WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Hispanic Communications Network (HCN) (hcnmedia.com) is launching a new series on its La Red Hispana (laredhispana.org) network titled: The Rhythm of Your Health! (¡El Ritmo de Tu Salud!). The multimedia series focuses on Latinx that are at higher risk of severe illness due to COVID-19, including those living with underlying health conditions and chronic diseases, and their caregivers.
¡El Ritmo de Tú Salud! features Latin Grammy Nominee Leslie Cartaya, who shares her personal experiences and focuses on family members living with chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes during the pandemic.
Storytelling is critical for Latinx to share real-life stories on how the pandemic is affecting real people. Through lived experiences, communities have the power to uplift one other amidst devastating hardships many Latinx families are facing.
“By highlighting the singer-songwriter’s story, we are tapping into music as a common denominator among Latinx cultures. Music is the universal language, and the soundtrack that gets us through rough times of difficulty and sorrow. Music also demands a steady rhythm, just as chronic conditions require steady and regular medical management and treatment. ¡El Ritmo de Tú Salud! is our pilot programming series to share practical and useful information during the pandemic through lived experiences, and encourage audiences living with chronic illnesses to not miss a beat,” says Alison Rodden, CEO of HCN.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), US Latinx are hardest hit by COVID-19, reporting the highest number of cases (2.8x higher), hospitalizations (4.6x higher) and deaths (1.1x higher). This disproportionate burden is due to numerous complex social determinants.
Many Latinx are classified as “essential workers” serving on the frontlines during the pandemic to uphold the food supply chain, waste management and sanitation, infrastructure, construction and healthcare industries. The vast majority of US Latinx (87%) must report to on-site work, putting them in constant exposure to people or materials that may be infected with COVID-19. In addition to work environments, crowded living conditions may also increase exposure to COVID-19 among multigenerational Hispanic families.
Living with chronic illness does not increase the risk of contracting COVID-19, but it can worsen the outcome of contracting the virus. This is alarming for Hispanics because they have higher rates of comorbidities, including both hypertension and diabetes, as compared to non-Hispanic whites.
“I have family and friends who suffer from hypertension and diabetes,” says singer-songwriter, Leslie Cartaya. I always encourage them to exercise regularly, follow a balanced diet and get a physical exam every year, including during the pandemic. This is why highlighting these issues for the Latinx community is so important to me, especially now considering the additional risks brought on by COVID-19.”
The Rhythm of Your Health! / ¡El Ritmos de Tú Salud! series, supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, includes original audio, video, and digital productions with useful information for Spanish-speaking audiences living with chronic diseases. Due to a growing number of bilingual Latinx audiences, the series is in Spanish and English and can be accessed via LaRedHispana.org and its social media channels, including on its new podcast LatinEQUIS, geared toward Latinx Millennial and Gen Z audiences.
About Hispanic Communications Network & La Red Hispana
Hispanic Communications Network (HCN) is a hybrid culturally driven social impact agency that also serves as the largest producer and syndicator of public interest content and programming for Spanish-language media in the US. HCN works exclusively with government, nonprofit, philanthropy and CSR clients that match their mission to improve quality of life for US Latinx communities. Through its La Red Hispana multimedia networks and influencers personalities on radio, TV, digital, social media, print and mobile platforms, HCN currently reaches a measured audience of over 8 million Latinx consumers in urban, mid-sized and rural markets weekly.
About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
For more than 45 years the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has worked to improve health and health care. We are working alongside others to build a national Culture of Health that provides everyone in America a fair and just opportunity for health and well-being. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org. Follow the Foundation on Twitter at www.rwjf.org/twitter or on Facebook at www.rwjf.org/facebook.
Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1335574/HCN.jpg
SOURCE Hispanic Communications Network
