Idaho Partnership for Hispanic Health

The goal of the Idaho Partnership for Hispanic Mental Health phase one planning project is to assess the disparities in mental health treatment among Hispanics in southwest Idaho, who are primarily an immigrant population of Mexican origin. The proposal’s research design included quantitative interviews with 200 adult Hispanics residing in southwest Idaho, followed up by more in-depth qualitative interviews with 40 of the participants; and semi-structured interviews with 35 southwest Idaho mental health services providers.

The project will use a community-based participatory research approach. Project partners include Mountain States Group, the University of Washington Department of Social Work, the RAND Corporation, the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs, Dr. Al Sanchez (Hispanic mental health consultant), and an existing Hispanic Health Community Advisory Board. Strong equitable partnerships between the research organizations and the Hispanic community have already been established.

As barriers to Hispanics access and use of mental health services are already well-documented, the purpose of this community assessment was to inform the improvement of mental health service delivery. The primary goal of the IPHMH Community Needs Assessment was to investigate disparities in mental health treatment among Hispanics in southwest Idaho. The project’s first steps were to:

Further knowledge about Hispanics' perceptions and beliefs about mental illness, and behaviors, and preferences regarding mental health treatment, and
Assess southwest Idaho's mental health provider organizations' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding their services to Hispanic individuals and gaps in service access and provision for Hispanics.

During the project's 2 year duration, two major phases were planned and completed: assessment/data gathering and analysis/education. The following efforts were completed and below are links to an educational event and the finalized reports .

238 Hispanic community members completed quantatitive interviews in a 2-county area in southwest Idaho (Ada and Canyon counties - completed in December 2009)
A representative sample of 94 individuals of the 238 was selected to complete a more in-depth qualitative interview (completed in January 2010)
35 key informant interviews with mental health providers (completed September 2010)

Education:

NASW- Idaho and Idaho Partnership for Hispanic Health present a conference regarding:

Behavioral Health and Idaho Latinos:
Creating Awareness, Fostering Action:
Juntos Podemos
Wednesday, November 9th