We’ve all heard about the benefits of telemedicine and its impact on people’s immediate health and longer-term wellbeing. We’ve even seen television shows and commercials depicting emergency personnel using real-time telemedicine technology to save lives. The rewards of telemedicine can be great, but there is still much that needs to be done to ensure that we take full advantage of its potential.

Before the promise of telemedicine and mHealth can become a reality for all people, a robust high-speed wireless infrastructure must be in place. Currently, too many people and communities are unable to fully participate in the digital age because the essential LTE (the newest and most advanced wireless service) infrastructure isn’t yet available to them. Policies that encourage investment in wireless networks are needed to make sure that all people can benefit from modern medicine coupled with advanced communications technologies.

The widespread deployment of telemedicine-enabling technology will increase the efficiency and efficacy of health care systems designed to treat and monitor conditions like diabetes and heart disease for patients who may have difficulty attending regular doctor’s visits. This is particularly true for members of the Hispanic population, who stand to benefit tremendously from increased availability of telemedicine.

Telemedicine could help break down the factors that contribute the most to the poor health outcomes among Hispanics, including language and cultural barriers, lack of access to preventive care, and lack of health insurance. Hispanics have the highest uninsured rates of any racial or ethnic group. According to the U.S. Office of Minority Health, in 2010, 30.7 percent of the Hispanic population was not covered by health insurance, as compared to 20.8 percent of African Americans and 11.7 percent of the non-Hispanic Whites.

Hispanics also have some significant health disparities that could be prevented with access to mobile telemedicine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that Hispanics suffer disproportionately from cancers, diabetes, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, HIV/AIDS, obesity, and liver disease, many of which can be either prevented or controlled by early detection and treatment.

While existing telemedicine applications like heart rate and blood-glucose monitoring systems are already paying dividends, new and developing telemedicine solutions could offer tremendous benefits for patients, healthcare providers, and taxpayers.

In rural communities, for example, telemedicine enables medical specialists to serve people living in remote areas more readily, while electronic health records give providers an in-depth look into a patient’s medical history, enabling more coordinated and effective care.

Telemedicine will also lead to a substantial reduction in patient health-related expenditures. A study by the Center for Information Technology Leadership showed that after a five year investment, telemedicine applications could generate $4.28 billion in savings nationwide.

The FCC concurs with the above analysis and recognizes that broadband-enabled solutions will play an important role in improving healthcare for the aging and Hispanics, lowering health care costs, and expanding the number of healthcare professionals available to the infirm or those living in remote areas.

Now fast, reliable, and interactive wireless telemedicine is being deployed across the nation. As we saw at the CTIA Wireless Association’s national convention this week, all four of the major carriers are rolling out or have announced that they are going to roll out 4G LTE networks. These 4G LTE networks bring blazing fast speeds, much needed to keep up with the data demands of video conferencing with medical specialists in other cities or states, transmitting medical imagery for referrals and even monitoring our day to day health lives.

While the pace of deployment of technology capable of supporting truly powerful wireless telemedicine is proceeding at a deliberate pace right now, we need to ensure wireless networks are equipped to handle this technology in combination with other data-intensive services. We also need to ensure that high-speed wireless access is made available to as many Americans as possible to ensure every community has the opportunity to benefit from these life-changing technologies. The Obama Administration has made ubiquitous high-speed wireless broadband deployment a priority, but if this goal is to be achieved, the FCC must create an environment in which private companies are encouraged to invest in our nation’s network infrastructure.

Private sector investment can help speed access to and adoption of this life-changing technology. But it would also do much more: Wireless investment creates quality jobs and drives economic growth. For example, analysts at Deloitte Consulting recently found that U.S. industry investment in wireless infrastructure—conservatively estimated to be between $25–$53 billion during 2012–2016—could account for 371,000–771,000 new jobs and as much as $73–$151 billion in GDP growth during that same period. Other economists have produced much higher numbers from their analyses, but it is clear that private investment has the potential to create jobs and growth as it strengthens our nation’s wireless networks.

Pro-investment policies will help our country reach President Obama’s broadband goals as well as ensure greater access to opportunities, education, and quality health care for all people. It’s critical that we promote ways to expeditiously expand access to advanced wireless technology capable of supporting interactive telemedicine applications, enabling patients and doctors to speak and exchange pertinent information wirelessly from the comfort of their own homes. This saves time, energy, and money. And lives. A win-win for all Americans.

I am heartened by the tremendous capabilities and advances in telemedicine technology. Even more so, I am overwhelmed by the life-changing power of telemedicine. In my educated opinion, every effort to put telemedicine technology in the hands of more of the aging population and Hispanics is something we should strive for and support.

Dr. Elena Rios serves as President & CEO of the National Hispanic Medical Association, (NHMA), representing Hispanic physicians in the United States. The mission of the organization is to improve the health of Hispanics. Dr. Rios also serves as President of NHMA’s National Hispanic Health Foundation affiliated with the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, New York University, to direct educational and research activities.

This article originally appeared on Fox News Latino

By Jason Llorenz

Today, there are more wireless subscriptions than people in the U.S. That’s just one of the facts we reveal in the first of a series of Hispanic Technology and Telecommunications Partnership (HTTP) info graphics available in English and Spanish. If you have a “work” mobile phone plus a “personal” device, you’re part of that trend. Here’s another shocker: by the end of 2012, there will be more wireless subscriptions than people on the planet. This ever-growing increase in demand is great news for developers who are creating new apps, and for entrepreneurs who are connecting to the global marketplace and growing their businesses.

It’s also important news for Hispanics, who are relying on their mobile devices more and more. In fact, according to a 2010 Pew Internet and American Life study, Hispanics continue to be the most active users of mobile devices for internet access. On average, 51 percent of Hispanics access the internet from their phone, as compared to 33 percent of whites and 46 percent of African Americans. With young adults leading these data trends, we can only expect these numbers and percentages to increase.

As evidenced by the above, we aren’t just using our phones to talk. In the first half of 2011, more than 6 billion text messages were sent each day — that’s a 16 percent increase in just one year. But as more and more people join the wireless revolution, there’s a bigger demand for spectrum- the invisible airwaves that carry phone calls, e-mails, connections to the Internet, tweets, streaming music and videos to mobile phones. In other words, spectrum is what makes our mobile devices work.

As mobile phone use has increased, wireless networks have become overloaded, and as this congestion increases, so too will dropped calls, unreliable connections and slower Internet speeds. Of particular concern is potential cost increases and stricter data caps driven by lack of available spectrum, which is most dangerous to emerging online communities who choose mobile because of cost and flexibility.

Congress recently approved legislation that would provide an opportunity to reallocate underutilized broadcast spectrum through a reverse auction process, which is a step in the right direction. As shown in the info graphic, by 2016, 10 billion mobile devices worldwide will be connected to wireless networks. However, as the numbers demonstrate, the data demands of these devices and their owners will only be met if spectrum is freed up to drive investment in mobile capacity.

Inaction on spectrum threatens to roll back the great benefits of mobile Internet access to Hispanic communities and others who rely on their mobile devices for a less expensive, flexible, always on-hand access to the web.

Jason A Llorenz, Esq. is Executive Director, the Hispanic Technology and Telecommunications Partnership (HTTP). Follow on twitter: @hispanicttp. www.httponline.org.

After almost two decades, a federal law that protects immigrants who are victims of domestic and sexual violencehas become the subject of debate in D.C.

The Violence Against Women Act, or VAWA, has provided funding since 1994 to assist victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence and identify and prosecute their abusers. But for the first time in the legislation’s longstanding history of bipartisan support — the act was reauthorized in 2000 and 2005 without a hitch — the law that’s again up for renewal is causing a stir in Congress.

Representatives on both sides of the aisle are using the bill to name-call and draw a line in the sand on hot-button issues such as benefits for immigrants without legal status.

Recent history of the bill

The Senate approved a version of VAWA on April 24 by a vote of 68 to 31. Every woman and every Democrat voted in support of the bill, as well as 15 Republicans.

But the House of Representatives is slated to take up its own version of a VAWA reauthorization bill this week. The legislation, which was authored by Rep. Sandy Adams, a Republican from Florida, leaves out some of the Senate provisions and inserted others that led the White House to deem the bill “a significant step backwards from the existing law.”

Another House version of VAWA, authored by a female Democrat from Wisconsin, is waiting to pass a committee vote. Its supporters say that version is more closely aligned with the Senate bill.

But it’s likely that the Republican-authored version of VAWA will pass this week. Adams herself is a survivor of domestic violence and the bill already has the backing of the full House leadership. If no Republican woman breaks with her party, it’s a shoo-in.

The next step would be a showdown between Senate and House members in a conference committee. They’d hash out their differences and come up with a final bill that would go before both houses for a vote.

One of the major conflicts between the Senate and House versions is over visa provisions for battered undocumented immigrants. Known as the U visa, it was created under VAWA in 2000 to encourage victims without legal status to report their abusers and cooperate with law enforcement, providing victims with a path to citizenship.

But the House bill places restrictions on U visa applications that immigration lawyers say would make it difficult for them to recommend that any woman apply for a U visa.

As the law stands, the victim’s identity and report of abuse are kept confidential. The House bill adds a provision that would allow immigration officers to inform abusers that an alleged victim is applying for immigration status, giving the abusive partner the choice to be interviewed as evidence in the case. House Republicans say this would help reduce fraudulent claims, arguing some foreign nationals have gotten residency status by making up abuse.

The House bill also holds the U visa cap at 10,000 (the Senate bill raises it by 5,000). Republicans say raising the cap would increase the deficit.

To qualify for a visa, the bill requires that the abuse currently be under investigation or in the prosecution phase, a move that lawyers say punishes victims if the judicial system is moving slowly. The House bill also eliminates the provision that allows U visas holders to seek legal permanent residency after their visa expires.

“If we keep immigrant victims in the shadows, it undermines public safety and community policing,” stated Rosie Hildalgo, the director of public policy at a domestic violence-centered organization, Casa de Esperanza at a recent press conference. “These restrictions are completely unnecessary.”

This article originally appeared on VOXXI.

President Barack Obama’s recent announcement supporting gay marriage has unveiled a growing alliance between young Latinos and gay activists.

Since President Obama’s announcement supporting gay marriage last week, Latinos across the country have come forward attempting to dispel the idea that Latinos are less tolerant of homosexuality than the general public, while hoping to take the efforts and determination of the gay rights movement as an example to follow.

“We need to take a lesson from the (lesbian and gay) community with regard to being that loud, squeaky wheel that gets fixed,” says Dee Dee Garcia Blasé, Somos Republicanos Founder. “We need to be more aggressive, and we realize it.”

According to a poll released by the National Council of La Raza, the country’s biggest Latino civil rights advocacy organization, 49% of the 66% self-identifying Roman Catholics favored allowing same-sex marriage.

Despite the belief that Latinos tend to be more conservative on family and social issues, individuals like Gary Segura, Director of Chicano Studies at Stanford University, does not believe that those views will impact their political decisions.

“[I]t’s not how Latinos vote. It’s about jobs, the economy, education,” says Segura.

For many Latinos, the President’s announcement seems to have reenergized their support.

“While it may not be the most politically advantageous decision to make, he made the right decision,” says Rick Palacio, Chairman of Colorado’s Democratic Party. “I think that’s more important than anything else. He’s putting the right thing to do ahead of politics.”

Huffington Post

Although texting while driving is a growing national concern, it is of greater concern among our Latino teen population. According to a poll released today, while Hispanic teens are aware of the dangers of texting and driving, a troubling 54 percent admit to engaging in the risky behavior.  Additionally, 52 percent of our teenagers who were interviewed in this survey, report seeing their parents text while driving (I will admit here to doing it at times when alone in the car at red lights—a big no-no so I am working on that!), raising concerns over parents’ influence on their child’s driving habits. Whether peer pressure or following a bad example plays a role, the pressure is on—this data clearly shows that the temptation to respond quickly to a text and constantly glance at our phone while driving is greater than ever before.

So what can we do?  Innovative companies like AT&T are taking the lead.  They have developed the AT&T DriveMode, an app that auto-responds to any incoming texts with a message that says they’ll reply when it is safe. It silences incoming text noises and sends calls to voicemail, minimizing the temptation to respond. The company’s goal is to send a simple message to anyone who considers texting while driving: it can wait.

One study by the Texas Transportation Institute concluded that when people read or send texts while driving, their reaction time doubles. Sending a text takes an average of five seconds—but doing that while traveling 55 miles per hour is the equivalent of driving the length of a football field with a blindfold on. It sounds unbelievable that anyone would unnecessarily close their eyes for a full five seconds while driving on the highway—and texting while driving is no different.

“AT&T is committed to educating the public—particularly teens—on the risks of texting behind the wheel,” said Mariel Llenza, Director of Hispanic advertising for AT&T.  “Our ongoing efforts also include work with non-profit, safety-focused organizations like the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) to educate teens about the choices they’re making when they text and drive. We are also working with terrific Latino organizations like LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) and the Hispanic Institute among others, to ensure the word gets out far and wide about dangers to our kids when they text and drive.”

AT&T also created The Last Text, a powerful, 10-minute documentary that features real stories about lives that have been dramatically altered by texting and driving.

All of you supermoms out there can help spread the word as well by visiting www.att.com/itcanwait, watching the documentary and signing the “It Can Wait” pledge—and letting all your amigas, comadres, loved ones, colleagues and community know that texting while driving is taking an unacceptable risk. Texting doesn’t just affect you—it can change the lives of the passengers in your car, your family, and strangers on the road. It puts everyone’s safety at risk.

It is simply tragic that a month that holds so many happy occasions and important steps for teens and their families is also so scarred by the loss of teen lives.  Let’s make sure that our teenagers are smart, savvy and well-protected.  For all of our familias!

It’s an exciting time to be young—the world is changing faster than ever before and it is heartening to see companies like AT&T play a big yet responsible part in the innovations that are connecting us and revolutionizing our way of life.  So as technology progresses and mobile solutions become an even bigger part of our life, let’s step back and remind ourselves that unless used responsibly, technology can have very real consequences. While being connected is important mijito, while you are driving, it can wait.

Maria Cardona serves as Contributing Editor for Mamiverse, guiding readers through the political process and analyzing issues important to the influential Latina mami vote.

U.S. Hispanics may be seen as a pivotal force in the upcoming presidential election and marketing campaigns aimed at their collective economic strength, but it is still harder for a Galindo or a Lopez to land a job with the feds.

And arguments that citizenship – or lack thereof – is what holds Hispanics back are beginning to ring false.

While Latinos make up more than 16 percent of the U.S. population, they only make up less than 8 percent of the federal workforce (that goes down to under 4 percent for management levels). The disparity has led to some to place the blame on the fact that 25 percent of Hispanics counted in the U.S. Census are not citizens, a requirement for federal employment.

But Jorge Ponce, director of Policy and Evaluation Division at the Office of Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Commerce, challenged that argument Monday in a commentary he wrote for the National Institute for Latino Policy.

Ponce did the math. And once the non-citizens are subtracted from the civilian working pool of 24 million, there was still a workforce pool of almost 19 million Hispanics for the feds to consider.

More importantly, that number accounts for 12 percent of the U.S. workforce. Which means there is still a 4-point gap between that figure and the number of Hispanics under federal employment.

What there isn’t any more, Ponce said, is room for excuses.

“It defies logic that … federal managers can’t find enough qualified Hispanics,” Ponce wrote in the piece published Monday. “This is a challenge that has remained unsolved for the last 42 years.”

Rather than come up with excuses or rationalizing the obvious gap, Ponce said it was time for the U.S. government to take the matter seriously. He cited President Barack Obama’s 2011 White House Proclamation on National Hispanic Heritage Month, in which Obama said that “the future of America is inextricably linked to the future of our Hispanic community.”

Ponce said: “It is about time that the federal government did a little less conversation, and a little more action!”

This article originally appeared on VOXXI.

Event Announcement

U.S. Immigration Policy:  The Border Between

Reform and the Economy

A Hamilton Project Policy Discussion

Tuesday, May 15, 2012, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm

The National Press Club Ballroom, 529 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20045

America’s immigration policy no longer serves the needs of our fast-changing global economy. Failure to address immigration reform at the national level has resulted in missed opportunities to spur America’s economic growth and productivity.

On May 15, The Hamilton Project at Brookings will explore the challenges and opportunities for immigration reform in today’s political and economic climate. Cecilia Muñoz, Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, will give featured remarks on the Obama administration’s efforts to reform America’s broken immigration system and why that is an economic imperative.

In the first panel, UC Davis Economist Giovanni Peri will present a new proposal for a market-based approach to immigration reform. A panel of experts representing a range of perspectives will discuss details of the proposal. A second panel of thought leaders will discuss many of the broader issues surrounding today’s immigration reform debate. Participants include: former U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), Silver Lake Co-Founder Glenn Hutchins, National Council of La Raza President and CEO Janet Murguía, and UNITE HERE President John Wilhelm. Following each panel the participants will take audience questions.

Agenda

Obesity is one of the leading health issues in the United States, and this is no exception in the Latino community.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) (hyperlink only name, not bracket), 39.1% of Latino adults are considered obese, defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater based on height and weight. The CDC’s recommended BMI for healthy living is between 18 and 25.

Obesity is also an epidemic among Latino children, with 14.8% of Latino infants being overweight.

The Latino obesity issue is so pressing in the United States that First Lady Michelle Obama has incorporated efforts into her existing Let’s Move! Campaign by ensuring Spanish-language outreach of the campaign.

“The Hispanic community faces unique challenges,” says Mrs. Obama. “While one in three kids in America is overweight or obese, we know that in [the] Hispanic community, it’s nearly two in five — two in five.”

Latino organizations and community leaders are conscious of the issue. For example, Dialogue on Diversity has decided to address the topic at their annual Health Care Symposium taking place next week on May 16^th in Washington, D.C. The symposium will cover various health related issues affecting Latinos and other minority groups.

Examples of panels that will be held are: “Food/Nutrition and Preventative Strategies: Focused Prevention” featuring Lisa Pino, Deputy Director of SNAP Supplemental Nutrition, Assistance Program; “Cultural Competency: Disparities, Communications, Immigrant Women” featuring Dr. Leon Rodriguez, Director of Civil Rights Division, United States Department of Health and Human Services; and “Medical Information Technology and Privacy Perils” featuring Dr Geeta Nayyar, Chief Medical Information Officer.

The Health Care Symposium is free to the public and includes breakfast and lunch. There will be free diabetes testing and simultaneous translation (English/Spanish) available.

To register for the Symposium, click here. For more information on Dialogue on Diversity, click here.

NBC Latino

Obamafoodomrama

Now comes all the warnings and predictions of what this will mean for the election in November. One of those dire warnings is that this will hurt him with his supporters among Latino communities. This will not be the case and here’s why:

For so long, Republicans have loved to push the meme, famously touted by Ronald Reagan, that Latinos are, by their nature, more conservative on religious and social issues and therefore will be open to the Republican point of view. While it is true that Latinos are more conservative on these issues — Republicans love to use gay marriage and abortion as the key examples — they historically do not base their vote on these issues. That is why no GOP presidential candidate in history has ever been able to attract a majority of Latino voters.

Most Latinos believe these issues are deeply personal and should not be decided by politicians. They may be conservative in their beliefs on these subjects, but economic issues trump social ones.

In addition, many Latinos have themselves experienced discrimination and marginalization and as such, according to a study done by Bendixen and Amandi, a public opinion research firm that specializes in issues affecting Latinos, most Latinos “deeply believe in the American principles of equality, fairness, and do not support discrimination against gays and lesbians.”

In fact, the poll, done for the LGBT think-tank Movement Advancement Project (MAP) and The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), showed that majorities of Latinos broadly support equality for gays and lesbians:

• 80% believe that gay people often face discrimination.

• 83% support housing and employment non-discrimination protections for gay people.

• 74% support either marriage or marriage-like legal

recognition for gay and lesbian couples.

• 73% say that gay people should be allowed to serve

openly in the military.

• 75% support school policies to prevent harassment and

bullying of students who are gay or perceived to be gay.

• 55% (and 68% of Latino Catholics) say that being gay is

morally acceptable.

These findings, of course, won’t stop Republicans from trying to drive a wedge between Latinos and Obama.

However, given the open-mindedness of most Latinos, and their penchant for fairness, given what many have already gone through historically as well as recently in this country, this is not an issue that the GOP will be able to use. If they try, it may backfire, though I confess it will be difficult to inflict any more damage than has already been done to Republicans by Mitt Romney’s full embrace of right wing, anti-illegal immigrant stances.

In two new polls, Romney trails Obama — in one by 50 points, the other by 68 points — among Latino voters.

Republicans will nonetheless try to use the churches, the clergy, and every other religious avenue they think will be available to them to paint the president’s support for gay marriage as going against Latinos’ traditional, religious and cultural beliefs.

This view also is flawed. In Bendixen & Amandi’s poll, 69% of Latino Christians said that their religion is “accepting of all people, including gay people. In addition, 79% of Latino Catholics said a person could express support for gay equality and still be a good Catholic.” That poll also found that Latino Catholics were among the stronger supporters of equality, mirroring results from recent polls for U.S. Catholics by ABC News/Washington Post and Gallup, among others.

Republicans are right on one thing. Family is first and foremost for Latinos. But for Latinos, familia is all extended family and what is anathema to most Latinos is the thought that they would turn their backs on any family member for any reason, including being gay.

In fact, Ingrid Duran and Catherine Pino, co-founders of D&P Creative Strategies and arguably two of the most prominent LGBT Latina activists in the country, are spearheading a ground-breaking campaign entitled Familia es Familia (Family is Family) that will launch at the NCLR (National Council of La Raza) conference in July along with 19 of the most prominent national Latino organizations.

“Latino LGBT families deserve to have committed, loving relationships like their parents, grandparents and other loving family members have enjoyed. Our families are no different and Latinos inherently understand, accept and embrace that notion,” say Duran and Pino.

This election, however, will still be decided on economic issues. Kitchen-table, bread-and-butter issues will be first and foremost with Latino voters, as with all Americans. As Latino unemployment continues to go down, as Latinos realize that the Affordable Care Act gives 9 million Latinos health care coverage they didn’t have before, as Latino students are able to go to college and pay back their loans thanks to President Obama’s policies, and as Latino abuelitos and abuelitas are able to pay for their prescription drugs, Latino families will know who is fighting for them and theirs.

The president’s decision to support equal and full rights for gay Americans only adds to that equation.

It was a bold and courageous move based on being true to one’s personal and Christian beliefs. A move Mitt Romney could learn from.

Mamiverse.com, a website aimed at creating a community and enriching the lives of Latina mothers and their families, has launched their newest endeavor, Mamiverse Food.

“Nothing in the world is better than a mother’s home cooked meal,” says Rene Alegria, Mamiverse CEO. “This is particularly the case for Latino families. By featuring Latina mother-approved recipes, we’re inviting America to take a seat at our virtual table.”

Maria Cardona, Dewey Square Group Principal and Latinovations Founder, who serves as Contributing Editor for Mamiverse, couldn’t agree more.

“As a Latina mami, having Latin food on my table is very important,” says Cardona. It’s not just about providing my children with nourishment, but also about showing them the importance of embracing our Latino culture while living in and embracing their American identity.”

As previously reported on La Plaza, Cardona guides Latina mamis through the political process, analyzing important issues that impact the Latina mom in her role as Contributing Editor for Mamiverse.

In addition to the communal and nostalgic relationship that Mamiverse Food will be addressing, it is also putting front-and-center the powerful link between Latinos and food in the U.S.: In recent years, there has been a clear growth in America’s interest in Latin food. A study conducted by Packaged Food, a division of MarketResearch.com, found that the Latino food market; already a multi-billion industry, is projected to make $10 billion by 2014.

Mamiverse Food intends to reach beyond Latina mothers by providing content that is both diverse and gender-inclusive.

“Beyond Latina moms, our aim is to invite men, non-Latinos, and foodies of all ages to connect, share and celebrate our cuisine,” says Alegria. “Nothing says family like food from the heart.”

PR Newswire