depression symptoms, causes, prevention and treatment options. You can download a free copy of the brochure or purchase bulk copies online.

Superhéroes Hispanic Health Promotion Campaign
www.ahrq.gov/superheroes
According to the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Hispanics are 38% less likely than non-Hispanics to have seen a doctor within the past year. Visit this site to check out AHRQ’s Spanish-language public service campaign designed to encourage Hispanics to be “superheroes” by visiting a doctor for regular checkups so they can stay healthy for their loved ones.

Foundation for Health Coverage Education
www.coverageforall.org
This site offers numerous resources to help uninsured and low-income Americans in all 50 states find free or low-cost health insurance coverage in their area. Be sure to check out the information about the 2008 Federal Poverty Level (FPL) guidelines. Recent changes in the guidelines by the federal government have greatly increased the number of Americans who can qualify to receive free or low-cost government health insurance, yet many of these people are unaware that they are now eligible.

“Understanding Your Caregivers” Health Literacy Campaign
www.jointcommission.org/PatientSafety/SpeakUp/sp_understanding.htm
“What can I do if I don’t understand what my doctor is saying?” “How can I remember the instructions for all the different medicines I have to take?” This new national patient education campaign from The Joint Commission offers downloadable resources nurses can use to help patients who have low health literacy find the answers to questions like these and take a more active role in their own health care.

Salud America!—The National Latino Childhood Obesity Prevention Research Network
www.salud-america.org
Directed by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Salud America! project is recruiting researchers who can help find solutions to the alarming epidemic of childhood obesity among Latinos. At this site you can learn more about the project, sign up to join the research network, explore grant funding opportunities and more.