Every Day is Magic: Ada Limón

In her 2015 collection, Bright Dead Things, a National Book Award finalist for poetry, Ada Limón writes of moving to Kentucky: “Confession: I did not want to live here.” It’s perhaps not a surprising sentiment coming from a coastally oriented person who was raised in Northern California, attended college in Seattle, and then spent over a decade in New York City.

 

But Limón and her husband, Lucas, have been in Lexington for seven years now and the effects of settling into this place are noticeable in her new book, The Carrying (Milkweed, Aug.). It’s a phenomenally lively and attentive collection replete with the trappings of living a little closer to nature. While Bright Dead Things is marked by a preponderance of light, such as images of fireflies and neon signs, The Carrying features numerous appearances by various trees, birds, and beetles. Limón also demonstrates a greater willingness to be explicit in naming colors, particularly green. “It’s crazy green, the whole book,” she says. “Lexington is the greenest place I’ve ever lived.” Similarly, where in Bright Dead Things, Limón tells a lot of stories and anecdotes, in The Carrying she is very present in her thoughts and experiences.

As it turns out, these shifts in focus have another, altogether unexpected source. While putting Bright Dead Things together, Limón was diagnosed with chronic vestibular neuronitis, which can cause bouts of vertigo. “If I’m really having vertigo, it’s pretty intense and I really have to focus,”
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Nursing

West Chicago ER doctor named to ‘40 Under 40’ List

“The National Hispanic Medical Association and the National Hispanic Health Foundation awarded Dr. Jessica Muñoz from West Chicago the “40 Under 40” award on Saturday, April 13, for her work in advancing Hispanic health equity.

A first-generation Mexican-American emergency medicine physician, Muñoz was nominated by state Sen. Karina Villa.

Villa stated: “Latinas make up less than 2.4% of all doctors in the United States and even less in emergency medicine; this shortage adversely affects patients from Spanish-speaking and minority backgrounds. Our country needs physicians like Dr. Muñoz, who can advocate for underserved populations…”

https://www.dailyherald.com/20240426/submitted-content/west-chicago-er-doctor-named-to-40-under-40-list/

Mangoceuticals’ (MGRX) MangoRx Mexico Executes Agreement with Mexican Manufacturer for Development and Production of Mango ED Products

“Mangoceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: MGRX) (“MangoRx” or the “Company”), a company focused on developing, marketing, and selling a variety of men’s health and wellness products in the area of erectile dysfunction (ED), hair growth and hormone replacement therapies is excited to announce that its subsidiary, MangoRx Mexico S.A. de C.V. (“MangoRx Mexico”), has secured and executed a technical agreement with Emifarma S.A. de C.V (“Emifarma”) for the initial stages of development and testing (Bioequivalence and Accelerated Stability, required to obtain registry from COFEPRIS) of the Company’s Mango ED products intended for the Mexican and Latin American markets…”

https://www.streetinsider.com/Corporate+News/Mangoceuticals+%28MGRX%29+MangoRx+Mexico+Executes+Agreement+with+Mexican+Manufacturer+for+Development+and+Production+of+Mango+ED+Products/23059826.html

The top 10 most common jobs for Hispanic and Latino scientists and engineers

“Jobs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics have grown by almost 80% in the past three decades. Part of the increased need for STEM professionals can be attributed to the U.S. government’s efforts to bolster American competitiveness in strategically essential technologies such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence.

Revelo used data from the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics to identify the most common occupations for Hispanic and Latino scientists and engineers. The report considered scientists and engineers to be U.S. residents younger than 76 with a bachelor’s degree or higher degree in science and engineering, or those working in science- or engineering-related jobs. The NCSES analysis is based on the 2021 National Survey of College Graduates.

Although the STEM fields play a vital role in U.S. advancement, Hispanic Americans continue to be underrepresented in the sector. Only 8% of all STEM workers are Hispanic as of 2021, according to the Pew Research Center.

In 2021, unemployment rates for Hispanic and Black American STEM workers were more than double that of their white and Asian American counterparts, a 2023 diversity in STEM report by the National Science Foundation noted…”

https://www.abqjournal.com/clickable/the-top-10-most-common-jobs-for-hispanic-and-latino-scientists-and-engineers/collection_e9366954-e474-55c1-a6a4-5ee31c8fefeb.html#2

Mexican President thanks the work of Cuban doctors

“Referring to the shortage of doctors in his nation, the president said in his usual morning press conference that this was the reason why they decided to bring specialists from Cuba.

Now 700 Cuban professionals are helping us, and we are very grateful to the people and the government of that nation, “because those doctors are even in the most remote villages curing our people”, the president from the southern state of Oaxaca said…”

https://en.escambray.cu/2024/mexican-president-thanks-the-work-of-cuban-doctors/

 

As migration to the US border rises, experts fear surge in sexual violence

“…A report published in November by the nonprofit Human Rights First found 1,300 reported attacks along the US-Mexico border since May, when US President Joe Biden tightened policies for asylum applications…”

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/21/as-migration-to-the-us-border-rises-experts-fear-surge-in-sexual-violence

A Mexican American professor who struggled with impostor phenomenon helps others overcome it

“…Like many people of similar backgrounds who she meets through her research, Gutiérrez suffers from the affliction commonly known asimpostor phenomenon, a condition that Gutiérrez refers to as “impostorization.” It’s the uneasy, ever-present sensation that you’re a fraud, your successes aren’t deserved, and it’s only a matter of time before you’re unmasked as the failure you truly are.

Typically, and ironically, it tends to afflict high achievers. In the United States, impostorization also tends disproportionately to affect women, people of color and immigrants or their offspring…”

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-11-20/a-mexican-american-professor-struggled-with-impostor-phenomenon-now-she-helps-others-overcome-it

UTHealth Houston partners with Mexican organizations for $5 million NIH grant to improve implementation of cancer control interventions in Mexico and Latin America

“A five-year, $5 million grant has been awarded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to the UTHealth Houston Institute for Implementation Science to support research and training in implementation science, with a focus on improving cancer control efforts in Mexico and Latin America.

The grant brings together researchers from UTHealth Houston, the Mexican National Institute of Public Health (INSP), the Mexican National Cancer Institute (INCan), and the University of California San Francisco (UCSF)…”

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1007686

 

Warrior spotlight celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month: Meet M.D.-Ph.D. student Rafael Ramos

“Rafael Ramos is a first-generation Mexican-American enrolled in the Wayne State University School of Medicine’s M.D.-Ph.D. program. He was born in the United States and grew up in Mexico. He moved back to his birth country for higher education, earning a bachelor’s and master’s degree before moving to Detroit in the late 2010s. Ramos has completed his first two years of medical school, and is in his third year of the doctoral portion of his degrees. He is a candidate in Biomedical Engineering, funded by the Detroit Cardiovascular Training Program T32 grant hosted by the Department of Physiology. He also received a Michigan Space Grant Consortium Graduate…”

https://today.wayne.edu/medicine/news/2023/10/11/warrior-spotlight-celebrates-hispanic-heritage-month-meet-md-phd-student-rafael-ramos-58828

OPINION Mexico outpaces U.S. in women’s rights September 15, 2023 at 12:00 a.m.

“The Mexican Supreme Court of Justice decision decriminalizing abortion last week is a landmark ruling in a country that has historically outlawed the procedure with harsh penalties for the women who sought it and the healthcare professionals who provided it.

The ruling, which governs federal law in a nation of states, makes abortion legal in federal health institutions and requires the public health service to offer it. The decision does not automatically make abortion legal in all of Mexico (the way that the Roe vs. Wade decision had made abortion legal in all of the United States). But it could speed up a movement by Mexican states to legalize the procedure. Currently, 12 out of 32 states have decriminalized abortion…”

https://www.eldoradonews.com/news/2023/sep/15/mexico-outpaces-us-in-womens-rights/

Editorial: Mexico decriminalizes abortion while U.S. states want to criminalize it

“The Mexican Supreme Court of Justice decision decriminalizing abortion last week is a landmark ruling in a country that has historically outlawed the procedure with harsh penalties for the women who sought it and the healthcare professionals who provided it.

The ruling, which governs federal law in a nation of states, makes abortion legal in federal health institutions and requires the public health service to offer it. The decision does not automatically make abortion legal in all of Mexico (the way that the Roe vs. Wade decision had made abortion legal in all of the United States). But it could speed up a movement by Mexican states to legalize the procedure. Currently, 12 out of 32 states have decriminalized abortion…”

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-09-10/editorial-mexico-decriminalizes-abortion-while-u-s-states-want-to-criminalize-it

Hispanic Americans in Military Medicine

“…Maria G. Roach served as a flight nurse during WWII with the Army Nurse Corps and received an Air Medal and two Bronze Stars for her actions. Born in Mexico to American parents, Roach grew up in Austin, Texas, where she attended the University of Texas at Austin prior to training as a nurse anesthetist at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana. With the onset of WWII, Roach joined the 24th General Hospital at Tulane University and later trained at the School of Air Evacuation at Bowman Field, Kentucky. Once graduated, Roach served as both a pilot and nurse in Africa, India, Italy, and Brazil, completing medical air evacuations. Roach was discharged in 1945 and became a foreign service staff officer in the U.S. foreign service in 1946.,,”

https://www.health.mil/About-MHS/Military-Medical-History/Historical-Timelines/Hispanic

 

Facts on Latinos in the U.S.

“There were 62.5 million Latinos in the United States in 2021, accounting for approximately 19% of the total U.S. population. In 1980, with a population of 14.8 million, Hispanics made up just 7% of the total U.S. population…”

https://www.pewresearch.org/hispanic/fact-sheet/latinos-in-the-us-fact-sheet/

 

Latin America Roundup: COFEPRIS seeks to boost production of biologics in Mexico

“Officials with Mexico’s Federal Commission for the Protection against Health Risks (COFEPRIS) have met with local biopharmaceutical manufacturers and academics, seeking to increase national production of biological and biosimilar therapies, the vast majority of which are currently imported. The project “promises not only to transform the medical landscape, but also to strengthen the national economy,” and promote both local and regional health self-sufficiency, the agency said. COFEPRIS did not detail which entities had taken part in the meetings, or a timeframe for the project…”

https://www.raps.org/News-and-Articles/News-Articles/2023/8/Latin-America-Roundup-COFEPRIS-seeks-to-boost-prod

July Recognizes Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

“-Pulic Information Officer for the California Highway Patrol, Tomas Martinez, grew up in a household where mental health struggles were not acknowledged.– Martinez believes that cultural attitudes, such as the belief that men should not express their emotions, contribute to the lack of acknowledgement of mental health issues.– Stacey Kuwahara, the Director for Kern Behavioral Health and Recovery Services, says that mistrust in health professionals can be a barrier for minority communities to seek help for mental health.– Kuwahara emphasizes that there are resources available for mental health support, including text, internet, phone, and video-based services.– Martinez encourages seeking help for mental health and believes it is important for maintaining healthy relationships with oneself and others…”

Mexican doctor wins 2023 Carlos Slim Health Award

“…Dr. José Alejandro Madrigal Fernández is a physician at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Thereafter, he studied the specialty and the doctorate at the universities of Harvard, London and Stanford. His research focuses on immunotherapy and stem cell transplantation

Dr. Madrigal’s leadership led him to pioneer the establishment of donor registries and umbilical cord banks around the world. He was the founder and scientific director of the Anthony Nolan Cellular Therapy Center. His leadership led him to chair the European Transplant Society. Besides. He was Vice-Chancellor for Latin America at University College London.

His research has resulted in the publication of over 500 articles in the world’s most prestigious journals, including Nature, Nature Genetics and The Lancet. He is currently conducting research on cell therapy against different types of cancer…”

https://worldnationnews.com/mexican-doctor-wins-2023-carlos-slim-health-award/

Dominican Health Professionals Commit to ‘Rise Up and Shine’ Read more at: https://adventistreview.org/news/dominican-health-professionals-commit-to-rise-up-and-shine/

“…More than a hundred physicians, bio-analysts, nurses, psychologists, physical therapists, pharmacologists, nutritionists, and other health professionals networked, enjoyed various learning experiences, took part in spiritual reflections, and impacted the community.

The event included specialized topic presentations by Franck Généus, health ministries director for the Inter-American Division of the Adventist Church; Chiapas Mexican Union health ministries director Faustino de los Santos; and North Mexican Union health ministries director Roel Cea. Cea also coordinates health ministries at Montemorelos University…”

https://adventistreview.org/news/dominican-health-professionals-commit-to-rise-up-and-shine/

 

Report: Cuban Doctors Brought to Mexico Work in Slavery Conditions

“…A REPORT by the NGO Prisoners Defenders assured on Thursday that the members of the Cuban medical missions, which include 650 health professionals sent to Mexico, work in conditions of “slavery” and that 80% of their salaries are stolen by the authorities of the regime…”

https://elamerican.com/report-cuban-doctors-brought-to-mexico-work-in-slavery-conditions/

With Lack of Opportunities for Mexican Doctors, Should They Join the Export Revolution?

“The outlook is pretty dim for doctors working in Mexico. The job market offers limited opportunities for health professionals in the country, who believe that only through policy support from the federal government, things will then turn positive.

Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador got grilled in early May after announcing the hiring of 500 Cuban health professionals to be enrolled into the ranks of the country’s public health system. López Obrador claimed it as a necessary measure to combat Mexico’s deficit of health specialists, but doctors and universities argued otherwise, pointing to the long lines of unemployed nationals who wait for a shot at working in one of the country’s several public health institutions..”

https://nearshoreamericas.com/with-lack-of-opportunities-for-mexican-doctors-should-they-join-the-export-revolution/.

Mexican border town sees an increase in sales of abortion drugs to women from the US

‘Since Texas passed a strict anti-abortion law in September, more and more women along the southern border have been going to unregulated pharmacies in Mexico to get abortion pills. Border health professionals fear the Mexican pharmacies have become a last resort for some women. Observers say it’s a sign of what’s to come if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.

The main street of Nuevo Progreso, Mexico — just across the sluggish Rio Grande from Weslaco, Texas — is a chaotic border bazaar that caters to American day-trippers looking for bargains and exotica. The street is packed with businesses that sell prescription eyeglasses, dental care, switchblades, tequila shots, statues of ghoulish drug saints and over-the-counter medicine.

You can buy many medications in Mexican pharmacies without a prescription, including the pills that have transformed the way women are ending pregnancies. Today, more than half of all abortions in the United States are achieved by what’s called a medication abortion, as opposed to a traditional surgical abortion…”

https://www.npr.org/2022/05/09/1097210654/mexican-border-town-sees-an-increase-in-sales-of-abortion-drugs-to-women-from-th

 

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Poem
“…And would it have been worth it, after all,
Would it have been worth while,
After the sunsets and the dooryards and the sprinkled streets,
After the novels, after the teacups, after the skirts that trail along the floor—
And this, and so much more?—
It is impossible to say just what I mean!
But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen:
Would it have been worth while…”

T.S. Eliot
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

Mexican American Proarchive Annual Report for 2022

The American Community Survey is an annual survey administered by the federal government to help local officials and community leaders and businesses understand the changes that take place in their communities. It includes percentages of our population’s graduate school attainment and the employment of Mexican Americans in various occupations.  These important factors influence the allocation of federal resources. Mexican American Proarchives uses the data provided by the American Community Survey to better understand how Mexican Americans compare to the general population.

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