Mexico's consulate in LA celebrates Health Month and breast cancer awareness month
The Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles, through the Ventanilla de Salud Program, in collaboration with the organization Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, organized the event "Together for Health", a celebration focused on promoting the integral well-being of women.
The activity was carried out within the framework of the Health Month activities, as well as the breast cancer awareness month.
"We always look for role models in life; I hope you are those models of your children, grandchildren and families, ”said Ambassador Marcela Celorio, Consul General of Mexico in Los Angeles, by welcoming dozens of women, mainly health promoters and community leaders. "You must be that model to be pursued."
"Together for Health ”aims to empower Mexican and Hispanic women through information and education focused on self-care of their health, both physical and emotional.
The event has been going on for five years. It was previously called the 'pink event' that was held with the founding of Mayte Prida on breast cancer awareness, and now it is done together with the community leaders and promoters of Planned Parenthood, whose job is to spread the message of wellness and health of the woman.
"This year we talk about the integral well-being of women; her emotional health and physical health, ”said Elena Aragón, director of the health window at the diplomatic headquarters. “How is our emotional and physical health helps us to be well with ourselves and we can be tools of change in the family and in the community; we are like pebbles that when they are thrown into the water they make waves ”.
During the event, talks were given on the importance of taking care of emotional health, performing physical activity and maintaining healthy nutrition. Additionally, the news presenter, Gabriela Teissier, announced to the attendees useful tools for public speaking.
Before, Romie Ruiz, communication director of Planned Parenthood, He stressed that the agency is "a leading provider of affordable and high quality health care for women, men and youth, and the largest provider of sex education in the country."
He added that the Planned Parenthood health centers provided care to more than 130,000 people a year in Los Angeles County, with contraceptives, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) testing and treatment, cancer screening and prenatal care.
"At least one in five women depended on a health center in Planned Parenthood to get medical attention in his life, ”said Ruiz. "For many women it is their only source of attention."
He added that, according to the American Cancer Association, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed in Hispanic women and it was expected that in 2018 about 24,000 cases would be diagnosed.
Helena Ayala, in charge of the adult and family education program of the Pasadena / Altadena Transformative Leaders Coalition (PACTL), said that her passion is "to help women."
"We work a lot with immigrants who, unfortunately, are living in fear right now, more now with the issue of public charge, ”Ayala told La Opinión. "Many people do not want to go to receive services, and we as a coalition work with other agencies that provide mental therapy services, food stamps and others."
For her part, Dr. Paula Helor-Brown, associate professor of psychology at the School of Social Work at the University of Southern California (USC), said Buddha said that “the secret of well-being is not crying for the past, worrying about the future or anticipating problems, but live in the present moment. "
"Mental health talks about our emotional, psychological and social well-being; they all affect the way we think, feel and act when we face everything that happens in life ”, said the expert in marriage counseling and family therapy. "Mental health will help determine how we are going to interact with other people and in decision making."
