From Our Team

Talk with your kids about Healthy Relationships

Posted on May 4, 2015 by Bianca De León

Do you remember your first crush? The first time you held hands with that special someone? What about your first kiss? For most of us, these experiences were positive, maybe even romantic, and filled with newly discovered emotions as we explored this new phase of our sexuality. Adolescents and teens are beginning to explore those emotions in similar ways. It’s important for parents to understand this phase of their child’s development and find ways to communicate the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships, especially with teen dating violence on the rise.

Teen dating…

Palcohol: the next frontier

Posted on April 6, 2015 by Jon Law

The TTB’s decision is not without controversy. Alaska, Delaware, Louisiana, South Carolina and Vermont already have banned powdered alcohol and several other states are considering the same action. Supporters of banning the product are concerned with the potential use and misuse of Palcohol by youth. They argue that powdered alcohol is easily concealed and could be mixed with liquid alcohol, rather than water, to create a dangerous substance. David Jernigan, associate professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, explains: “we know that there is a certain set of young people…

Positive attitude = healthy outcomes

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Enrique Mata

Working with Paso del Norte Health Foundation’s Think.Change initiative, I’ve developed a deeper understanding of the vital role mental and emotional well-being plays in overall health. Building a society of acceptance and support includes practicing positive thinking, which contributes to better emotional health. I learned firsthand that each of us plays a role in reducing the negative bias associated with mental and emotional illness.

In 2006, my brother was diagnosed with stage III rectal cancer at 39 years of age and went through more than a year of treatment and surgeries….

Recess - the 4th R

Posted on February 2, 2015 by Dr. Michael Kelly

Elementary school children benefit from free play and having breaks from sitting in a classroom. Unfortunately, not all children in grades kindergarten to 5th have adequate daily recess.

Children who misbehave at school may be punished by having recess denied, despite the fact that this is usually against school policy. Other children may be deprived of recess to attend tutoring or make-up exams after being out sick, which may also be against policy. Based on the existing literature, however, recess is beneficial for both social and academic performance and should not be withheld for any…

Things Happening in February

Posted on February 2, 2015 by Jon Law

Another Step Closer to a Smoke Free Paso del Norte …

Big props to The Housing Authority for the City of El Paso (HACEP) and its leadership for planning to takepublic housing smoke free. Holly Mata (UTEP) and her team from the Hispanic Health Disparities Research Center conducted a survey of HACEP residents and found that more than 40% of residents smell secondhand smoke in their units. The policy shift will also protect HACEP’s physical property as the housing authority undergoes a major renovation of its units.

Interested in Texas Demographics?

Consider attending the Texas…

The Soda Ban is Stupid

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Jon Law

While on the theme of soda taxes, I’d like to share the following link “The Soda Ban is Stupid”.

Dr. Carroll, Professor of Pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine, asserts that we are unfairly demonizing soda, when other foods in chain restaurants have a much greater contribution to caloric unbalance (eating more than we burn). Take a look at his analysis of a 4000 calorie meal at Chili’s. Arguably, the Coca Cola is least threatening of the foods in this hypothetical meal….

México 'One Ups' NYC

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Jon Law

An update for those who may not know — Mexico has a new soda tax, referred to in Mexico as the “Impuesto a las bebidas azucaradas” (tax on sugared drinks).

In 2013, the Peña Nieto administration approved a number of fiscal reforms, which include a tax of 1 peso (approximately 8 cents) per liter of soda. In addition, there is a 5% excise tax on high calorie packaged foods, like potato chips and sweetened breakfast cereals.

This tax is a little different from New York City’s soda law passed in 2012. The NYC Board of Health, with strong encouragement from Mayor Bloomberg, banned many…

Getting a hold on Underage Drinking

Two weeks ago, several local organizations hosted a training for law enforcement officers titled “Controlled Party Dispersal.” The purpose of the training was to prepare officers to safely control and contain underage alcohol parties. As the officers engaged with the trainer, I was shocked to hear about the excesses of underage alcohol parties officers encountered in all parts of El Paso County. In two cases, the parties were hosted by businesses with underage individuals as the targeted customers. While the officers’ anecdotes are shocking, these specific events are merely symptoms of a…

Surviving Flu Season

From the office to the gym, it seems like I’m constantly running into folks who are recovering from the flu or hearing about folks who are out due to illness. My perceptions appear to correlate with the data. According to the El Paso Department of Public Health, 2,902 flu cases have been reported from October through the third week in January, and there are likely many other cases that do not get reported.

“Flu” refers to illnesses caused by different influenza viruses. Symptoms of flu include fever, coughing, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, headaches, chills and fatigue. Each year…

Help Youth Avoid Drinking

A while back, I was talking with a friend of mine who runs a local business. He shared with me his interviews with two great candidates for his company. These young people (ages 22-24) had relevant skills, ambition, and seemed to be promising hires. As part of his business, he routinely conducts background checks on all new employees. The two checks on these individuals found that both had DWI (driving while intoxicated) offenses on their records. Much to his disappointment, the increased cost to manage the associated risks made it so he could not afford to hire them.

My friend’s…