Flavors of Oaxaca: Cultural Exchange and Health Promotion

by Nell Curran and Antonio Nuñez
Staff Contributors
Open-air markets selling goats, pigs, and cows to be used for meat or farming; a quincieanara celebrating a teen’s exit from childhood; delicious homemade tamales sold street side by an elderly grandmother ; churches adorned with purple and white decorations in celebration of Holy Week and Easter; mariachi bands, dressed in traditional attire, entertaining late night visitors to the town plaza ….such a list represents a snapshot of the many experiences of the 5th annual San Jose State Health Science Intercambio in Mexico, March 26-April 2, 2010.

What started in 2005 as a few students accompanying Health Science Chair, Kathleen Roe, to a rural town in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, has evolved into a rich, ongoing cultural exchange. Arrazola, famous for its hand carved and intricately painted woodcraft, has established a cooperative of artisans who welcome SJSU students into their community to share their work, cuisine, traditions, and values. In addition to sharing a home with families, this year’s trip included structured visits to public health services such as the Canica Program which provides education to youth living and working on the streets, and participatory activities such as distributing meal kits at a local food bank.

The most anticipated event of the week was the premier Health Fair, held in partnership with the local clinic, for more than 400 individuals and families. SJSU students prepared interactive educational booths covering topics from diabetes to oral health. Community members prepared complimentary food and beverages and arranged for music and dance from all corners of Mexico. SJSU peer health educators also led the first sex education workshop of its kind for over 60 youth. The local health director was impressed with the quality of SJSU efforts and pleased with her community’s response; she is eagerly anticipating Health Fair number 2!

Similarly, the Health Science department looks forward to Oaxaca 2011! For students (undergraduate, graduate, and alumni) interested in attending, please check with the health science department in fall 2010 for dates, fees, and application details.

June 5 Beach Cleanup

The MPH-SA Community Service Committee and Social Committee hosted the MPH-SA's third beach cleanup and bonfire (a.k.a. tasty 'smores-eating gathering) on Saturday, June 5th. Thirteen MPH students, brand-new alumni, professors, family, and friends came together to pick up and enumerate trash at Main Manresa State Beach in Santa Cruz. 

Former Community Service Committee Chair Linda Pham reports that out of the three beach cleanups, we had probably picked up a total of 70 pounds of trash. Great job in helping the environment!

Linda also formally passed the reigns - and Quaker granola bars - on to new Community Service Committee Chair Shristi Reddy at our June cleanup.

Stay tuned for details about our fall beach cleanup on September 25 - National Beach Cleanup Day. We hope to see you there.

Photos courtesy of Linda Pham

Faculty Profile: Brian R. Grossman, Ph.D.

By The Harbinger Editorial Staff
Brian R. Grossman earned a B.A. in Psychology and Communication from Rutgers University; an M.S.P.H. in Health and Social Behavior from the Harvard School of Public Health; and a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California, San Francisco. He joined the Department of Health Science as an Assistant Professor in the spring of 2010. Prior to this position, Dr. Grossman taught as a part-time lecturer for the Department, as well as for both the Department of Sociology and the Graduate Program in Gerontology at San Francisco State University.

In 2007, Dr. Grossman was awarded the Diversity Curriculum Award from the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences at San Francisco State University for a course he developed entitled Disability and Inequality. Currently, he teaches HS 15 – Human Lifespan, GERO/HS 117 – Social Policies and Services in Aging, HS 140 – Human Sexuality, and HS 295 – Research Design and Methodology, and coordinates the fieldwork projects for the Gerontology Program. He is also one of the two undergraduate advisors for the Department of Health Science and the Concentration Coordinator for Option 3 (B.S. in Health Science with a Concentration in Gerontology). Dr. Grossman’s research is focused on disability and old age as categories of social, political, and economic exclusion, with a particular emphasis on both the construction of social identity and patterned experiences with social policies including Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Through his work with the Center for Personal Assistance Services at the University of California, San Francisco he conducted research on the limited and disparate state coverage of services and supports that allow people with disabilities and older people to remain living at home and in their communities. Dr. Grossman’s research has been published in Aging and Social Policy, Health and Social Policy, Home Health Care Services Quarterly, and Sexuality Research and Social Policy. He is co-editor of the volume, Social Insurance and Social Justice: Medicare, Social Security, and the Campaign Against Entitlements (Springer, 2009).

An Earthquake in Haiti Sheds Light on the Important Role of Public Health Professionals

By The Harbinger Editorial Staff

As the poorest nation in the western hemisphere, Haiti has long been plagued by a weak political, economic, and environmental infrastructure as well as an insufficient public health system and high rates of disease. Nearly half the population is illiterate, more than 80% are unemployed and 2/3 live in abject poverty, sustaining themselves on less than $2 US dollars a day. Less than half the Haitian population does not have access to primary care, and HIV/AIDS rates are strikingly high.

On January 12, 2010 a 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated the capitol city of Port-au-Prince, killing over 200,000 residents and leaving millions homeless. The aftermath of this natural disaster further highlighted how vulnerable populations, such as those in Haiti, disproportionately suffer.

Much like Hurricane Katrina exposed the economic, educational, and health disparities of poor, African-American families living in the destitute neighborhoods of New Orleans, Louisiana, the earthquake in Haiti forced the world to reflect on why the Haitian people suffered so severely. Within the opening months of this year, earthquakes ranging from 7.2 to 8.8 magnitudes also struck Mexico, California, Chile, and Turkey yet damage in these countries was significantly less; comparatively, only 57 died in Turkey and 531 died in Chile. Haiti’s wreckage was a direct result of its abject poverty, as weak building standards and shoddy construction led to the collapse of built structures and a devastating death toll.

Healthcare for the Undocumented

By Antonio Nuñez
Thousands of undocumented workers arrive in the United States each day. They face a potentially hostile environment, vulnerable to harassment and deportation on a daily basis, for the opportunity to work the jobs deemed most undesirable by Americans. For working in these conditions undocumented immigrants receive no commendation, no hazard pay or benefits. Yet their contributions to our community are unmistakable because they have an impact in almost every industry and have a major role in feeding us, clothing us, and providing us with shelter. As legal residents, we have the comfort of having three of our basic necessities provided by illegal residents but in exchange we do not allow illegal residents access to another necessity: healthcare. For this reason, denying healthcare to the undocumented is a human rights violation because those who sustain us are not allowed to sustain themselves.

Health is a universal need, but today has become a dichotomized condition pitting “right” versus “privilege” as definitions. In essence, we argue over whether there should be criteria for utilizing healthcare, and if so what constitute fair requirements. Two prerequisites for healthcare commonly used to deny its provision are income and legal status. Historically, rights have been reserved for those with privilege, and have only been shared following radical change. The right to vote, for example, was originally reserved for white men and reinforced by the requirement to be a land-owner, their exclusive privilege, in order to qualify. Successful social movements eventually made room for women and people of color in the voting booth.

Your Great-Grandparent’s Diet

by Primavera Hernandez
Staff Contributor    

    We are what we eat. The proof is in the pudding, so to speak. Increasing rates of heart disease, certain cancers, obesity and diabetes are gross epidemics associated with our nations lifestyle and diet.  As graduate students of public health our job is to learn ways in which we can promote healthy behaviors and elicit positive behavior changes.


    Take improving ones eating habits, for example. As a certified Nutrition Educator, I have learned over time that asking someone to change his or her diet is a very difficult and personal matter. No one likes their favorite comfort foods taken away from them. Be prepared to run because you might get hurt if you try to take away someone’s donuts, ice cream and soda - especially coffee.

Are you coming to Denver for SOPHE and APHA in November?

Reminder - SOPHE 61st Annual Meeting, Healthy People 2020: Scaling New Heights, will take place November 4-6 at the Marriott City Center in Denver, Colorado. Join us as we celebrate our own Dr. Daniel Perales, DrPH, as he takes the reigns as SOPHE president. See SOPHE.org for more information about the annual meeting.

Following SOPHE, stay in Denver for the APHA 138th Annual Meeting, "Social Justice: A Public Health Imperative," from November 6-10, 2010. Go to the APHA website for more information and to register. Early bird registration ends August 27!


Be sure to let us know if you plan on attending either conference. Please complete our brief survey to let us know when you'll be in town and if you are interested in being connected with other students for group accommodations.  Go to the survey.


More about accommodations: The SOPHE hotel rate is $205/night plus tax at the Denver Marriott City Center Hotel. This rate is based on availability and can be booked online thought October 13. As of this post, the $205 rate is still available. We welcome other  creative solutions for keeping student lodging costs down - please email sjsumph.professionalorgs@gmail.com with your suggestions.


We're looking forward to seeing you in Denver.

Sexual Diversity Event: Health Care Access for the LGBTQI Community

by Contributing Writer Hannah Bronsky

In March, after a lot of hard work, the Sexual Diversity Committee put on another stellar event. This year, the theme was Health Care Access in the LGBTQI communities through different lens. After a delicious spread where students and faculty sat at tables arranged and covered to look like a rainbow, and got to enjoy their beverages out of mugs designed by the committee to give out as parting gifts, a panel of speakers from the community answered questions and talked to the audience about their personal experiences with health care access. As health care professionals it is important to be informed about the unique needs of the communities we serve. This event helped open our eyes to the issues that LGBTQI individuals face when seeking health care services. For example, “Physicians need to know the right questions to ask…few doctors are asking their patients to get an HIV test even after the CDC has recommended everyone get the tests despite their sexual practices,” says Troy May, panel member and editor of ON (Out Now) magazine.

The event had 190 people in attendance which is wonderful for not only the success of the event but the future of the Sexual Diversity Committee and the future of the relationship between the Health Science department and its commitment to LGBTQI issues. It’s also important to reach out to the community and educate kids at a younger level as well as provide services to the elderly LGBTQI community, says Committee Chair Michele Mashburn. “More advocacy needs to be done and programs need to be done to address the needs of the LGBTQI community and not just a once a year event,” she says. The take home message of the event was to open people’s eyes to just some of the issues that the LGBTQI community face. The Sexual Diversity Committee can be proud of sending that message loud and clear.

Building Resiliency Through Community Service

by Contributing Writer Linda Pham
  
    On April 12, 2010, the MPH-SA Community Service Committee and Dr. Roe's HS: 104, Community Health Promotion, joined forces to support a health fair at Escuela Popular Learning Center. The purpose was to promote community health and build assets mainly within the Latino community. This was the Learning Center’s third annual health fair and first time collaborating with San José State University. Nearly 600 participants including representatives from different organizations were present.
    The Committee partnered up with non-profit group Save Out Shores to adopt Manresa State Beach in Santa Cruz. The participants and committee members completed two beach cleanups on September 19, 2009 and February 7, 2010 with a third scheduled for June 5, 2010. Participants collected more than 50 pounds of trash on both service days.
    “The beach clean-up was an awesome experience.  It felt really good to do something to improve the condition of our beaches.  I'm really glad I went and I can't wait to participate again in June!” said first year MPH student Amina Adofoadom.
    For more questions about the beach cleanup or to join the Community Service Committee in 2010 - 2011, contact Shristi Reddy at sreddy03@gmail.com.