Thursday, October 10, 2024
10/10/2024
Casa Esperanza’s program, PALS: Promotores Amplificando La Sabiduría, will address two Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) domains: Healthcare Access and Quality, and Social and Community Context, focusing on Leading Health Indicators (LHI) of Drug Overdose Deaths and Suicide. PALS is an innovative Promotores Model collaborative that incorporates culturally appropriate and linguistically accessible Community Health Workers into a trauma-informed continuum of care to deliver comprehensive support for Latines with mental health and substance use needs. PALS will serve 462 unduplicated individuals in Massachusetts throughout the duration of the funding opportunity, with 50% from Greater Boston and the other half from across the state. Of these individuals, 40% will be monolingual Spanish speakers and 70% will be homeless or under-housed. The goal of PALS is to promote health equity, empower communities, and improve health outcomes by addressing the unique needs and challenges of Latines through a culturally competent and community-driven Promotores program. This program aims to build the capacity of Latines to address health quality problems in their communities. Programmatic goals include: Assess the health status and needs of Latines with SUD and existing resources to guide equitable program planning and promote community engagement in reducing overdose rates among Latines. Enhance the capacity of Community Health Workers/Promotores to identify overdose risk behavior and suicidal ideation through culturally-tailored training, mentorship, and professional development opportunities. Empowering Latines by addressing health disparities, promoting equitable access to culturally focused, trauma-informed, integrated mental health, substance use treatment, and primary care, and enabling informed decision-making about their health. Partners for the PALS program include; Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program (BHCHP), Victory Programs, St. Francis House, and Access Harm Reduction Overdose Prevention and Education (AHOPE). Also, Casa will leverage existing partnerships and meetings, such as the BHCHP Consortium Program, to expand access and services throughout the funding opportunity. This collaborative network will address health disparities through preventative education and reduced stigma, as well as reduce suicidality and overdose death rates for Latines in Greater Boston, with an anticipated outcomes of creating a network of Promotores.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
