At the height of the pandemic, there were nearly 900 workers across LA County; the number now is around 400, said Tiffany Romo, health program manager at the Los Angeles Department of Public Health. As a health program manager at the Los Angeles Department of Public Health, Romo manages projects and implements community outreach planning as well as writing grants. “I love my job because I get to serve my community and help people improve their health and well-being,” Romo said.
Author Archives: Amairani Hernandez
Amairani Hernandez is a native of Los Angeles and a graduate of the California State University of Los Angeles with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. She is a freelancer and focuses on stories about Latinos, including social justice, art, and, culture. She also likes to sing and dance in her free time and loves to listen to the radio in the mornings.
DR. SUSANA MARQUEZ, tackling Latina perinatal mental health
Dr. Susana Marquez is a specialized maternal mental health clinician. She educates mothers on what maternal mental health is and helps their family’s understand what these mothers are experiencing during their pregnancy. She educates on the importance of the mother’s mental and emotional well-being by connecting them with the proper resources in the community. Dr. Marquez is also a health advocate, speaker, and educator in the Latino community, with services in both English and Spanish.
FRED SANDOVAL, of NLBHA, talks about mental health and Latinos
While Mental Health Awareness Day was observed earlier this month on October 10, the issue is often front-and-center for many Latinos and family members who support them. Sandoval, president of the National Latino Behavioral Health Association (NLBHA), spoke with CALÓ NEWS on the importance of educating and spreading awareness about mental health to the Latino community.
CALÓ ON THE STREET: What should happen in wake of LA City Hall scandal?
CALÓ NEWS spoke with Latinos on the street to get their unfiltered reactions and demands in the wake of the Nury Martinez, Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León scandal surrounding racial epithets and hate speech. Latinos are, indeed, upset and ready for big changes.
Latino Equality Alliance provides mental health, Covid-19, HIV help
Latino Equality Alliance (LEA) is a Latinx LGBTQ+ nonprofit located in Boyle Heights. The organization was founded in Los Angeles around 2009 as a direct response to the passing of Proposition 8, an initiative that defined marriage as legitimate solely between a man and a woman. CALÓ NEWS interviewed Eloy Armendariz, the alliance’s development assistant to discuss issues involving the Latinx generation and healthcare.
DR. EDWARD MENA, health savior helps Latinos fight off liver cancer
October is Liver Cancer Awareness Month and Dr. Edward Mena wants to educate the Latino community on the importance of this health topic and its risk factors. Dr. Mena is a practicing hepatologist and currently serves as the Medical Director of the Pasadena Liver Center in California.
INCLUSIVE ACTION FOR THE CITY, LA non-profit fights for street vendors
At Inclusive Action for the City, Rudy Espinoza serves as the Executive Director and advocates for neighborhoods, entrepreneurship, and financial empowerment. The majority of Espinoza’s work involves identifying profitable investment opportunities within low-income communities, building private/nonprofit partnerships, and training working-class communities to participate in neighborhood revitalization. It is among the groups that took the lead in supporting and promoting the Los Angeles Street Vendor Campaign. The organization also sponsors a bill regulating street vendors throughout California.
JUAN HERNANDEZ, undocumented entrepreneur building a startup company to help others like him
Hernandez’s business provides undocumented students and undocumented immigrants with videos that explain how to make money as an undocumented immigrant, as well as how to apply for DACA for advanced status. In addition, the Prepare website allows users to ask each other anonymous questions and answers them as well.
Latinas fight for reproductive rights
This summer’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization took away Americans’ constitutional right to abortion. The webinar brought together Latina leaders at the forefront of the local reproductive justice movement to discuss how they got here, the impacts of the Dobbs decision on Latinas and their bodily autonomy, and the economic wellbeing and political inclusion of Latinos in American democracy.
GUADALUPE CASTILLO, Chicana barber, fashion model and always down to be Brown and proud
Limones, is a 28-year-old Chicana barber from Los Angeles. From the time she was in middle school, she had known that she wanted to pursue a career in the hair industry. She started out styling her friends’ hair (and her own) and today works in the barbering industry. “My dad would always remind me that I was Brown, beautiful, and Mexican,” she told CALÓ NEWS. “He would always make me feel proud to be Mexican.”
ANDREA BELTRAMI, uses TikTok to spread love to LA Salvadorans Corridor
Beltrami never imagined that her videos would get traffic and that she would gain so many followers from discussing Latinx issues and posting silly videos. The self-taught online endeavor has since given her the opportunity to voice her opinions to the Latinx community. “We are becoming more aware in the Latino community, let’s use our voices too,” she said.
Latinas/x, and health experts spell out what Roe v. Wade reversal means for us
Nearly 8 out of 10 Latina voters agree that pregnant people should be able to have an abortion without fear of arrest or investigation, according to a 2020 nationwide poll sponsored by reproductive justice groups, including The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice. CALÓ NEWS interviewed women in LA, health experts and advocates about their thoughts and reactions in light of the reversal of Roe V. Wade.