May 7, 2024
Texas Tech University’s MedFuture program helps high school students go to medical school in state, aims to relieve statewide doctor shortage
EL PASO, Texas – For Makena Piñon, the Texas doctor shortage is not just an issue for the state – it’s a personal issue with repercussions for her health. The freshman studying biomedical sciences at the University of Texas at El Paso was born with a congenital heart defect, requiring travel outside her hometown to receive treatment. “It (health care) is much more advanced outside of El Paso,” Piñon said. “I've gone to Houston for my treatment, so I think going there and then looking at the health care system or the care here, I realized we need to somehow implement that.” [related-story-right box-title="Leer en español" link="https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2024/05/07/ttuhsc-el-paso-ofrece-programa-canalizacion-futuros-estudiantes-medio-escasez-medicos/" image="https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/0A2A9554.jpg" headline="Programa MedFuture de la Universidad Tecnológica de Texas tiene como objetivo aliviar la escasez de médicos en todo el estado"] El Paso is one of the 224 Texas counties currently facing a shortage of health professionals, according to the public policy organization Cicero Institute. It also reported that over 6 million Texas residents live within a health professional shortage area (HPSA), a designation for areas where there are 3,500 or more patients for every provider. The Association of American Medical Colleges projects a nationwide doctor shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036. According to the Cicero Institute, Texas will be short 20,420 doctors by 2030. “The Paseo del Norte region (around El Paso) is a lot like the state and the nation, facing a physician shortage and a shortage of specialists,” said Cynthia Perry, the associate dean of admissions at the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso. “It's part of our regular recruiting practice with the school of medicine to heavily weigh and have a preference for students that are from our region and also from border counties.” Last spring, Perry oversaw the first student cohort for Texas Tech Health El Paso’s MedFuture program – a pipeline program offered to local high school seniors planning to attend UT El Paso who have strong aspirations to go to medical school. The program offers students mentorship and guidance throughout their undergraduate years to prepare them for medical school admission, including MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) preparation, internship opportunities and volunteer activities. MedFuture students who complete the program are guaranteed an interview with the Foster School of Medicine, which currently has an acceptance rate of just 4.5%. High school seniors interested in the MedFuture program must be Texas residents with an SAT or ACT score higher than the state average and must already have been accepted at UTEP. [caption id="attachment_231572" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]
The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso requires students to learn Spanish in order to bridge linguistic gaps and help the majority-Hispanic population gain access to the care they need. (Photo by Jack Orleans/Cronkite News)[/caption] “We usually get around 4,000 to 5,000 applications a year, and this is for 125 slots,” Perry said. “We only interview somewhere around 600 candidates, so to get a guaranteed interview really helps you overcome all of those hurdles.” The program, which took five students last year, has plans to expand to a maximum of 25 students per cohort. “We wanted to be conscious of being a small-enough group that we could really focus on their individual development,” Perry said. “It's a big budgetary commitment from both institutions (UTEP and Texas Tech), so we felt like five was a good size.” Piñon and her friend Luke Briggs were among the few seniors selected for the MedFuture program in 2023. The two first learned about MedFuture when they attended a summer medical camp at Texas Tech the summer before their senior year. [related-story-right box-title="Related story" link="https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2023/06/02/doctors-shelters-medical-care-help-el-paso-migrants/ " image="https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Migrantmain-scaled.jpg" headline="Doctors, shelters stitch medical care help for El Paso migrants"] “When I first wanted to be a doctor, I didn't know there was medical school here,” Briggs said. “I found out about it when I went to this summer camp. …To me, it just makes sense to stay here because this is where I grew up. This is where I go to the doctor. This is where I know people.” Once students get a slot in the MedFuture program, the health sciences center’s Texas Tech Health resources are available to them throughout their UTEP career to prepare them for medical school. “We did provide our first cohort with gift cards to the bookstore to help offset that cost,” Perry said. “Another big focus was that we have pretty intensive summer programs planned out for them. We have identified summer research programs that will allow them to get paid to do research during the summer, and that will definitely offset the need for our students to have to work.” According to the U.S. Census Bureau, El Paso’s poverty rate in 2022 was 18.9%, higher than the state’s average of 14%. Although 81.5% of El Pasoans older than 25 had a high school diploma or higher in 2022, only 27.1% held a bachelor’s degree or had multiple degrees. For the 2023-2024 academic year, Texas residents pursuing an undergraduate degree at UTEP are expected to pay roughly $19,558, while a first-year medical student at Texas Tech Health is estimated to pay $22,378. “I'm a first-generation student in my family,” Piñon said. “No one in my immediate family has gone to college, or finished college, at least. But being in this program, I mean, it offers so many advantages that I didn't think I'd be able to have.” [caption id="attachment_231619" align="alignright" width="300"]
Dr. Jesus Guzman, a gastroenterology fellow, remembers the struggles he went through in pursuing a medical education. (Photo by Jack Orleans/Cronkite News)[/caption]
Dr. Jesus Guzman, a gastroenterology fellow, said he used to think that doctors only came from long family lines with educated backgrounds.
“I just didn’t think I could do it,” Guzman said. “ I grew up in a low-income community. My mom didn't finish high school. She got her education in Juarez and finished up to the seventh grade. She just knew school was important and so she always pushed me towards it.”
Guzman, who graduated from UTEP with an accounting degree, never dreamed of pursuing medicine like Briggs or Piñon, that is, until he witnessed a white-coat ceremony in 2014.
“I was like, ‘I don't know how, but I have to do this,’” Guzman said. “I had a lot of bumps as far as trying to figure out how to get into medical school, how am I going to pay for medical school, things like that.”
Guzman said he is very familiar with the impact a doctor shortage can have on a community, having experienced it firsthand.
“We (my family and I) all went through those issues,” Guzman said. “First of all, it's already difficult when you don't have insurance. It’s either you pay for insurance or you pay for your meal. That already gives you limited (health care) access.”
Although 45.2% of Texas medical residents choose to practice out of state, leaving El Paso never crossed Guzman’s mind.
“When I was at the white-coat ceremony, it was something that they talked about,” Guzman said. “They want to make an impact on the community, like, this was the purpose of the medical school.”
As physician shortages persist, finding bilingual doctors in predominantly Spanish-speaking populations becomes incredibly difficult. El Paso has a Hispanic population of 81.6%, and 67% of city residents speak a language other than English at home, but only 11.3% of active physicians in Texas are Hispanic.
Texas Tech Health El Paso is one of the only schools that requires all medical and dental students to participate in its Spanish language program during their four years.
[caption id="attachment_231569" align="alignright" width="300"]
Gilberto Garcia, lead instructor in the Spanish language program at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso. (Photo by Jack Orleans/Cronkite News)[/caption] “We not only teach the vocabulary, but our main purpose is to provide instruction so that future providers can conduct the clinical interview with their patients,” said Gilberto Garcia, lead instructor in the Spanish language program. “It's a combination between conversation skills and, you know, medical terminology. We’re also taking into account the culture of the area.” Students must complete a placement exam to be placed in beginner, intermediate or advanced Spanish classes. Both medical and dental students are required to attend language classes one hour per week for the first two years. “The main purpose is to work on these linguistic gaps that we have between patients and providers,” Garcia said. Guzman went through the program and said being able to communicate in Spanish is crucial in providing the best care possible. “There is already a lack of education when it comes to understanding medical knowledge for some people,” Guzman said. “Imagine you're trying to explain something that's complex to a patient that they're going to have to manage themselves. How are you going to communicate that message and translate it?” ]]>
May 7, 2024
A new intermediary: How AI may impact libraries, research and information retrieval
PHOENIX – Librarians have a lot to think about now that artificial intelligence has entered the picture. Not only could the technology fundamentally change the way they do their jobs, but it also affects areas such as patron privacy and information literacy. But librarians also see AI’s potential for good. Cataloging and research are major areas in librarianship that artificial intelligence can automate and potentially improve.The promise of AI in libraries
Kira Smith is a librarian who works with Ask a Librarian, a Florida-based virtual reference service where local residents can connect with librarians via text message, live chat or email. She said that some AI tools, like chatbots, can answer common questions from patrons, easing the workload on librarians. “If people want to know what time the library is open, a chatbot can easily answer that, which would then free me up to answer the longer questions,” Smith said. [related-story-right box-title="Related story" link="https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2024/04/23/greater-phoenix-library-district-checks-out-ebooks-audiobooks-music-movies/" image="https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_5295-486x304.jpg" headline="Valley libraries embrace digital evolution, serving tech-savvy generations with virtual offerings"] Integrating AI into library services may also fundamentally change the way information is retrieved and categorized. Nicole Hennig, an e-learning developer at the University of Arizona Libraries, said AI can help with keyword search, a method where a user types the most relevant words of a topic or question into the search box of a database. Specifically, it can generate keywords users would not have otherwise come up with. But Hennig said libraries may transition to a new type of technology called semantic search, which draws from the meaning of the words in a search to find results. By contrast, keyword search results contain direct word matches or related words. “Libraries have always been about adding keywords and subject headings … and then applying them to things so that people can find them. That’s been since the beginning,” she said. “But semantic searching is more about using the statistical math behind these models that can know what objects are similar to each other conceptually.” Hennig said a shift to semantic search will be slow and that it wouldn’t fully replace traditional cataloging techniques. But if libraries do use it, she said, it can be a net positive. “There will always be some need for cataloging and adding tags and things for some collections – maybe just not everything. And it will help us make stuff available that we don't have the labor to make available now,” she said, noting semantic search lets researchers find sources that don’t have certain keyword tags.The changing role of librarians
[caption id="attachment_231605" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]
Computers are available for library guests to use at Litchfield Park Library on April 18, 2024. (Photo by Kayla Mae Jackson/Cronkite News)[/caption]
Martin Frické, University of Arizona professor emeritus and author of “Artificial Intelligence and Librarianship: Notes for Teaching,” said that historically, librarians have acted as intermediaries between patrons and needed information. AI tools may change that.
Perplexity, for example, is an AI-powered search engine that can generate answers to research questions, search for sources and summarize articles.
“If you've got something like Perplexity on a grand scale, often you won't need a librarian at all,” Frické said. That’s why he said librarians will need to adjust their intermediary role.
This isn’t the first time libraries have dealt with disruptive technology, though, and librarians can look to the past to prepare for the future.
“When the search engine started to have a big impact, more than a few librarians – and particularly the reference librarians – became absolute experts at using Google search,” Frické said. “They’re completely on top of Boolean search and things like that, which a lot of ordinary people just don’t understand.” Boolean search is a technique where a user enters terms such as “and,” “or” and “not” to get the exact results they want.
Frické said it’s possible for librarians to transform from experts in regular search engines to experts in engineering prompts for large language models. That way, librarians could be a go-to resource for researchers wanting to find information using AI.
AI and patron privacy
Hennig said the main way libraries access any new technology is through large vendors, which are already looking into adding AI into their services. “I'm sure that … whatever vendor we have, they're going to come to us and say, ‘Do you want to be a beta tester? Do you want to test this natural language search thing that we have?’” she said. “And we can try it and decide whether we want to include it.” There are several factors librarians must consider when deciding whether to purchase a service. One of them is patron privacy, which is a top priority for librarians like Smith. “I think that it's important to protect patrons' privacy because it's nobody else's business what you like to read,” Smith said. “So I would think long and hard before sharing that kind of circulation data with any sort of AI or other system.” According to a guide Hennig created for librarians to evaluate AI tools, privacy policies – which tell users what information about them is collected and how services use that data – are important to take into account.
Information literacy considerations
AI is transforming another important area: information literacy. Those who are information literate are able to identify when information is necessary plus “locate, evaluate and use effectively the needed information,” according to the American Library Association. “Now this area, information literacy, has almost been blown apart by artificial intelligence,” Frické said, pointing to deepfakes, hallucinations – when AI misinterprets data and presents something untrue as fact – and other errors attributable to the technology. Henning said librarians have a role to play in keeping everyone up to speed. “Because there's such a big lack of awareness and because we already have done information literacy training for years now, this just kind of adds to it,” she said. “And we quickly need to learn about AI so we can include that in our information literacy training.” Smith said that after finding out students were using tools like ChatGPT to write papers, she realized the importance of responsible use. “That made me take seriously how this was going to impact the field and ways that we could use AI to be helpful to people but not have AI do all the work,” Smith said “So I think that for libraries and students, it can be used as a tool, not as a replacement.” ]]>May 7, 2024
Minneapolis to Phoenix: George Floyd protest offerings displayed at ASU Art Museum
TEMPE – ASU Art Museum partnered with Arizona State University’s Center for Work and Democracy and the George Floyd Global Memorial following a professor’s acquisition of a collection of offerings gathered during the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis. Floyd, a Black man, was killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis during an arrest in May 2020, sparking nationwide protests over police violence. Items including posters, letters, paintings and more are currently displayed in the museum’s “Twin Flames: The George Floyd Uprising from Minneapolis to Phoenix” exhibit through July 28. [caption id="attachment_231594" align="alignright" width="300"]
A patron reads the poem “We Must Be Heard” during opening night of the “Twin Flames” exhibit at the ASU Art Museum in Tempe on Feb. 2, 2024. The exhibit puts on display offerings by mourners and protesters during the protests in Minneapolis after the death of George Floyd. (Photo by Kevinjonah Paguio/Cronkite News)[/caption]
“We say everything is somebody's offering, therefore nothing is thrown away and that the people are more sacred than the memorial itself,” Jeanelle Austin, George Floyd Global Memorial executive director, said at the exhibit’s opening in February. “We’re people over property all day, every day, so we always have to check ourselves to say, ‘How do we ensure that we're caring for our neighbors more so than we're caring for the objects?’ – because that's how we combat racism.”
Rashad Shabazz, an associate professor of African and African American studies at ASU, and Michael McQuarrie, director of ASU’s Center for Work and Democracy, won the offerings in 2022 at an auction at the Rise and Remember event in Minneapolis. Additional items were provided by Black Lives Matter Phoenix Metro protests in the Valley over the deaths of Dion Johnson, Floyd and other African Americans due to police brutality.
“I hope that people find a reason to allow this space to be sacred for them and that they protect this space for themselves,” Austin said. “Because this is our love offering at GFS (George Floyd Square) to the Black community here at Phoenix to say we want you to have a place where you can go and you know that you belong because it's yours, it's your story, it's your voice, it's your history, it's your presence, it’s your protest.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qtCrkh6Bk4
(Video by RipLey-Simone Kinnebrew/Cronkite News)
]]> May 7, 2024
Inmigrantes de Salton Sea experimentan altas tasas de asma por inhalar polvo del lecho marino seco
NORTH SHORE, California – A medida que se deteriora, el ecosistema alrededor de Salton Sea, en el condado de Riverside, en el sur de California, ha estado creando un ambiente tóxico que daña la salud de los niños de familias inmigrantes que viven y trabajan allí, según investigadores. [caption id="attachment_231408" align="alignright" width="300"]
El hijo de Solangel Cruz tuvo un caso grave de bronquitis causada, en parte, por el polvo del Salton Sea. (Foto de Jack Orleans/Cronkite Noticias)[/caption]
Un estudio de 2023 realizado por la Universidad de California, Riverside, analizó la población inmigrante de hispanos de bajos ingresos e hispanos indígenas mexicanos en las comunidades alrededor de Salton Sea y encontró que la tasa de asma infantil es del 20% al 22.4%, mucho más alta que el promedio de California del 14.5%. Los investigadores del estudio dijeron que los problemas de salud son causados por el polvo de los restos de peces que ingirieron materiales tóxicos del agua en el Salton Sea.
"Cuando me mudé a North Shore, comencé a tener problemas con uno de mis hijos porque a una edad temprana, a los 2 meses de edad, comenzó a tener problemas respiratorios", dijo Solangel Cruz, residente de North Shore, California, que trabaja en los campos agrícolas. "Le dio gripe y de la gripe le dio bronquitis".
El estudio de UC Riverside mostró que cuando el polvo del lecho marino seco es arrastrado por el viento y se inhala, se activan las respuestas inmunitarias en los residentes cercanos.
[caption id="attachment_231401" align="alignright" width="300"]
Conchita Pozar trabaja con un proyecto de investigación de la Universidad de California, Riverside, y brinda atención a los residentes a través de la Clínica Gratuita del Valle de Coachella. (Foto de Jack Orleans/Cronkite Noticias)[/caption]
"Una de las preocupaciones que enfrenta la comunidad alrededor del lago son las alergias, el asma, los problemas respiratorios, los problemas oculares y las hemorragias nasales", dijo María Pozar, una residente del área que se hace llamar Conchita y fue una de las investigadoras principales del estudio de UC Riverside.
Salton Sea, el lago más grande de California se está secando a un ritmo de 1.3 millones de acres-pie por año. Un estudio de la Universidad de California, Agricultura y Recursos Naturales rastreó el deterioro del mar y el ecosistema circundante y determinó que, además de la evaporación, se ha desviado mucha agua a las zonas urbanas desde 2018. Debido a eso, la salinidad del agua y los materiales tóxicos que contiene se han concentrado en el polvo, lo que lo hace peligroso.
"Los desechos del agua, el agua tóxica, entraron aquí", dijo Pozar.
[caption id="attachment_231395" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]
Conchita Pozar demuestra el 6 de abril cómo el polvo de Salton Sea en el sur de California se eleva al aire. (Foto de Jack Orleans/Cronkite Noticias)[/caption]
Salton Sea se formó en 1905 cuando el río Colorado, un río con alta salinidad, rompió la compuerta de un canal de riego e inundó la zona; La laguna tenía casi la misma salinidad que el océano. Era un sitio importante para los peces que toleran la alta salinidad y también era un importante lugar de alimentación para las aves.
En la década de 1950, Salton Sea era un destino turístico con balnearios, puertos deportivos y clubes náuticos, y atrajo tanto a vacacionistas como a artistas y celebridades. Sin embargo, a finales de la década de 1960 había preocupaciones ambientales.
[related-story-right box-title="Leer en español" link="https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2024/05/02/salton-sea-immigrant-community-experiences-high-rates-asthma/" image="https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ninth.jpg" headline="Salton Sea immigrant community experiences high rates of asthma from inhaling dust from the drying sea bed"]
En la década de 1970, las tormentas tropicales y las inundaciones dañaron las zonas turísticas. Además, la sal de los sitios agrícolas cercanos se mezclaba con el agua de riego del río Colorado. La laguna comenzó a retroceder a medida que se secaba. Los peces de los que dependían las aves murieron por el aumento de la salinidad o por la depredación de la tilapia, según la Universidad de California, Agricultura y Recursos Naturales. Al final, solo quedó tilapia. Hoy en día, el polvo proviene del fondo marino seco que incluye restos de peces diezmados.
Según Pozar, otros problemas incluyen los vertidos ilegales y la falta de árboles y plantas que podrían ayudar a atrapar el polvo antes de que llegue a la comunidad.
Los problemas respiratorios persisten, pero la comunidad inmigrante carece de acceso a servicios de salud que puedan ayudar.
"Es una población inmigrante muy grande, su familiaridad con los sistemas de atención médica suele ser el sistema de atención médica mexicano, que es una forma muy diferente de acceder a la atención médica", dijo Ann Cheney, investigadora principal del estudio de UC Riverside y antropóloga médica en el Departamento de Medicina Social, Población y Salud Pública de la Universidad de California.
[caption id="attachment_231393" align="alignright" width="300"]
Ann Cheney, científica investigadora de la Universidad de California, Riverside, ayuda a brindar atención a los residentes a través de la Clínica Gratuita del Valle de Coachella. (Foto de Jack Orleans/Cronkite Noticias)[/caption]
Cheney también dijo que a veces los padres prefieren llevar a sus hijos a México para recibir tratamiento, si pueden cruzar la frontera, en lugar de ir a médicos en Estados Unidos. Las personas indocumentadas no son elegibles para Medicaid, el mercado de seguros de salud de la Ley de Cuidado de Salud Asequible u otras formas de seguro de salud pública, según la Administración de Servicios de Salud Mental y Abuso de Sustancias.
Además, el 30% de los trabajadores agrícolas viven por debajo de la línea federal de pobreza y el 65% carece de seguro médico, según el Centro de Prioridades Presupuestarias y Políticas.
"Existe el temor de que los proveedores pidan una forma de identificación o pidan cobertura de seguro", dijo Cheney.
Cheney y Pozar dijeron que la misión de la Clínica Gratuita del Valle de Coachella, operada por la universidad y dirigida por Pozar, es ir a la comunidad inmigrante y proporcionar tratamiento a las personas que lo necesitan.
"Como madre, me doy la obligación de poder abogar, de poder hacer la investigación que pueda llevarlos a un buen lugar", dijo Pozar.]]> May 7, 2024
Programa MedFuture de la Universidad Tecnológica de Texas tiene como objetivo aliviar la escasez de médicos en todo el estado
EL PASO, Texas – Para Makena Piñon, la escasez de médicos en Texas es más que un problema estatal, es un problema personal. La estudiante de primer año de ciencias biomédicas de la Universidad de Texas en El Paso nació con un defecto cardíaco congénito, lo que la llevó a viajar fuera de su ciudad natal para recibir tratamiento. "(La atención médica) está mucho más avanzada fuera de El Paso”, dijo Piñón. "Fui a Houston para mi tratamiento, así que creo que ir allí y luego mirar el sistema de salud o la atención aquí, me di cuenta de que necesitamos implementar eso de alguna manera". El Paso es uno de los 224 condados de Texas que actualmente enfrentan una escasez de médicos, con aproximadamente 6 millones de residentes de Texas que viven dentro de un área de escasez de profesionales de la salud (HPSA). Para 2030, se proyecta que al estado le faltarán 20,420 médicos. "La región del Paseo del Norte se parece mucho al estado y a la nación que enfrenta una escasez de médicos y una escasez de especialistas”, dijo Cynthia Perry, decana asociada de admisiones de la Facultad de Medicina Paul L. Foster del Centro de Ciencias de la Salud de la Universidad Texas Tech en El Paso. "Es parte de nuestra práctica regular de reclutamiento con la Facultad de Medicina tener una gran importancia y preferencia por los estudiantes que son de nuestra región y también de los condados fronterizos". [caption id="attachment_231572" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] El programa de la universidad está destinado a cerrar las brechas lingüísticas para ayudar a las personas a obtener acceso a la atención que necesitan. (Foto de Jack Orleans/Cronkite Noticias)[/caption] La primavera pasada, Perry supervisó la primera unidad de estudiantes para el programa MedFuture de TTUHSC El Paso, un programa que se ofrece a los estudiantes de último año de secundaria locales que planean asistir a UTEP y tienen fuertes aspiraciones de ir a la escuela de medicina. Si se elige, se ofrecerá tutoría y orientación exclusivas a los estudiantes a lo largo de su pregrado para prepararlos para la admisión a la escuela de medicina, incluida la preparación para MCAT, las oportunidades de pasantías y las actividades de voluntariado. Los estudiantes de MedFuture que completan el programa tienen garantizada una entrevista con la Escuela de Medicina Foster, que actualmente tiene una tasa de aceptación de solo el 4.5%. Los estudiantes de último año de secundaria interesados en el programa MedFuture deben ser residentes de Texas, lograr un puntaje SAT o ACT más alto que el promedio estatal y ya deben haber sido aceptados en UTEP. "Por lo general, recibimos entre 4,000 y 5,000 solicitudes al año, y esto es para 125 cupos”, dijo Perry. "Solo entrevistamos a unos 600 candidatos, por lo que obtener una entrevista garantizada realmente te ayuda a superar todos esos obstáculos". El programa, que aceptó cinco estudiantes el año pasado, tiene planes de expandirse hasta un máximo de 25 estudiantes por unidad. "Queríamos ser conscientes de ser un grupo lo suficientemente pequeño como para poder centrarnos realmente en su desarrollo individual”, dijo Perry. "Es un gran compromiso presupuestario de ambas instituciones, por lo que sentimos que cinco era un buen tamaño". Piñon, junto con su amigo Luke Briggs, estuvieron entre los pocos estudiantes de último año seleccionados para el programa MedFuture en 2023. Los dos se enteraron por primera vez de MedFuture cuando asistieron a un campamento médico de verano en Texas Tech el verano anterior a su último año. "Cuando quise ser médico por primera vez, no sabía que había una escuela de medicina aquí", dijo Briggs. "Me enteré (de TTUHSC) cuando fui a este campamento de verano. ... Para mí, tiene sentido quedarme aquí porque aquí es donde crecí. Aquí es donde voy al médico. Aquí es donde conozco a la gente". [caption id="attachment_231570" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]
El Paso tiene una gran escasez de médicos, especialmente para los médicos que hablan español. El programa está destinado a evitar que los estudiantes vayan a otros estados. (Foto de Jack Orleans/Cronkite Noticias)[/caption] Una vez que a los estudiantes se les da un lugar en el programa MedFuture, los recursos de TTUHSC están disponibles para ellos a lo largo de su carrera en UTEP para prepararlos para la escuela de medicina. "Le dimos a nuestra primera cohorte tarjetas de regalo para la librería para ayudar a compensar ese costo”, dijo Perry. "Otro gran enfoque fue que tenemos programas de verano bastante intensivos planeados para ellos. Hemos identificado programas de investigación de verano que les permitirán cobrar por hacer investigación durante el verano, y eso definitivamente compensará la necesidad de que nuestros estudiantes tengan que trabajar". Según la Oficina del Censo de los Estados Unidos, en 2022, la tasa de pobreza de El Paso fue de 18.9%, más alta que el promedio del estado del 14%. Aunque el 81.5% de los habitantes de El Paso mayores de 25 años tienen un diploma de escuela secundaria o superior, sólo el 27.1% tiene una licenciatura o tiene múltiples títulos. Para el año académico 2023-2024, se espera que los residentes de Texas que cursan una licenciatura en UTEP paguen aproximadamente $19,558, mientras que se estima que un estudiante de medicina de primer año en TTUHSC pague $22,378. "Soy la primera generación de estudiantes de mi familia”, dijo Piñon. "Nadie en mi familia inmediata ha ido a la universidad, o al menos ha terminado la universidad. Pero estar en este programa, quiero decir, ofrece tantas ventajas que no pensé que podría tener". [related-story-right box-title="Related story" link="https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2023/06/02/doctors-shelters-medical-care-help-el-paso-migrants/ " image="https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Migrantmain-scaled.jpg" headline="Doctors, shelters stitch medical care help for El Paso migrants"] El Dr. Jesús Guzmán, becario de gastroenterología, tenía la impresión de que los médicos solo provenían de una larga línea de antecedentes educados. "Simplemente no pensé que podría hacerlo”, dijo Guzmán. "Crecí en una comunidad de bajos ingresos. Mi mamá no terminó la escuela secundaria. Recibió su educación en Juárez y terminó hasta el séptimo grado. Ella sabía que la escuela era importante y por eso siempre me empujó hacia ella". Guzmán, quien se graduó de UTEP con un título en contabilidad, nunca soñó con dedicarse a la medicina como Briggs o Piñon, es decir, hasta que presenció una ceremonia de bata blanca en 2014. "Pensé: 'No sé cómo, pero tengo que hacer esto'“, dijo Guzmán. "Tuve muchos baches en cuanto a tratar de averiguar cómo ingresar a la escuela de medicina, cómo voy a pagar la escuela de medicina, cosas así". Guzmán dijo que está muy familiarizado con el impacto que la escasez de médicos puede tener en una comunidad, ya que ha experimentado las repercusiones de primera mano. "Todos nosotros (mi familia y yo) pasamos por esos problemas que se experimentan cuando hay escasez de médicos”, dijo Guzmán. "En primer lugar, ya es difícil cuando no tienes seguro. O pagas el seguro o pagas la comida. Eso ya te da un acceso limitado (a la atención médica)". Aunque el 45.2% de los residentes médicos de Texas eligen ejercer fuera del estado, dejar El Paso nunca pasó por la mente de Guzmán. "Cuando estuve en la ceremonia de la bata blanca, fue algo de lo que hablaron”, dijo Guzmán. "Quieren tener un impacto en la comunidad, como si este fuera el propósito de la facultad de medicina". A medida que persiste la escasez de médicos, encontrar médicos bilingües en poblaciones predominantemente de habla hispana se vuelve increíblemente difícil. Aunque El Paso tiene una población hispana del 81.6%, solo el 11.3% de los médicos activos en Texas son hispanos. TTUHSC El Paso es una de las pocas escuelas que requiere que todos los estudiantes de medicina y odontología participen en un programa de inmersión en el idioma español durante sus cuatro años. [caption id="attachment_231569" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]
Gilberto García, instructor principal del Programa de Idioma Español en el Centro de Ciencias de la Salud de la Universidad Texas Tech en El Paso. (Foto de Jack Orleans/Cronkite Noticias)[/caption] "No solo enseñamos el vocabulario, sino que nuestro propósito principal es brindar instrucción para que los futuros proveedores puedan realizar la entrevista clínica con sus pacientes", dijo Gilberto Garcia, instructor principal del Programa de Idioma Español. "Es una combinación entre las habilidades de conversación y, ya sabes, la terminología médica. También estamos teniendo en cuenta la cultura de la zona". Se espera que los estudiantes completen un examen de ubicación para ser colocados en unidades de español principiante, intermedio y avanzado. Una vez separados, tanto los estudiantes de medicina como los de odontología deben asistir a clases de inmersión una hora por semana durante los dos primeros años. "El objetivo principal es trabajar en estas brechas lingüísticas que tenemos entre los pacientes y los proveedores”, dijo García. "Brindamos instrucción para que los futuros proveedores puedan realizar entrevistas clínicas con pacientes (de habla hispana)". Habiendo pasado por el programa unos años antes, Guzmán dijo que poder comunicarse en español es crucial para brindar la mejor atención posible. "La mayoría de nuestra comunidad habla español”, dijo Guzmán. "Una de las cosas más importantes cuando vas al médico es entender cuál es tu atención médica. Ya existe una falta de educación cuando se trata de comprender el conocimiento médico para algunas personas. ... Imagina que estás tratando de explicarle algo que es complejo a un paciente y que va a tener que manejar por sí mismo. ¿Cómo vas a comunicar ese mensaje y traducirlo?".]]>
May 6, 2024
New Sage Memorial Hospital transforms Navajo health care
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Sage Memorial Hospital in Navajo Nation constructs new facility to improve health care
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Mobile units and nutrition assistance extend Sage Memorial’s reach
GANADO – Sage Memorial Hospital is tackling access to health care beyond its main facility in Ganado, with two mobile units that provide a range of outpatient services, including diabetes mellitus screenings and education, rapid HIV and syphilis tests, screenings and treatments for sexually transmitted infections, adult immunizations, harm reduction services, walk-in services and more. Kathryn Barron, nurse practitioner and director of outpatient services and community health at Sage Memorial, said officials there are developing the mobile units to provide comprehensive care. The Sage Memorial mobile units will provide service to eight locations within the Navajo Nation: Ganado, Nazlini, Kinlichee, Klagetoh, Wide Ruin, Steamboat, Cornfields and Greasewood. Sage Memorial Hospital is also implementing the new Produce Prescription Pilot Program, funded by a grant through the Indian Health Service. This program facilitates access to fruits, vegetables and traditional Native American foods in order to reduce food insecurity and improve health care outcomes within the Navajo Nation. Through the hybrid food service, families who are food insecure or diabetic can choose to have food delivered by Sage Memorial or purchase food themselves at the store with a loyalty card. “For a lot of people, the major barrier is getting access to food, similar to getting access to health care. Transportation, gas and all that,” Barron said. The program uses traditional Native American foods as a way to improve health outcomes.(Map by Mia Milinovich/Cronkite News)
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Cave Creek business aims to train dogs to avoid rattlesnakes in the summer months
PHOENIX – Rattlesnake season in Arizona is ramping up and while that means watching out for snakes – it can mean watching out for your pets, too. Experts caution Arizonans to be aware of their surroundings while hiking or walking their dogs and to keep their eyes and ears open for the telltale signs of rattlesnakes: their coiled bodies and the unmistakable rattle of their tails. [related-story-right box-title="Related story" link="https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2024/05/01/arizona-rattlesnake-encounters-increase-hot-weather/" image="https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/rattlesnake.jpg" headline="As Arizona shifts into warmer weather, beware of rattlesnakes, experts say"] “Certainly there are avoidable situations and potentially unavoidable situations,” said Bryan Kuhn, pharmacist and toxicologist at Banner Health Poison & Drug Information Center. “I can say that for this year, the vast majority of our bites have been these sort of unintentional, unavoidable type scenarios where someone is in an area where they are unaware there’s a snake.” That’s where Rattlesnake Ready and Rattlesnake Ranch come in. Co-founders and owners Cody and Kate Will have built a large collection of rattlesnakes at Rattlesnake Ranch, which people can visit for a fee to see and learn about the snakes. Through Rattlesnake Ready, the pair prepare and educate pets and pet owners about these misunderstood desert creatures by utilizing ranch resources at the 2,400-square-foot nature center and training area in Cave Creek. Cody Will said he launched the Rattlesnake Ready training program that teaches dogs to avoid the venomous reptiles because he saw a "big need for it, knew I could do it, started it for fun and it took off.” “The training itself, the ultimate goal is to teach the dog to avoid rattlesnakes so if they ever do see, smell or hear one in the future, they have the wisdom and knowledge to leave it alone rather than approach it like most dogs do,” he said. “Teaching them to avoid them can save owners thousands of dollars in veterinary expenses because if a dog is to get bit, it’s really scary.” According to experts at the Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary, there are 13 different kinds of rattlesnake found throughout Arizona, from the metropolitan areas to rural peaks out in the desert. Though the Sonoran Desert is a beloved place for hiking and exploration for locals and tourists, it’s also the natural habitat for these venomous reptiles. “We have the most rattlesnakes than any other state, without a doubt. We just have the perfect climate and habitat,” said Cale Morris, venom manager at the sanctuary. “We relocate hundreds of rattlesnakes a year. The fire department relocates hundreds. There’s other companies and organizations that also relocate hundreds. So we estimate thousands are getting relocated out of the Phoenix area.” By using real rattlesnakes in training, Rattlesnake Ready gives dogs exposure to the very real danger rattlesnakes pose without actually putting them in danger. Medical tape is used in strips to muzzle the snakes, rendering them harmless and unable to bite the canines, while an e-collar is placed around the dogs’ necks to give them a small jolt when they get too close. “It is humane the way we do it for the snakes. Dogs get a great encounter with a real rattlesnake, and we train them to avoid them,” Cody Will said. “The snakes only work about a day a week, and so we use them for a full day, let the dogs get close to them; we correct the dogs when they’re too close. And, so really the snakes’ only job is to just sit there and act like a rattlesnake for a few minutes at a time, kind of multiple times throughout the day.” [caption id="attachment_231463" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]
Rattlesnake Ready trainer Cody Will holds Arlo before having the dog run past a rattlesnake to his owner. (Photo by Emily Mai/Cronkite News)[/caption] The average training session is broken up into four parts, all geared toward getting dogs to evade the sight, smell and sound of rattlesnakes. The first part is the introduction of the small, muzzled snake followed by the initial jolt. The second part is exposing the dog to a pile of molted rattlesnake skin followed by a second jolt. The third part includes playing the sound of a rattlesnake’s warning rattle from the bushes, and having the owner jog away with their pet. And for the final portion of training, Cody Will places a larger, muzzled rattlesnake against the exit gate. Each dog has a different reaction, from giving the snake a wide berth to stopping and dashing in the opposite direction. Though rattlesnake bites are more prevalent from March through October in Arizona, experts, like Morris and Will, say there are ways to be proactive in avoiding rattlesnake bites year-round, by understanding more about the native reptiles and taking precautions for both human and pet safety. “Rattlesnakes are just part of the desert ecosystem out here. They’re not out to get you,” Cody Will said. “They want nothing to do with you. So if you ever come across one, it’s not really a matter of what to do, it’s more a matter of what not to do.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmXYqiifMFI
(Video by Zoriah Cole/Cronkite News)
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Nod to the past: The ties between baseball and bobbleheads
NOTE: DO NOT COPY AND PASTE THIS INTO A NEW DOC; INSTEAD, GO TO File>Make a copy … Don’t forget to RENAME the file though! (NOTE: Make sure you save this into the digital copy folder in the CN SPRING 2024 shared drive in Google. Share the file with your director, as well.) SLUG Lotts – Business of Bobbleheads VERTICAL(S) Sports SUGGESTED HEADLINE Nod to the past: The ties between baseball and bobbleheads SHORTENED HEADLINE Behind the business of bobbleheads SEO HEADLINE Nod to the past: Why bobbleheads are so prevalent in MLB SUMMARY TEXT Bobbleheads are some of the most popular giveaways around MLB, which makes them a hot commodity for baseball fanatics. Here’s why teams give so many away, why fans collect them and the significance they have for players and their families. SEO KEYWORDS Arizona Diamondbacks, Bobbleheads, MLB, National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, Kansas City Royals, Corbin Carroll PHOTOS Directors must deliver all photos to the #digprod-delivery channel. In this document, list any special instructions (whether to use a specific image as the main image, etc). VIDEOS Include the URL if the video is on YouTube. If we need to post a video to YouTube, include a headline and description here. Directors must send digital video to #digprod-delivery with this information. AUDIO Include the URL if the audio is posted on SoundCloud. If we need to add audio to Soundcloud, include a headline and description here. Directors must send the audio to #digprod-delivery with this information. OTHER ELEMENTS David made a Diamondbacks bobblehead timeline to insert into the story. RELATED STORY https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2024/03/27/diamondbacks-upgrades-chase-field-lights-speakers-food/ BYLINE James Lotts, Cronkite News ACCURACY CHECKED? JL SOCIAL MEDIA 1 Fans are nodding yes to the 2024 Arizona Diamondbacks promotional schedule – especially the bobbleheads. A story on bobbleheads and their ties to America’s Pastime from @LottsJam FACEBOOK POST 1 Fans are nodding yes to the 2024 Arizona Diamondbacks promotional schedule – especially the bobbleheads. A story on bobbleheads and their ties to America’s Pastime. BODY COPY PHOENIX – America’s pastime has long been remembered through the preservation of its memorabilia, telling its rich history through the jerseys, gloves, hats and trading cards of its legendary figures. Giveaways are popular around the league, but one souvenir has cemented itself as a staple to fans and collectors everywhere: bobbleheads. If you’ve gone to a baseball game, you’ve probably seen and heard advertisements for the team’s seasonal giveaways. Bobbleheads have been used as promotional tools for teams around the league and therefore the knick-knacks have boomed in popularity. This wasn’t always the case, however. While bobbleheads can be dated back to the late 1700s as decorative figurines, they didn’t get their start in the sports world until 1960. Four baseball legends of the time were turned into caricatures of themselves – Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Roberto Clemente. They were made out of paper-mâché and despite being set apart by different uniforms, all shared the same face. The San Francisco Giants paved the way for today’s bobblehead obsession on May 9, 1999, when they gave away 20,000 Willie Mays bobbleheads. Since then, bobbleheads have become a staple in promotion schedules around the league. “They (bobbleheads) took off in the ‘60s and they sort of faded off into the ‘70s, ‘80s — even in the ‘90s — until the San Francisco Giants gave away a Willie Mays bobblehead … and that’s what really ignited the bobblehead craze,” said Phil Sklar, co-founder and CEO of the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As time moves on, advancements in technology and the use of different materials has allowed for more creative designs and different special features on the collectibles. Some newer bobbleheads have even had audio features. Carlton Hawkins, director of marketing for the Arizona Diamondbacks, credits improvements in production value for the evolution of player likeness and posing for bobbleheads. “I think the sculpting is getting better. The materials are getting lighter,” Hawkins said. “But the problem is the more lifelike they get, the more complicated they get, the more expensive they get. So it’s like you give and take.” Despite the increased cost to produce the souvenirs, the Diamondbacks still use them as tools to encourage fans to attend a ballgame. The team has been giving out bobbleheads since 2001, with the exception of the 2020 and 2022 seasons. The team has four bobblehead giveaways slated for the 2024 season. The first took place on March 30 with a Corbin Carroll bobblehead to commemorate his 2023 Rookie of the Year award. Hawkins said the bobbleheads are useful promotional tools for baseball more so than other professional sports leagues like the NFL or NBA because of the quantity of games. He noted they help get casual fans out to the ballpark and that giveaway games can lead to a 5-25 percent increase in attendance compared to regular games. Teams around the league strategize when they schedule giveaways to maximize potential attendance. Hawkins said the San Diego Padres, for example, give their bobbleheads away on weekdays because they don’t have trouble filling seats on weekends. The Diamondbacks schedule most of their giveaways for weekends due to the heat in the summer. On bobblehead giveaway days, the lines to get into Chase Field can stretch all the way across the concourse. To prepare for that, fans sometimes show up early – very early. “We got here around 11:30 (a.m.),” said D’Andre Hulett, a 19-year-old Diamondbacks fan who wanted to secure the Carroll bobblehead and scheduled his day around the 5:10 p.m. first pitch. Hulett has been coming to Diamondbacks games since he was around 5 years old and enjoys collecting the giveaway bobbleheads. “It’s a piece of history,” Hulett said. “It’s a trinket that shows a member of a team that you enjoy and it’s a thing that you can take forever and enjoy.” The desire to acquire these bobbleheads has led to fans re-selling – even pre-selling – them online. Fans can go on eBay and pay to have someone go to the stadium and get them a bobblehead. Multiple listings can be found for Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno’s bobblehead to celebrate his first Gold Glove award, which will be given away Saturday. Each guest – depending on the quantity available – gets one bobblehead when they enter the stadium, but it’s not uncommon to see people walking around the stadium with several. Sklar has developed a few different strategies to secure multiple bobbleheads at games. To improve their collection, Sklar and his friend, Brad Novak, who is the other co-founder of the museum, simply ask people if they wanted theirs. They even offer money to kids and teenagers who may not care to keep the souvenirs. “They (kids) were excited, we were happy and it was a win-win,” Sklar said. Sklar and Novak got the idea to open the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum when Novak was working for the Rockford RiverHawks and he would bring home bobbleheads the team would give away. It then led to collecting more and more. While the two had a passion for collecting sports memorabilia, they also recognized the value in bobbleheads. Once they opened the museum, they expanded to collecting pop culture and political bobbleheads, which led to a sizable collection. They even began making their own, starting with Special Olympian Michael Poll, a friend of theirs. “We saw the value,” Sklar said. “You could go to a game and get a bobblehead with your ticket and the same bobblehead might be selling for $25, $50, $100 or even more." In order for demand to be high for the bobbleheads, however, the teams need players the fans are invested in. Hawkins said the reason the Diamondbacks produced no bobbleheads in 2022 was because of the lack of a solidified star, plus some supply chain issues. The stars of today’s MLB once grew up idolizing their favorite players. The significance of getting a bobblehead night can vary depending on which player you ask, but for some, it’s a dream come true. Maikel Garcia, infielder for the Kansas City Royals, dreamed of playing in the major leagues while growing up in Venezuela.The Royals are giving away 15,000 Garcia bobbleheads on July 20, the first time the young Venezuelan will be transformed into a bobblehead. Garcia said he aspired as a kid to see all the fans line up for a mini version of him and was honored that the Royals chose him to be featured on a bobblehead. “It’s a dream come true,” Garcia said. “When I was young I dreamed of that and I recognize how hard I’ve worked all my career and that’s a blessing.” Hawkins said while players don’t usually have input on the design process, it’s still important to them. He said Carroll looked at his first bobblehead as a moment to know he’s really made it to the big stage. It’s also a special moment for the players’ families when they get a bobblehead night. https://twitter.com/Dbacks/status/1695149517522506163/video/1 For Carroll’s second bobblehead on March 30, lines stretched all the way from the box office to Jefferson Street. It was a bustling scene outside Chase Field, and Hawkins and the Diamondbacks have heard from fans and expect that to be a trend moving forward. “The fans want more and as they get to know the players we have more,” Hawkins said. “They’re happy that we’ve got four planned for this year. And we’ll see, but it always seems like ‘more is better.’” ]]>