Latino health

Penelope Wingard of Charlotte, N.C., has survived breast cancer, a brain aneurysm and surgery on both eyes. For the past eight years, she's also been battling tens of thousands of dollars in medical debt.

Medical debt ruined her credit. 'It's like you're being punished for being sick'

5:00am October 06, 2022

by Aneri Pattani

New policies to keep medical bills from sinking credit ratings sound good but will likely fall short for many hit hardest by debt — especially Black Americans in the South, such as Penelope Wingard.

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Los Angeles International Airport and SoFi Stadium employers spoke with potential job applicants at a job fair in Inglewood, Calif., in September. About 19% of all households in an NPR poll say they lost all their savings during the COVID-19 outbreak, and

Black and Latino families continue to bear pandemic's great economic toll in U.S.

5:06pm October 25, 2021

by Laurel Wamsley

A new poll finds more than 55% of Black and Latino households have faced serious financial problems in recent months. And more than a quarter have depleted their savings.

Thomas W. Munson receives his second dose of COVID-19 vaccination from registered nurse Elizabeth Lash at a Sayre Health clinic held at Tablenacle Lutheran Church in West Philadelphia.

Why Black And Latino People Still Lag On COVID Vaccines — And How To Fix It

2:01pm April 26, 2021

by Nina Feldman

It's not a matter of vaccine hesitancy, say advocates. Instead, poorly located clinics, lack of flexible appointments and other barriers to access are hampering Philadelphia's hardest-hit communities.

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A Hasidic man and medical workers cross paths near the Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., in November. When public health messaging comes from community leaders, it's much more likely to be adopted, research on diverse groups finds.

'Trusted Messengers, Trusted Messages': How To Overcome Vaccine Hesitancy

5:00am December 24, 2020

by Fran Kritz

As the first COVID-19 vaccines begin to be rolled out across the U.S., community leaders in diverse groups already are working hard to dispel misinformation and reach skeptics with truth.

an illustration of photos of Ramona Latty

Health & Safety

Portrait Of A Parent With Alzheimer's

7:21pm September 28, 2020

by Yvonne Latty

Since 2016, journalist Yvonne Latty has been documenting her mother's journey with Alzheimer's. As part of a collaboration with Latino USA and Black Public Media, she brings us this intimate portrait.

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Blacks, Latinos and Native Americans have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic's economic impact.

How The Pandemic Is Widening The Racial Wealth Gap

10:04am September 18, 2020

by Rhitu Chatterjee

The coronavirus has affected most Americans, but NPR's latest poll shows Black, Latino and Native American households are hardest hit by the financial impact of the crisis.

People wait for a bus in August in East Los Angeles. Latinos have the highest rate of labor force participation of any group in California — many in public-facing jobs deemed essential. That work has put them at higher risk of catching the coronavirus.

Latinos Report Financial Strain As Pandemic Erodes Income And Savings

6:11pm September 16, 2020

by Jackie Fortier

An NPR poll finds 72% of Latino households in the United States are facing serious financial problems — double the share of whites who report this. Major health problems are mounting, too.

There are divides when it comes to who is doing well financially and who is struggling during this pandemic, a new poll finds.

Pandemic Financially Imperils Nearly Half Of American Households, Poll Finds

1:03pm September 10, 2020

by Yuki Noguchi

There are dividing lines when it comes to how families are weathering the pandemic: Those living in big cities, those making less than $100,000 a year, and Latino and Black families are faring worst.

"Poverty, inequities, the jobs that they perform ... create the perfect environment for the virus to spread quickly," says Omar Carrera CEO of the nonprofit Canal Alliance.

'Our Communities Are In Crisis': Latinos And COVID-19

10:54am August 26, 2020

A Latinx neighborhood in a wealthy California county hard-hit by COVID-19 reflects on the complex challenges and policy failures affecting vulnerable communities across the U.S. during the pandemic.

A COVID-19 test is collected in Salt Lake City, Utah. A federal study published Monday found that Hispanic and non-white workers make up a disproportionate share of COVID-19 cases associated with workplace outbreaks in Utah.

CDC Study Finds Hispanics Hit Disproportionately Hard By Workplace Outbreaks

6:20pm August 17, 2020

by Rachel Treisman

A study out Monday found that Hispanic and nonwhite workers made up 73% of cases associated with workplace outbreaks in certain industries, despite representing 24% of the workforce in those sectors.