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GBH is teaming up with the largest Spanish-language newspaper in Massachusetts and one of the world’s most revered medical schools to produce Spanish-language programming for new audiences.
As part of an innovative collaboration, a team of journalists at the local outlet El Planeta and its national counterpart, El Tiempo Latino, will produce “Salud,” a podcast and 30-minute radio show focused on health issues important to the Hispanic community.
“Salud” will air on GBH 89.7 FM at 9:30 am on Saturday mornings, beginning on Oct. 22 for an initial run of eight weeks. The show will be available on demand on YouTube and all major podcast platforms the Thursday before each broadcast date.
GBH News will lend its production facilities and distribution channels to the program. The Harvard Medical School Office for Diversity Inclusion and Community Partnership will provide expertise and guidance on medical matters.
“Collaborating with El Planeta and the Office for Diversity Inclusion and Community Partnership at Harvard Medical School allows us to super-serve the local and national Hispanic communities with in-depth stories of significant importance to their health and well-being. Bringing these stories to the audience in their native language further reflects our deep commitment to engage with a broad and growing range of listeners,” said Pam Johnston, general manager for news at GBH.
“Salud” is hosted by Tibisay Zea, a public media journalist based at the daily global news program The World, produced by PRX out of GBH’s headquarters in Boston_. _“Salud” highlights underreported health issues affecting US Hispanics, with a special focus on Massachusetts. Each episode features people telling stories of how their lives are impacted by the condition at hand, as well as healthcare leaders and experts answering questions on prevention, treatment and the big-picture view of how these conditions affect the wider population. The goal is to connect the Latino community with the latest insights and research in medicine and biotechnology.
“Our company has a deep purpose to reach the Spanish-speaking Latino community with content that improves their life, amplifies their culture and informs their decision-making. We are thrilled to see GBH on board empowering our community to become a catalyst to prosperity for America,” said Javier Marin, CEO of El Planeta.
The first episode of “Salud” explores longevity and health through the stories of Rosenda, a woman from Guatemala who recently celebrated her 102 birthday, and Angela Alvarez, a Cuban singer nominated for a Latin Grammy at 95. Interviews with human longevity experts offer insights into what it takes to become a centenarian. Future episodes will look at Alzheimer’s disease, nutrition, long COVID, adolescent mental health and the high prevalence of diabetes within the Latino community.
“What distinguishes this effort and makes this collaboration so exciting is that Salud is one of the first healthcare podcasts to serve Latino listeners directly by addressing topics of interest to them,” said Joan Y. Reede, dean for Diversity and Community Partnership at HMS. “The public service nature of the podcast dovetails with HMS’s overarching mission to broaden understanding of health, science, and medicine across multiple communities by sharing the latest knowledge, research, and best practices in those fields.”
The Boston Public Health Commission is sponsoring “Salud,” and The International Center for Journalism provided funding to produce the first four episodes. Listen and learn more at gbhnews.org/salud.