Thursday, November 21, 2024
11/21/2024
Overview: Minority groups in Texas face major health disparities, particularly with respect to access to and quality of mental healthcare (HRSA,2018; SAMSHA,2015). The proposal "The Socorro Project: First Responder Mental Health Awareness Training in Hispanic Communities of North Texas" is an academic-community partnership to redress disparities through emergency first responder training and larger dissemination of mental health resources. Abstract: Minority groups in Texas face major health disparities, particularly with respect to access to and quality of mental healthcare (HRSA, 2018; SAMSHA, 2015). The North Texas region in particular has been identified as a national "hotspot" for these disparities (Cook, Kim et al., 2016). Problems are compounded by an escalating opioid crisis (TX State Health Services, 2015). Emergency first responders play an essential role in redressing disparities by connecting the public with resources and services. Yet they may lack training in identification, de-escalation and referral of mental health issues, especially in Hispanic groups. In response, the Socorro Project ("Help" in Spanish) will partner the University of North Texas (UNT) Center for Psychosocial Health Disparities Research with emergency first responders to train them in culturally-competent mental health first aid, including opioid overdose prevention, and develop robust mental health resource, referral pathways in both English and Spanish. UNT is a top-tier (R1) Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) that is nationally known for evidence-based approach to training and development of competencies in mental health care (e.g., Callahan & Watkins, 2018a, 2018b, 2018c, 2018d; Callahan, Parent, & Ruggero, 2013). The Socorro Project leverages funding to build upon its foundation of expertise and reputation in the Hispanic community in order to redress major unmet needs of our region. Specific project goals are to: 1. Annually train 144 (720 total) emergency first responders in mental health first aide (MHFA) across 5 North Texas cities with large (20% to 41.7%) Hispanic populations. 2. Combat behavioral health disparities in North Texas by augmenting MHFA with cultural competency/humility training, developing suites of bilingual (English/Spanish) mental health resources/referral pathways and promoting their utilization. 3. Address the recent spike in opioid overdoses (CDC HAN-00438) in North Texas by training first responders to identify, treat, and refer victims, particularly in Hispanic communities. Our team is well-positioned to tackle goals. The PD (Ruggero) is a bilingual, Hispanic clinical psychologist with expertise in the mental health of first responders, while Key Personnel contribute expertise in training (Callahan) and community engagement (Cox). Partners include 5 first responder departments across North Texas servicing over 50,000 calls annually, as well as a large mental health clinic with longstanding community ties. Efforts of the Socorro Project will be closely evaluated with a commitment to transparency about its challenges and progress.
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).
