From Our Team

Collaboration is vital to improving health

Posted on September 19, 2016 by Enrique Mata

Some have said that El Paso organizations do not collaborate well. In fact, a 2014 assessment of the El Paso behavioral health system showed ‘the biggest challenge confronting El Paso’s behavioral health system was fragmentation and lack of program collaboration.’ Over the past 24 months, I’ve witnessed exactly the opposite as the El Paso Behavioral Health Consortium partners came together at all levels to address known gaps in the mental and behavioral healthcare system.

True collaboration requires organizations to exchange information for mutual benefit, alter activities, share…

Youth Use of E-cigarettes on the Rise

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Jana Renner

The smoking landscape has changed in the past five years. The good news is that youth smoking rates are down. The proportion of middle and high school students in the U.S. that regularly use cigarettes is below 10 percent. Years of comprehensive tobacco control prevention efforts have led to this decline in smoking rates. Cigarette marketing has been banned for decades, and many communities, like El Paso, are protected by Clean Air ordinances.

Big Tobacco has found ways to counter these decreases in smoking. The use of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), more commonly…

Program helping disconnected kids connect with the outdoors

Posted on June 6, 2016 by Guest Author

I recently had the opportunity to accompany my eleven year old son on his first official Boy Scout camp-out. As a father who was once a scout himself and loved to camp as a young man, I found myself a little anxious about the experience. I wanted my son to love camping the way I had when I was young. In this day and age of computers and video games, I was worried how this real life experience would match up against the virtual world he’d become accustomed to in his Minecraft video game.

Upon arriving at camp, I was quickly relieved to discover that the young people of today…

Talking with kids about difficult topics

Posted on May 2, 2016 by Bianca De León

I recently answered a frantic telephone call from a friend. Let’s call her Sara. She caught her 13 year old son looking at pornography on his iPad. Sara was calling me because she heard me talk about my work and the importance of talking with your kids. Instead of ignoring the situation, or getting mad about it, she wanted some guidance and advice on how to address this uncomfortable situation.

Since 2007, the Paso del Norte Health Foundation has maintained a media campaign with a simple message: talk with your kids. Not to your kids, or at your kids, but with your kids. It’s part of the…

Healthy Eating Active Living - HEAL U offers information for health professionals

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Leah Whigham

Despite the many years of education received by physicians, nurses, and other health care providers, very few receive adequate training related to obesity, nutrition, and physical activity. And yet, the majority of our population – about 2/3 of people – are overweight or obese. Obesity is a complex disease that requires a complex approach in order to address it and the many other chronic diseases that are associated with obesity. The Paso del Norte Institute for Healthy Living (IHL) with support from the Paso del Norte Health Foundation is hosting HEAL U on Saturday, April 23rd…

Stay connected with individuals to avoid risk of isolation

Posted on March 7, 2016 by Enrique Mata

As warm weather and more daylight approach our calendars quickly fill free time with outdoor work or activities for the kids. As outdoor activities gain traction remember to stay connected to friends and loved ones who may not be as agile or are at risk for isolation.

The importance of maintaining relationships that provide support, friendship, love, and hope cannot be emphasized enough. Being isolated from these types of support is a significant contributor to poor mental health and can lead to mental illness. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration…

Do I or will I have diabetes?

Posted on February 1, 2016 by Dr. Michael Kelly

I’ve seen it in restaurants, homes, sporting events, meetings, in cars, and other places. People who keep going back for another glass of water or juice, looking tired all the time or taking naps, complaining of blurry vision when driving, and seemingly always hungry. These are all symptoms of diabetes and should not be ignored.

Many people have either diabetes or prediabetes. While the exact number is not known, perhaps fifteen percent or more of adults have diabetes and more than one-third of the U.S. adult population is at risk for prediabetes. Prediabetes, like diabetes, is…

Ring in A Smoke Free New Year

Posted on January 4, 2016 by Jana Renner

Another year has come and gone, and it’s time for New Year’s resolutions. Many of us will set a health goal for 2016. Some of us will vow to exercise more or eat less. If you smoke, you may set a goal to quit smoking. If so, congratulations! The decision to quit is a significant first step in improving your health.

Here are some facts that might help further motivate you to quit or assist a loved one in quitting. Quitting smoking may be the best way to significantly increase the life expectancy of smokers. In fact, smokers who quit by the age of 40 can increase their life expectancy…

Add Some Festive Vegetables and Fruits to Your Holiday Meals

Posted on December 7, 2015 by Leah Whigham

The holiday season is upon us, and many of us have a hard time maintaining healthy eating habits during this time of year. One approach is to focus on including more vegetables and fruits.

Adequate intake of vegetables and fruits is important for several reasons:

1) Many vegetables and fruits are good sources of nutrients that most of us don’t get enough of such as folate, potassium, dietary fiber, and vitamins A, C, and K.

2) Eating vegetables and fruits is associated with decreasing your risk of cardiovascular disease (including heart attacks and stroke) and some types of…

Learn to monitor kid's social media activity

Posted on November 9, 2015 by Bianca De León

I remember as a teenager, my mother complained that I spent all day with my friends at school and the minute I got home, I immediately hopped on the telephone with them. She would often question, “What else is there to talk about when you’ve spent all day with them?” Of course for us, there was plenty to discuss. My friends and I would party line other friends and talk about nothing in particular and everything that was happening in our lives. It was a way for my friends and me to be connected even when we weren’t in the same room.

For most teens, peers are everything. Their opinion…