Newsletter - September 2019
Legislative Update
Trump Administration limits legal immigration of Latinos and others: 

NHMA and Latino national advocacy organizations voiced their concerns for the August 14, 2019 issued Public Charge Rule to take affect Oct. 15th  that could increase deportations of legal immigrants with green cards if they are found to have 5 years of using Supplemental Security Income (SSI), given to disabled and older people; the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), AKA food stamps; Section 8 housing vouchers; many Medicaid benefits; and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), to legal residents.... read more.

On September 19 th , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced her drug pricing plan calling for Medicare to negotiate prices on at least 250 medicines, including insulin, with an option for commercial insurers to take advantage of the deals .  The House bill is seen as moving drug pricing policies closer to law, adding to the bipartisan Grassley-Wyden bill passed this summer in the Senate.   House Progressives wanted the drug list to be the floor, and not the ceiling to have a greater impact on healthcare costs and are skeptical that the Republicans will support drug pricing. House Republicans panned the bill that would decrease drug research and innovation..... read more.

This month more than 200 cases of severe illness/death attributed to use of e-Cigarettes or vaping have occurred and the Congress had hearings to get educated from the CDC and FDA. Of note, CVS Health, followed by Walmart, Kroger and Walgreen's have all announced they will no longer sell e-Cigarettes. JUUL, the company with the e-Cigarettes most used by middle school and high school students, due to fruit and candy flavors is also under investigation. 

Climate Change Advocacy – NHMA President Dr. Elena Rios led a delegation to meet with Congress and Senate office staff in Arizona (Congress members Ann Kirkpatrick and Tom O’Halleran and Senator Krysten Sinema last month to voice our concerns about the need for stronger laws to reduce heat impact, air pollution, and water shortages that impact so many Latinos and Native Americans in the Southwest. The policy-makers are all supportive of bills in Congress and Senate for environmental health that counter climate change impact --- and we discussed the data for the state’s increase in asthma and respiratory diseases and deaths due to dehydration and heat. 
Programs Update
Membership Update
NHMA Members are hard at work being catalyst for change in their communities. Each serve in many different ways. 



The 4 major values of an NHMA membership are Advocacy, Education, Leadership Development and Networking. Our major benefits for health professionals consist of:

  • Opportunities to be nominated for commissions and advisory boards in the Federal government, private sector, and other national health professional associations.
  • Opportunities to mentor medical students and residents.
  • Discounts at the NHMA Annual Conference (where you can also earn CME credits)
  • Ability to apply for NHMA Leadership Fellowship and Resident Leadership Programs
  • Opportunities to share your research either by being a speaker or poster presenter at our annual conference
  • Network with other healthcare professionals at one of NHMA Regional Events
Our major benefits for students:

  • Opportunities to mentor college students
  • Discounts at the NHMA Annual Conference
  • Opportunities to share your research by being a poster presenter at our annual conference
  • Network with healthcare professionals at one of NHMA Regional Events and Annual Conference

Ways You Can Get Involved With NHMA:

Anyone that would like to advance NHMA's mission and goals is welcome to join our network as a Premier or Basic member. Click below to see our membership options:


If you have received an award or attended an event and would like to be featured in our monthly membership update, please contact Vanessa Tellez at vtellez@nhmamd.org by the first Friday of every month.
Featured Announcements
Join Us and Merck in Raising Awareness of Type 2 Diabetes in the Hispanic/Latino Community in Recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month is underway (September 15 - October 15), marking a significant time for our organization to recognize a pressing health issue that the Hispanic/Latino community is facing. In the United States, Hispanic/Latino adults are almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes as non-Hispanic white adults. That’s why we’re passionate about continuing our work with Merck to raise awareness of the impact of the disease in this community through their documentary, A Touch of Sugar .

The Hispanic/Latino community is disproportionately affected by type 2 diabetes, and what’s more, many struggle to manage the disease due to disparities in health caused by factors such as health literacy, language barriers, lack of access to care, cultural disconnect with doctors and environmental factors, including availability of healthy food. But, our voices and those of our patients need to be heard. We can help tackle some of these challenges head on by bringing these issues to the forefront of conversations within the medical community and continuing to develop individualized treatment plans for patients that take their personal lifestyle, cultural traditions and physical environment into account, so they can make real progress toward their type 2 diabetes management goals.
“It’s so important for patients to have access to doctors, and that’s the biggest challenge for Hispanics. They live in pockets called ‘medically underserved areas’ in this country. The next challenge is when patients do have access to doctors, they don’t have doctors that understand their culture and their environment.” – Dr. Elena Rios, A Touch of Sugar
Click to download Merck’s infographic in English and Spanish with further information about Hispanic health disparities in type 2 diabetes.
In A Touch of Sugar, we are introduced to Leticia Moreinos Schwartz – a chef and cookbook author specializing in Hispanic cuisine whose grandfather died from complications of type 2 diabetes. Through her passion for healthy cooking, she has been able to help people with type 2 diabetes better manage the disease and reach their blood sugar goals. In the film, chef Leticia teaches Susie – a Hispanic woman with type 2 diabetes – how to cook healthy and delicious recipes that her whole family can enjoy.
Our hope is that A Touch of Sugar is used as a tool to ignite conversations and raise awareness – in communities across the country – about what can be done to address health disparities and help underserved communities better manage the disease. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, what positive action will you take to help address the challenges of type 2 diabetes within the Hispanic/Latino community?

To request a link to watch the documentary, please visit AmericasDiabetesChallenge.com and press the link at the top of the page that reads “Click Here to View A Touch of Sugar .” On the website, you will also be able to find educational materials and type 2 diabetes management resources in both English and Spanish. If you would like to secure copies of these materials for your patients, please email AmericasDiabetesChallenge@gcihealth.com .

And for those of you in the Rio Grande Valley area, we hope you can join us at the following upcoming event for a screening of a special edition of A Touch of Sugar addressing Hispanic health disparities in type 2 diabetes:

A Touch of Sugar  Screening – Rio Grande Valley
Thursday, December 5, 2019, 5:45 PM – 7:15 PM
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley- Edinburg Campus
1201 W University Dr, Edinburg, TX 78539


Don’t forget to RSVP Here!
US-DIA-00804 (9/19)

2019 NHHF Hispanic Health Professional Student Scholarship Galas

New York City Gala :  Friday, November 15, 2019 , at the Westin New York Grand Central
Los Angeles Gala :  Thursday, November 21, 2019 , at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles

For sponsorship opportunities, Click Here . 
Upcoming Events
NHMA Chapter Policy Forums:

Thursday, October 3, 2019, from 5:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Marriott Plaza San Antonio Hotel (555 S Alamo ST, San Antonio, TX 78205)
RSVP Here by September 30, 2019.
 
 
Saturday, October 5, 2019, from 10:15 AM – 11:15 AM
Northwestern Memorial Hospital (251 E Huron St, Chicago, IL 60611)
RSVP Here  by October 1, 2019.
 
 
Monday, October 14, 2019 from 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Florida International University, Modesto Maidique Campus CBC R233 (11200 SW 8 th Street, Miami, FL 33199)
RSVP Here by October 9, 2019.

 
Thursday, October 24, 2019, from 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM
George Washington University, Science & Engineering Hall, Room B1220 (800 22nd St NW Washington, DC 20052)
RSVP Here by October 21, 2019


Friday, October 25, 2019


January 2020


NHHF Hispanic Health Professional Student Scholarship Galas:

New York City Gala :  Friday, November 15, 2019 , at the Westin Hotel Grand Central, NYC
Los Angeles Gala :  Thursday, November 21, 2019 , at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles


NHMA 24th Annual Conference:

Thursday April 23 - Sunday April 26, 2020  at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park
Visit our website for more information: https://www.nhma-conf.com/
Consider being a Speaker, Poster Presenter, participant in our Academic Development Session!

Virtual events:

October 9 at 3:00 PM ET:  Mapping Your Health Professional Journey as a College Student
October 15 at 3:00 PM ET:  Twitter Chat on National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day
December 2 at 4:00 PM ET:  Webinar on World AIDS Day
We ask that you consider making a $25 donation to help NHMA & NHHF touch the lives of health professionals in various stages of their career:

1) NHHF Health Professional Student Scholarship and Mentoring
2) NHMA Resident Leadership Program.
3) NHMA Leadership Fellowship

Join NHMA as a member and participate in our many programs and communications campaigns. Become our supporter!

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