Mental health advocacy group aims to eliminate barriers to care for Latinos – Nonprofit News

Members of the U.S. Latino community report high levels of mental illness yet often lack access to appropriate care.

The 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health showed that just over one-fifth (21.4%) of Hispanic adults report having a mental illness. Mental illness is defined in the report as a diagnosed mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder that may be interfering with life. This is lower than the rate for white Americans (24.6 percent) but higher than the rate for black Americans (19.7 percent) and Asian Americans (16.8 percent).

This gap is due to a series of barriers, including language limitations, high poverty rates, lack of insurance, high cost of treatment, lack of bilingual services, and lack of training for many mental health professionals to understand Latin American culture. further promoted by. It often impedes access to mental health care. Overcoming this stigma remains a central challenge.

Connect with the community

SOMOS Community Care, a network of health care providers in the Bronx, Queens, Manhattan, and Brooklyn brought together to serve Medicaid patients in New York City, has begun implementing mental health screenings for all patients. The reason for the appointment is irrelevant, says Riquelmy L’Amour, director of behavioral health and social work at SOMOS.

“It’s impressive that in 2024, we’re still dealing with prejudice. We still use words like ‘crazy’ and ‘missing the screws.’ There are problems with this language. We see mental health as a stigma in the Latinx community, especially in traditional families,” Lamour told NPQ.

Lamour also points out that there are several community-based approaches that can be effective in overcoming this bias. First, the role of the primary care physician may be important. Patients are more likely to consult a mental health professional if they are referred by a doctor they trust.

Another important intermediary is faith-based organizations. Often, if children are using drugs or there are other issues in the family, many members of the Latino community will consult the church before seeking mental health support. In faith-based organizations, priests often play an important liaison role by recommending that parishioners see a psychiatrist or therapist. There is a bond of trust between priests and community members that can overcome stigma and lead more community members to follow referrals and visit mental health professionals.

access to insurance

Lack of access to health insurance is another factor that limits access to mental health services. According to a June 2024 federal report, “Latinos are more than twice as likely to be uninsured than non-Latino whites.”

The country’s Latino population makes up 19 percent of the country’s total population, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Among this group, undocumented immigrants (totaling approximately 11 million people, approximately 8 million of whom are from Latin America) are generally excluded from public or private health insurance with extensive coverage. However, you can receive certain care through the emergency Medicaid program and some state programs.

Even for those who have insurance, mental health coverage is spotty. Even policies that cover mental health often fail to provide sufficient funding for psychological treatment.

“Not a lot of therapists take insurance,” Diana Anzaldua, a clinical social worker and trauma-informed therapist, told NPQ. “You have to jump through hoops to get the money, and the reimbursement rate is as low as $60. So for some therapists, a $60 reimbursement fee is not enough to see someone. have to expend more effort. That’s why they don’t buy insurance.”

Anzaldúa is the founder of Contigo Wellness (Contigo is Spanish for “With You”), a services and advocacy organization whose mission is to ensure that the country’s growing Latino population has equitable access to mental health and holistic care. He is the founder of

On the positive side, Anzaldúa emphasizes the benefits of telemedicine. She says the expansion of this service is a breakthrough for access to mental health care, allowing services to be delivered to more remote and underserved areas.

“In modern integrated healthcare, telemedicine apps have gone from novelty to necessity, making health more accessible,” she added.

This view is echoed by Cheryl Aguilar, founder and therapist at Hope Center for Wellness. Aguilar emphasizes that technology has made it easier for people to receive treatment. “You can do it on your lunch break,” she told NPQ.

cultural care

While virtual care has expanded access to mental health support, the question for Aguilar is how many Latinos are choosing to address their issues, which often tend to be more traditional. , to incorporate it into the way we view mental health.

“Latinx people care about our mental health and talk to us, our families, and our neighbors over and over again. We go to church. For example, some have access to curanderas (traditional healers who are usually women); others have access to priests. We need to include the traditional ways in which people deal with mental health,” she emphasizes.

Many in the Latino community mistrust authorities in general and the health care system in particular, with many undocumented immigrants especially concerned that they will be deported if health care professionals learn of their immigration status. This is another major barrier to care. This results in many people refusing service. Community therapists must ensure the security of patients and their personal information and earn their patients’ trust. The cost of lack of care can be high, with immigration trauma continuing to be passed down from generation to generation.

“There’s a recognition that migration can activate past trauma, depression and anxiety. So I think there’s already a recognition that these are challenges that need to be addressed,” Aguilar said.

Aguilar points out that the 2024 national elections are adding to the level of anxiety. Now, she explains: “Perhaps there is more support for immigrants given how they are feeling during this uncertain and unsafe time.”

The role of policy

Individual and community efforts alone will not be enough unless accompanied by a legal framework that defends and democratizes access to mental health care for Latinos in the United States.

UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization, released a list of federal policies that, if passed, would increase access to mental health care for Latinos. Although unlikely to pass in the short term, these measures show that policy can make a difference.

During the last session of Congress, UnidosUS supported several bills.

HR 3817/S 1784, the Mental Health Workforce and Language Access Act, creates a new federal grant program to assist federally qualified community health centers in recruiting and hiring mental health professionals who are fluent in languages ​​other than English. We plan to establish it. The bill would also address some of the severe mental health provider shortages that disproportionately impact Latinos and other communities of color. HR 2438/S 1075, the Compact, Access, and Expanded Responsibility for Mental Health Professionals (CARE) Act, establishes an interstate provider network to ensure that mental health professionals have sufficient services across multiple states. make it easier to serve underserved patients in rural areas. With a severe shortage of health care providers in rural areas, this bill would allow current health care providers to provide services across state lines, preventing many rural Latinos from receiving care. This will ease the transportation barriers that currently exist. HR 4933/S 462, the Mental Health Professional Shortage Loan Repayment Act, would extend the student loan repayment program to mental health professionals who work for a period of time in federally designated areas with a mental health professional shortage. For every year of service, one-sixth of your student loan balance will be forgiven.

This bill would directly diversify and strengthen workforce representation by lowering the high cost of education, which is a barrier to many low-income Latinos from pursuing mental health-related careers. It also becomes. Enabling more Latinos and Spanish speakers to become health care providers by reducing economic barriers to career entry will improve the health of underserved Latino populations. has immense potential to promote equity in the world.

However, in the meantime, resource shortages continue.

“The problem is a lack of resources and funding,” Lamour said. “Many community mental health initiatives are underfunded,” she added, noting that recruiting and retaining qualified professionals is a major challenge.

Anzaldúa agreed, saying, “President Trump’s plan would cost $88 billion a year to deport. $88 billion a year! Can you imagine what we could do with that money? If we had that much money. would provide free treatment and medical care to millions of people.