Enhancing Mental Health Services for California’s Latino Communities.
La Familia celebrates the successful implementation of a $4,999,674 two-year “Tri-County Project,” made possible through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Community Mental Health Centers Grant. As a prominent community services organization dedicated to serving California’s Bay Area and Central Valley, La Familia initiated this project to provide culturally-specific and linguistically-competent services to Latino community members in Alameda, Merced, and Stanislaus counties who are coping with a range of emotional and mental health issues including Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED), Severe Mental Illness (SMI), and Co-Occurring Disorders (COD).
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated and compounded the higher-than-average levels of poverty, domestic violence, untreated mental health issues, and substance use problems in Alameda and Central Valley counties. To address the specialized needs of Latino students, families, and communities of color, our dedicated and trained bicultural and bilingual Spanish-speaking staff were able to accommodate the cultural and linguistic preferences of these communities. Services were provided during school, after school, and in office and home settings.
Over the course of the project, La Familia achieved significant milestones:
Provided outpatient services to 917 unduplicated individuals diagnosed with SED, SMI, and COD across 12 school districts in Alameda, Stanislaus, and Merced Counties, including Hayward, Pleasanton, Oakland, San Lorenzo, Fremont, Atwater, Los Banos, Hilmar, Hughson, Winton, Livingston, Delhi, and Patterson.
Addressed diagnoses such as Depression, Anxiety, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Developed the infrastructure for HIPAA-compliant telehealth services to offer multiple pathways to services for students and families. Established procedures for after-hours support to prevent the need for higher levels of care, providing supports, linkages, and follow-up care. Participated in 60 outreach activities, each reaching at least 50 individuals, and collectively engaging at least 3,900 individuals.
“In just over two years this program positively impacted students and families – something that will be felt in our communities for years to come as systems and infrastructure change in a landscape that continues to need more services.” said La Familia CEO Aaron Ortiz. “I am proud of the La Familia staff members that worked daily to provide timely, compassionate, comprehensive, and culturally-appropriate services at the moment when families needed it most.”
The funding from the CMHC grant was instrumental in providing the initial resources needed to expand the existing program resources of our school district partners. The proven benefits of the CMHC grant programs at these school sites have catalyzed the districts to begin allocating local funds to sustain and expand these services.
Looking ahead, La Familia is committed to its mission of serving the diverse communities across California through school-based programs in Alameda, Stanislaus, and Merced Counties – providing services that support and empower students, their families, and our communities as a whole.
In Community,
Aaron Ortiz, Chief Executive Officer
La Familia
For more information about La Familia services and programming in the Bay Area, please visit our website at https://livelafamilia.org/. For more information about our Central Valley services visit https://lafamiliacentralvalley.org/.
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For media inquiries or further information, please contact Ray Cásarez, Communications Manager at rcasarez@livelafamilia.org.