16 minute read
Word from the Publisher
Word from the Publisher/mensaje de nuestra fundadora
Querídos lectores...Dear Readers,
Newness, how I love that word and how I love new beginnings, I think that is why I have such a fondness of butterflies and why I include them in my logo - because they reflect the beginning, as well as the metamorphosis and changes in life from a cocoon to a creature of beauty. As we embark on 2022, I’m excited to celebrate Latino Lubbock Magazine’s 16th year since our inception! We have had the privilege to serve you our readers and our community and have strived to live up to your expectations. And let me tell you there have been ever-growing changes over these years. We’ve covered and reported so many exciting stories and events. We’ve opened our pages to different organizations, individuals, and have been blessed by those who invest their advertising dollars in us. THANK YOU for your support. We look forward to the next year(s) and opportunities that come our way. Someone said I make it look easy - IT'S NEVER BEEN EASY - NEVER, but I love what I do, and I take pride in my community! And as we turn yet another chapter in this book of life, let us embrace 2022 as the year of new opportunities – for your family, community, country, and self. My grandmother always said we must look away from the past and look forward as we approach the New Year. She explained that if we lived our lives right, there would be no regrets. So, as we end 2021, hopefully, we have learned valuable lessons and are more prepared to navigate the ever-changing world, and this horrible pandemic. Latino Lubbock Magazine continues to offer more news and information to our readers digitally, while still sustaining our print readership. I believe that print media significantly contributes to a democratic and knowledge-based society. Print media such as Latino Lubbock Magazine is a newspaper that also serves as a major facilitator of integration in society for various social, community and Latino groups. As you may know, in the last few years, new technology has enabled our industry to increase productivity, expand into new markets and generate new products and services. If you haven’t visited our website, I urge you to do so at www. latinolubbock.net This has provided opportunities for growth and innovation at an affordable cost to our publications. And even to the expansion into online publishing, and our digital news, we’ve been able to make smart growth a reality. And as a free publication, we must make wise moves to sustain our work. As such, we continue to grow, and sustain ourselves by advancing to the next level and we will continue to work-in more digital media and use our online and email presence to fit that needs of our readers and community, and I hope that you will supplement your news intake with ours. We are excited to celebrate our 16th year and I ask that you consider sharing a story, news or your favorite part about Latino Lubbock Magazine! Also, please make sure to share our publication with family and friends of all generations, ethnicity, and backgrounds as we must unite our communities, as we move into the future. Before I conclude I want to take the time to thank the most important people in my life who have always believed in Latino Lubbock Magazine and in me - my husband Frank Garcia, and, my daughter Amaris Garcia. Thank you for your unending encouragement. Again, I ask God for continued passion, strength and favor in the upcoming year. I trust His guidance and I will continue to be his vessel and give him the glory! More so, I continue to be grateful to our awesome readers. Como siempre, Latino Lubbock is committed to our community. We are grateful to be 100,000 readers strong and appreciate our advertisers who help make it possible to keep our publication free. Till next month, thank you for your support and may God bless you! ¡Gracias por su apoyo! Que dios los bendiga. PEACE and random acts of kindness. Que las bendiciones de dios estén contigo siempre! ¡Happy New Year y Feliz Año Nuevo!
Sinceramente, Christy Martinez-Garcia Publisher & Latino Market Specialist Latino Lubbock Magazine "Lubbock News from a Latino Perspective"
Community & Event Brieflies
FRESH CUT CHRISTMAS TREE RECY-
CLING the Solid Waste Services department will accept fresh cut Christmas trees for recycling. Trees will be accepted at four permanent drop-off locations. Residents are asked to remove all decorations, the metal stand, and any plastic before placing the fresh-cut Christmas tree in the roll-off located outside the gates at the 208 Municipal Drive, 1631 84th Street, 7308 Milwaukee, and 4307 Adrian Street drop-off locations. Residents can drop-off freshcut Christmas trees from 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Monday - Saturday.
NEW NEIGHBORS CLUB OF
LUBBOCK will hold its monthly Meeting/Luncheon on Friday, January 14 at the Lubbock Women's Club, 2020 Broadway at 10:30. Lunch is $18 and reservations are required at least 3 days prior to the event. Please call or text Virginia at (806) 781-4653. FRAUD ALERT Be on the lookout for potential scammers using the COVID-19 situation to steal personal information, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) warned Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants today. USDA is issuing this warning after receiving reports of several possible SNAP fraud attempts. www.fns.usda.gov/snap/ scam-alerts. You may also file a consumer complaint online with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at https://www.ftc.gov.
VIRTUAL CIVIL LEGAL CLINIC
Get legal help from our location to yours! This event will take place on Tuesday, January 12, and January 26, 2022 from 5 P.M. to 7:30 P.M. Lubbock Branch Office Service Area of the Legal Aid of Northwest Texas, Call Christina Richey at 806 7634557, ext. 6010. Leave a message with your name, phone number, the best time to call you, and a brief description of your legal issue. Someone from Legal Aid will follow up with you and give you an appointment time. Space for this clinic is limited. Please contact us no later than 5 p.m., the day before clinic date to reserve your spot.
2-1-1 NON-EMERGENCY QUES-
TIONS 2-1-1 is a free help line answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which will link you to health and community services. Visit Latino Lubbock Magazine online at www.latinolubbock.net to read a copy of the monthly issue, or to submit news and info, view our events calendar and more!
Wear Your Mask! ¡Usa tu máscara! Why We Need an Office of Men’s Health - Now!
Hispanic Women Outlive Hispanic Men by More Than 7 years: 82.4 v 75.3. Men live sicker and die younger than women, leaving wives, daughters, sons, and sisters behind. And, the Health and Human Services (HHS) found that more than half the elderly women living in poverty were not in poverty before their husbands died. There are several Offices of Women’s Health in the federal government, but there isn’t a corresponding Office of Men’s Health. Why not? There are five Offices on Women’s Health at the federal level: at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA). The combined annual budgets of these Offices is in the tens of millions of dollars. In addition, the Office of Research for Women’s Health within the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—one of several research agencies focusing exclusively on women’s health—has a large annual budget. Unfortunately, there are still exactly zero Offices of Men’s Health anywhere in the federal government, zero offices researching men’s health, and a corresponding combined budget of exactly zero dollars. (In 2010, the Indian Health Care Improvement Act authorized the creation of an Office of Indian Men’s Health, but more than a decade later, that Office is still unstaffed and unfunded.) Why not?—The answer to that is a bit more complicated and more tragic. In just the past few years, we’ve seen the gap between men’s and women’s life expectancy increase (it’s now more than five and a half years shorter than women’s), and a disproportionate number of men dying from COVID and “diseases of despair”—men make up more than two thirds of opiate overdose deaths and three quarters of suicides, according to the CDC. Men die at younger ages and higher rates than women of nine of the top ten causes of death in the U.S. Most of those premature deaths are preventable. “Men’s health initiatives in Oklahoma are far and few.” Said Mike Chavez, Community Benefits Specialist at Integris Health and Secretary of the American Public Health Association’s Men’s Health Caucus, “INTEGRIS Health established Men’s Health University to raise awareness of the ‘silent crisis’ in men’s health.” A federally funded and staffed Office of Men’s Health could save lives, providing community-based programs the expertise they need to reach men and boys, including Hispanic men and boys, with life-saving messages, advice, and resources. Just look at how successful the Offices of Women’s Health have been at increasing awareness of women’s health issues and at encouraging women to get regular health screenings and physical exams (men are half as likely as women to see a health provider for preventive care). “A large percentage of men, especially Hispanic men, have only limited contact with a physician or the health care system.” Said Chavez, “The need for education and programs designed to target these populations is at an all-time high. Covid-19 has only made things worse” The Office of Women’s Health within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) says that it and the other Offices have, among other achievements, increased breast cancer screenings and reduced breast cancer deaths, decreased smoking rates for women, decreased teen pregnancy rates, and increased women’s lifespan. An Office of Men’s Health could produce the same type of benefits for men. A federally funded and staffed Office of Men’s Health could also save money. In a peer-reviewed article published in the American Journal of Men’s Health, Armin Brott and his colleagues found that the failure to address men’s health in a comprehensive manner costs the government, private employers, and the healthcare system more than $450 billion each year. What would an Office of Men’s Health do? A lot. To start with, it would create and disseminate—to state and local health agencies, private employers, and religious and community organizations— awareness and educational materials and programs designed to engage boys and men in the healthcare system and empowering them to be more active participants in their own care. Nongovernment entities such as Men’s Health Network and Healthy Men, Inc. are trying to fill this role, but they lack the fiscal resources. “We are lucky to have the Men’s Health Network,” said Chavez, “but understand that this role needs to be implemented at a larger scale and could be accomplished by the creation of an Office of Men’s Health.” The Office of Men’s Health would also coordinate the male-focused and fatherfocused public health efforts within state health agencies (as the Offices of Women’s Health currently do for women). What to offer your opinion of an Office of Men’s Health? Contact your Representatives and Senators and voice your opinion about legislation to create, staff, and fund an Office of Men’s Health within the Department of Health and Human Services. The results could be dramatic, both in terms of lives lengthened, improved, and saved, as well as money saved and reduced health care costs for all Americans. Healthier men and boys lead to healthier families and a healthier society. Don't know who your members of Congress are? You can find them at www. congress.gov/members or call the United States Capitol switchboard at 202-2243121 and they will connect you with your Representative and Senators. (En español at www.latinolubbock.net/news-1) Men's Health Network (MHN), is an international non-profit organization whose mission is to reach men, boys, and their families where they live, work, play, and pray with health awareness messages and tools, screening programs, educational materials, advocacy opportunities, and patient navigation. For more info visit MensHealthNetwork.org
Carta Abierta
¿Que Piensas?
We know our readers have a lot to say! Mail letters to Latino Lubbock “Letters to the Editor,” Box 6473 Lubbock, TX 79493, o r email them to news@latinolubbock.net. Please include your name, address, and contact phone number. Mailed letters must be signed. Please note that unsigned letters will not be published. Letters are limited to 100 words, depending on space availability, some longer will be included. Writers are limited to one letter per month. Submissions may be edited for clarity or space consideration. Letters are not acknowledged. Opinions expressed in
letters and Op-Ed articles do not necessarily represent the views of Latino Lubbock Magazine. HOLIDAY COVER
What a great cover on the December issue. It was in line with my memories of a Mexican American Christmas. Thanks for keeping our culture alive and for all you do. Ernesto Torres
GET YOUR VACCINE
This new COVID variant really is spreading fast. I hate wearing a mask, but as long as there are people who haven't gotten the vaccine - first and second, and the booster we are all at risk. I don't like that its a political thing - it was for me, but having lost a couple of family members, and then getting COVID and being so sick I though I was gonna die, I now know better. I encourage people to get it. I almost died myself - I thank God I'm alive to share my message. Rick Lopez
Get vaccinated! ¡Vacunarse!
OUR OBJECTIVE “Strengthening Families, Building Community” Join our efforts and become a member today.
Notice to Interested Person:
The Lubbock Metropolitan Planning Organization invites interested persons to review and comment on Amendment #2 to the FY 2021-2024 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for roadway realted projects, and Amendment #10 to the 2012-2040 Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) (constrained plan) for roadway related projects and related maps:
In addition, the LMPO will receive comments on the following: 2: Transportation Set Aside (TA Set-aside) and Coronavirus Response and Relief Appropriation funding (CRRSAA) project submission: MPO Project #4079 US 84 (Ave Q), from US 82 to IH 27.
3: Amendment #1 to the FY 2022 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) regarding travel expenses.
Comments may be submitted beginning December 13, 2021 to January 18, 2022 to the LMPO, 916 Main Street #1210, Lubbock TX 79401 or email djones@mylubbock.us or phone 806.775.1671. Five public meetings will be held: December 15, 2021 January 4, 2022 Facebook Live @ 916 Main Street Lubbock MPO/Lubbock MPO Second Floor Conference Room 2:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. January 6, 2022 January 13, 2022 801 Broadway 916 Main Street Downtown Transfer Center Suite 1210 4-5 p.m. 4-5 p.m. January 18, 2022 City Council Chambers 1415 Avenue K 8:30 a.m.
Documents may be viewed on the Lubbock MPO’s website https:// ci.lubbock.tx.us/pages/lubbock-metropolitan-planning-organization (main page) or at the LMPO office located at 916 Main St #1210, Lubbock TX 79401.
Doctors Expect the Post Holiday Omicron Surge to Grow
Covid-19 numbers keep soaring as Christmastime travelers scattered across the country and Americans prepared for another holiday weekend. The US is now averaging 198,404 new Covid-19 cases each day, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. That's is 47% higher than a week ago and the highest such number since January 19. "I think we're going to see half a million cases a day -- easy -- sometime over the next week to 10 days," said CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner. About 71,000 Americans were hospitalized with Covid-19 as of Sunday, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services. And an average of 1,408 Americans died from Covid-19 each day during the week ending Sunday, according to Johns Hopkins. That's a 17% increase from the prior week. With the highly contagious Omicron variant, "We're certainly going to continue to see a surge (in cases) for a while," said Dr. Anthony Fauci. Looking ahead to New Year's Eve, small gatherings of fully vaccinated people will be safe, Fauci said. But he advised people to avoid large parties where they don't know the vaccination status of all guests. "When you are talking about a New Year's Eve party where you have 30, 40, 50 people celebrating, you do not know the status of the vaccination, I would recommend strongly: Stay away from that this year," said Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. "There will be other years to do that. But not this year." As more hospitals get overwhelmed, the CDC has issued new guidance that will allow some health care workers who get Covid-19 to return to work faster. Fully vaccinated medical workers who test positive but don't have symptoms can go back to work in seven days if they test negative within 48 hours of their return to work. That "isolation time can be cut further if there are staffing shortages," the CDC said Thursday. But the new guidelines are only for health care workers. For the general public, the CDC still recommends those with Covid-19 isolate for 10 days regardless of whether they have symptoms. The new, emergency guidance for health care workers was made due to concerns about the Omicron variant and potential staff shortages, the CDC said. The agency "continues to evaluate isolation and quarantine recommendations for the broader population as we learn about the Omicron variant and will update the public as appropriate," it said. Currently, about 75% of all ICU beds in the country are in use and 21% are occupied by Covid-19 patients, data from the US Department of Health and Human Services shows.
Texas HHS Prevents More Than $100M of Public Assistance Misuse
Texas Health and Human Services has prevented the misuse of more than $108 million since 2017 by identifying and stopping potential fraudulent payments for public assistance programs including Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. HHS staff review applications for public assistance programs to ensure eligibility. Staff who identify potentially fraudulent information in an application send it to the HHS Integrity Support Services team for further review and analysis. Addressing potential fraud prior to benefits being issued helps prevent state and federal funds from being wasted. “One of our greatest responsibilities is making sure applications are truthful and legitimate to safeguard taxpayer dollars and put the funds we administer to good use,” said Bill D’Aiuto, associate commissioner for HHS Access and Eligibility Services. “Through our aggressive fraud prevention efforts, we are able to secure benefits for the Texans who truly need them.” The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded a grant of more than $282,000 to HHS to help the agency continue its efforts to educate the public and learn about fraud prevention in public assistance programs.
A portion of the grant will be used to host a conference next year in which HHS staff experts will train HHS employees about fraud awareness and new trends in fraud prevention methods. The team will also invite professionals from other states to attend the conference to discuss best practices in fraud prevention. If someone suspects or knows about fraud, waste or abuse by clients or providers in health and human services programs, HHS urges people to call the HHS Office of the Inspector General at 1-800-436-6184 or visit ReportTexasFraud.com. Misuse of benefits can result in loss of benefits, fines and criminal charges.
