Protectores de la Comunidad [Community Protectors] - Project Name: Protectores de la Comunidad [Community Protectors]
Project Summary: The project proposed by Center for Health Innovation (CHI) addresses a critical need facing 6 New Mexico’s border counties which have been affected by disparities in mental health outcomes, utilization of services and poverty. Over the 5-year grant period CHI and partners will provide awareness training using 3 evidence-based curricula; peer-led continuing education; develop and implement a regional referral network and management system; and implement culturally and linguistically appropriate awareness campaigns.
Populations Served: The project will focus on youth and Hispanic/Latinx populations who are more likely to face cultural, linguistic and structural barriers to receiving mental health treatment. The service area includes 6 southern border counties in New Mexico: Doña Ana, Hidalgo, Luna, Otero, Grant and Sierra. The region is home to a large Hispanic/Latinx population, including over 70 Colonia communities and migrant populations. New Mexico youths are twice as likely as adults to attempt suicide. New Mexico ranks second in the nation for suicide death rates per 100,000 population and within New Mexico Grant, Sierra and Hidalgo Counties rank among the top 6 counties with the highest suicide rates. The region’s Hispanic/Latinx population faces unique barriers to accessing mental health care such as communication barriers, cultural views and stereotypes, being undocumented, and cost of medical care. Within the target counties the Hispanic/ Latino population ranges between 31% (Sierra) and 68% (Doña Ana and Luna), compared to 18.5% across the U.S. In some counties more than 50% of the total population speak a language other than English at home.
Strategies/Interventions/Objectives. The project goal is to increase the capacity of regional gatekeepers and emergency personnel to provide intervention and referrals to individuals with mental illness and their families so they receive appropriate treatment. At the end of the grant period the following strategies and objectives will be achieved, reaching a total estimated 175,000 indviduals:
1) 320 gatekeepers receive Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training and 80% self-report feeling confident in their skills to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental disorders; 70 family members receive Family to Family training; 70 emergency service personnel receive Crisis Intervention Team or MHFA-Public Safety training and demonstrate de-escalation techniques.
2) A regional referral network and management system is implemented allowing participating organizations to successfully link 80% of individuals with mental illness to developmentally, culturally and linguistically appropriate services.
3) 175,000 individuals are informed about culturally and linguistically appropriate resources available in the community for individuals with a mental disorder and ways to avoid stigma associated with mental illness.
1.State of Mental Health in NM. 2018 Retrieved 01/31/21 at https://www.nmhealth.org/data/view/general/2193/
2.Retrieved 01/30/2021 from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/suicide-mortality/suicide.htm
3.New Mexico Department of Health. New Mexico Substance Use Epidemiology Profile, 2020
4.U.S. Census Bureau Quick Facts, U.S, New Mexico, New Mexico Counties, 2019.
5.U.S. Census Bureau Quick Facts, U.S, New Mexico, New Mexico Counties, 2019.
