La Opinion Digital Launches Online Health Channel

Posted on September 19, 2001

La Opinion Digital, the online division for La Opinion, a Spanish-language daily newspaper, has launched Salud, a new health channel on its website. The launch was announced by Mary Zerafa, Director of New Media at La Opinion.

Salud features Spanish-language text with information categorized by health issue or concern, as well as by topic. With over 400 articles and growing, Salud includes topical and varied categories such as Family Health, Nutrition, Disability, Health & Beauty, Women's Health, Sexuality, Health in California, as well as information on specific conditions such as diabetes and AIDS. Zerafa notes that the channel also features two online columns staffed by a medical doctor and a psychologist who answer readers' health queries and address topics related to health and well-being.

``Salud has been conceived as an empowerment tool for Latinos to augment, not replace, their own health care strategies,'' points out Zerafa, who explains that the site is valuable not only because it is in Spanish, but because ``it offers information and perspectives on issues facing Hispanics living in the U.S.''

In addition to sponsorship of the Salud channel, Health Net's website, healthnet.com, features links to laopinion.com. Health Net also offers Salud con Health Net, a program that provides health education and products to the Latino community.

Founded on September 16, 1926, in Los Angeles, La Opinion is the nation's largest Spanish-language daily newspaper. The Lozano family has published La Opinion since its founding and owns a 50-percent stake in Lozano Communications, the corporation that publishes the newspaper. Tribune Co. owns the other 50 percent.