Project Summary:
Milwaukee–the third most segregated metro area in the US–experiences some of the starkest health inequities affecting primarily low-income communities of color. The sizeable and rapidly growing Latinx population (20% of the overall population; approx. 115,000 people) residing primarily in the southside of the city endures significant social drivers of health issues (e.g., discrimination, poverty, segregation, unsafe housing conditions), contributing to a range of mental health and healthcare inequities. Following COVID, these disparities worsened and created the “perfect storm” for the current mental health crisis facing the most vulnerable members of our community.
An opportunity exists to implement lasting, transformational solutions that meaningfully enhance the current landscape for Latinx communities by expanding the mental health continuum of care through universal prevention programs and specialized interventions in community settings, which hold promise for “meeting community members where they are.”
This project will directly address this need by expanding the Health & Wellness Program at St. Aldabert, the largest Spanish-speaking parish in Milwaukee, with a community health worker program that will be:
- trained in evidence-informed, culturally grounded interventions to enhance community mental health support and match individuals with needs;
- design and offer a psychoeducation lecture series on mental health topics relevant for the community; and
- create community-building events for youth, families, and adults.
All will be advised by community advisory boards and led by the newly trained community health workers. The knowledge gained from the proposed study will lay the foundation for research aimed at testing and disseminating interventions and corresponding implementation strategies that can reduce mental health inequities in the Latinx population in Milwaukee and beyond.
Community Partners: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Marquette University