Congratulations to HHC board members Donaji Stelzig, Nathalie Folch and Dr. Norma Olvera who were awarded 3rd place in the Cancer Prevention and Screening: Risk Factor Reduction, Special Populations Category for their poster,  “Promote Awareness of Healthy Eating and Physical Activity in Low Income Hispanic Women to Reduce Cancer Risk.”  This is a great accomplishment as poster entries were submitted by individuals from all over the world.

The International Cancer Education Conference was held October 15-17 in Houston, TX.  The Conference theme was the “Art and Science of Cancer Education and Evaluation” and focused on the current state of cancer education.

The speaker for the upcoming November 19th meeting will be Dr. Karen Cullen, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine.  Her talk is titled “Creating Healthy Home Food Environments.”

The meeting will take place from 12pm-1:30pm at the Harris County Public Health & Environmental Services (HCPHES) at 2223 West Loop South, Conference Room 532, Houston, TX  77027.  Hope to see you there!

Members of the HHC Board had a very exciting and memorable day last Thursday at Brady’s Landing. The Houston Wellness Association Hispanic Month luncheon honored our HHC President, Louise Villejo. We were also delighted to see that Mayor Bill White sent a proclamation designating the day as “Louise Villejo Day”!

Louise says that next year she and the other nominees get to plan the luncheon for the next group of nominees. We are thankful to the Houston Wellness Association for their appreciation of the nominees and for the opportunity to let the HHC have an information booth at the luncheon. Below are a few select pic’s; as always, to see more check our Facebook page!

Here is Dr. Beverly Gor’s very informative powerpoint, entitled “CAN DO Houston - Children And Neighbors Defeat Obesity”.  We thank her for being our guest speaker and sharing this valuable resource with us.  (To view the slideshow full size, click on the Slideshare logo and choose full size from that website.)

The speaker for the upcoming September 17th meeting wil be Dr. Beverly Gor.  Her talk is titled “CAN DO Houston – A Community Initiative to Prevent Childhood Obesity in Houston.”

The meeting will take place from 12pm-1:30pm at the Harris County Public Health & Environmental Services (HCPHES) at 2223 West Loop South, Conference Room 532, Houston, TX  77027. Hope to see you there!

The HHC has been invited to participate on the Board of the Texas Medical Center Women’s Health Network, a 501(c)(3) organization of health professionals dedicated to advancing women’s health through collaborations in education, research, and advocacy.

The HHC Board member elected to serve on the TMC WHN Board is Adela Justice, who will be attending the TMC WHN Board meetings and serving as an advocate for the HHC’s mission and vision where the health of Houston’s Hispanic community is concerned.

The 2009 Salute to Hispanic Heritage Month Luncheon is being held this year on Thursday September 24th from 11:00-1:00.  One of the individual honorees at this luncheon will be our very own Louise Villejo!  Please help us in congratulating Louise for this great honor for which she is being recognized.  For more information or to register for the luncheon, please go to the Houston Wellness Association website.

Congratulations, Louise!

(by Cheryl Rowan) To help inform and empower the Latino population in the United States, Self Reliance Foundation provides an interactive, multi-dimensional online presence with its Acceso Hispano initiative. The fundamental goal of Acceso Hispano is to improve the quality of life of the Hispanic population living in the United States by linking to the support services or information they may need. The site serves as a news platform and communication tool between service providers, promotores and the public, as well as provides educational resources. All portions of the website are available in English and Spanish.

Acceso Hispano has recently launched an online service provider directory as a tool for connecting service providers to the communities which seek them out. The directory currently contains more than 17,000 community organizations, services, and programs throughout the United States, related to education, health, civic participation, finances, violence reduction, arts and culture, science and environment, and immigration.  Any 501c3 nonprofit organization, community group, government or educational institution that provides affordable or free and bilingual services is encouraged to add their listing to the database and to utilize the search services to help provide referrals to clients.

CURE: Cancer Updates, Research & Education is a FREE, award-winning quarterly magazine that empowers and educates cancer patients and caregivers.

In a time of rapid change in cancer therapy, CURE delivers crucial information that is both comprehensive and clear. By combining the science with the humanity of cancer, CURE makes cancer understandable.

The HHC Board members are often recognized for our work hard in the community. Read this article about HHC Board Vice-President Dr. Norma Olvera’s recent honor!