Castro joins national leaders in calling for greater efforts to prevent Latino childhood obesity
Contact:
Cliff Despres, (210) 562-6517
SAN ANTONIO (May 14, 2013)—San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro and New York Assemblyman Felix Ortiz will give keynote speeches this week urging local leaders and national stakeholders to work together to transform Latino communities into healthier places to reduce Latino childhood obesity. The speeches are part of the 4th Annual Summit of Salud America! The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Research Network to Prevent Obesity Among Latino Children.
Salud America!, based at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, is a national network of stakeholders seeking environmental and policy solutions to Latino obesity.
| New Research At the summit, Salud America! will unveil the first of six new research packages, each of which focuses on a specific topic relevant to Latino childhood obesity. Each package will contain a research review, issue brief, infographic and video. The first package, Healthier School Snacks & Latino Students, explores how Latino students are widely exposed to high-fat, high-sugar snacks and drinks sold in school à la carte lines, vending machines, stores, and snack bars. It also offers recommendations to implement and enforce stronger nutrition standards in Latino schools. Subsequent research packages will be released throughout the summer at www.salud-america.org. |
The summit, to be held May 16 and 17 in San Antonio, will:
- unite 200-plus leaders from across the nation to discuss approaches to prevent Latino child obesity;
- feature a variety of special guests; and
- unveil a new video, infographic and research review examining
the impact unhealthy school snacks can have on Latino young people.
The event is by invitation only, but media may attend.
WHEN:
Thursday, May 16, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Amelie G. Ramirez, Director, Salud America!
- Laura Leviton, Evaluation, RWJF
- Felix Ortiz, Assemblyman, New York
- Eduardo Sanchez, American Heart Association
- Eddie Lucio Jr., Texas State Senate
Friday, May 17, 8:30 a.m. to noon
- Julián Castro, Mayor, San Antonio
- Ernest Bromley, Bromley Communications
- Jeff Chester, Center for Digital Democracy
WHERE:
Marriott Plaza
555 S. Alamo St., San Antonio, Texas 78205
AGENDA:
Find full event description and agenda here.
Find out more about Salud America! here.
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, one of the country’s leading health sciences universities, ranks in the top 3 percent of all institutions worldwide receiving federal funding. Research and other sponsored program activity totaled $231 million in fiscal year 2011. The university’s schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry, health professions and graduate biomedical sciences have produced approximately 28,000 graduates. The $736 million operating budget supports eight campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. For more information on the many ways “We make lives better®,” visit www.uthscsa.edu.
Salud America! is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Founded in 2007, the program aims to educate and support researchers, decision-makers, community leaders, and the public in contributing toward healthier Latino communities and seeking environmental and policy solutions to the epidemic of Latino childhood obesity. The network is directed by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. For more information, visit www.salud-america.org.
The Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio investigates the causes and solutions to the unequal impact of cancer and chronic disease among certain populations, including Latinos, in South Texas and the nation. The IHPR, founded in 2006, uses evidence-guided research, training and community outreach to improve the health of those at a disadvantage due to race/ethnicity or social determinants. Visit the IHPR online at http://ihpr.uthscsa.edu. Please visit our blog or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube @SaludToday.
About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to health and health care, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, measurable, and timely change. For more than 40 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org. Follow the Foundation on Twitter at www.rwjf.org/twitter or on Facebook at www.rwjf.org/facebook.