Announcements

NeedyMeds Website Now Available in Spanish

NeedyMeds am pleased to announce that we have recently completed a translation of our website into Spanish. NeedyMeds, a national nonprofit, is devoted to helping people who cannot afford medicine or other health care costs. As part of our outreach to Spanish speakers, we also have brochures available in Spanish that give an overview of NeedyMeds’ resources. The brochures can be mailed, downloaded from the website or printed by clicking here.

Access to all the resources listed on our website, www.needymeds.org, is free and includes information on:

● Patient Assistance Programs providing medications for free or low cost to those that qualify. We have a comprehensive list of over 560 programs that offer over 3,900 medications.
● Disease-Based Assistance Programs helping with costs associated with specific diseases, types of diseases or medical conditions and will cover many different types of health care expenses.
● Free/Low-Cost Clinics offering services for free or low cost with a sliding scale based on income.

We’d also like to let you know of some resources we offer:
● Free NeedyMeds Drug Discount Card that may be used by anyone without insurance or instead of insurance to receive up to an 80% savings on the cost of prescription medications, over-the-counter drugs and pet prescriptions purchased at a pharmacy. There are no income, residency or age restrictions when using the card and it is accepted at over 60,000 pharmacies. We can partner with you to offer a co-branded card or send you our generic cards to you at no cost. Click here to download the card.
● Webinar Presentations to your staff to review how to help those you serve using the NeedyMeds website. We can arrange a customized webinar presentation for you at no cost, with the possibility for it to be facilitated bilingually. In addition, we have semi-monthly webinars you may participate in.

Medical Family Therapy: A Model for Addressing Mental Health Disparities Among Latinos

By ELAINE WILLERTON MARY E. DANKOSKI JAVIER F. SEVILLA MARTIR

The Latino population in the United States is growing at an exponential rate. As a med- ically underserved population, Latinos ex- perience many health disparities, including those related to mental health. Current re- search suggests that Latinos in the United States are at high risk for problems such as anxiety, depression, somatization disor- ders, and substance abuse, yet, often these health needs go unmet. This article sug- gests that an effective method of reaching and treating more Latinos is through med- ical family therapy. Because Latinos may be more likely to seek help from a physician for mental health complaints, and because marriage and family therapists may be most culturally congruent in their orienta- tion to therapy, collaboration between health care providers and medical family therapists is logical.

To read the full article, please click here.

One Size Does Not Fit All: Taking Diversity, Culture and Context Seriously
by Margarita Alegria • Marc Atkins • Elizabeth Farmer • Elaine Slaton • Wayne Stelk
Published online: 18 February 2010 Ó Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010

Evidence suggests that the current mental health system is failing in the provision of quality mental health care for diverse children and families. This paper discusses one critical domain missing to improve care: serious attention given to diversity, culture, and context. It discusses what we mean by understanding culture and context at the individual, family, organizational, and soci- etal level. Focusing on key predictors of children’s adjustment in natural contexts would increase attention to building community and family capacities that strengthen children’s mental health. To conclude, we suggest changes in organizational culture to build natural supports to enhance children’s mental health.

To read the full article, click here.

Health care quality still improving slowly, but disparities and gaps in access to care persist

Improvements in health care quality continue to progress at a slow rate – about 2.3 percent a year; however, disparities based on race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status and other factors persist at unacceptably high levels, according to the 2010 National Healthcare Quality Report and National Healthcare Disparities Report issued today by HHS’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

The reports, which are mandated by Congress, show trends by measuring health care quality for the nation using a group of credible core measures. The data are based on more than 200 health care measures categorized in several areas of quality: effectiveness, patient safety, timeliness, patient-centeredness, care coordination, efficiency, health system infrastructure, and access.

“All Americans should have access to high-quality, appropriate and safe health care that helps them achieve the best possible health, and these reports show that we are making very slow progress toward that goal,” said AHRQ Director Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D. “We need to ramp up our overall efforts to improve quality and focus specific attention on areas that need the greatest improvement.”

Gains in health care quality were seen in a number of areas, with the highest rates of improvement in measures related to treatment of acute illnesses or injuries. For example, the proportion of heart attack patients who underwent procedures to unblock heart arteries within 90 minutes improved from 42 percent in 2005 to 81 percent in 2008.

Other very modest gains were seen in rates of screening for preventive services and child and adult immunization; however, measures of lifestyle modifications such as preventing or reducing obesity, smoking cessation and substance abuse saw no improvement.

The reports indicate that few disparities in quality of care are getting smaller, and almost no disparities in access to care are getting smaller. Overall, blacks, American Indians and Alaska Natives received worse care than whites for about 40 percent of core measures. Asians received worse care than whites for about 20 percent of core measures. And Hispanics received worse care than whites for about 60 percent of core measures. Poor people received worse care than high-income people for about 80 percent of core measures.

Of the 22 measures of access to health care services tracked in the reports, about 60 percent did not show improvement, and 40 percent worsened. On average, Americans report barriers to care one-fifth of the time, ranging from 3 percent of people saying they were unable to get or had to delay getting prescription medications to 60 percent of people saying their usual provider did not have office hours on weekends or nights. Among disparities in core access measures, only one – the gap between Asians and whites in the percentage of adults who reported having a specific source of ongoing care – showed a reduction.

Each year since 2003, AHRQ has reported on the progress and opportunities for improving health care quality and reducing health care disparities. The National Healthcare Quality Report focuses on national trends in the quality of health care provided to the American people, while the National Healthcare Disparities Report focuses on prevailing disparities in health care delivery as it relates to racial and socioeconomic factors in priority populations.

The quality and disparities reports are available online at http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/qrdr10.htm, by calling 1-800-358-9295 or by sending an e-mail to ahrqpubs@ahrq.hhs.gov.

CHLI SEEKS HISPANIC UNIVERSITY APPLICANTS FOR THE CHLI-TUCK BUSINESS BRIDGE PROGRAM AT DARTMOUTH COLLEGE

Summer Program Aims to Provide Non-Business Majors with the Business Essentials Needed To Succeed in a Global Economy

WASHINGTON, DC – The Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI) invites qualified Hispanic university students and recent graduates of arts and social sciences colleges, to apply for the CHLI-Tuck Business Bridge Program in Hanover, New Hampshire.

The Tuck Business Bridge Program is designed for non-business majors and is open to sophomores, juniors, seniors, and recent graduates. Students who are selected to the program will participate in a four-week career focused fast track to mastery of business essentials at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. The rigorous integrated curriculum includes:

Business essentials such as corporate finance, financial accounting, managerial economics, marketing, management communication, spreadsheet modeling, decision making, problem solving, and presentation skills

Teamwork and leadership training emphasizing an intensive company-valuation project that culminates in presentations to industry executives and faculty

Career guidance including coaching in interview techniques, networking skills, and resume preparation, all leading to various networking opportunities and a daylong Career Bridge event

Four students will be selected to participate in the program, financially backed by the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute.

The application deadline is Friday, April 1, 2011. The program’s session is from July 18th-August 12th, 2011. Applications can be downloaded from the CHLI website at www.chli.org, clicking on the "Programs" tab, selecting "Internships and Fellowships", and choosing "CHLI-Tuck Business Bridge Program" from the drop down box located on the page.

To apply, applicants must:

* U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents of Hispanic descent, enrolled in a four-year university, two-year college or recent college graduate
* Submit a completed application form, essay, resume, two letters of recommendation, and unofficial transcripts with SAT or TOEFL score.

Compensation:

Round-trip airfare
Room & Board
Books

For more information please contact Mari Cabrera, Director of Development and External Affairs, Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute at mcabrera@chli.org or at 202-347-8280 Ext. 301.

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About CHLI:

The Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI, pronounced "chili”) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization, based in Washington, D.C., that advances the diversity of thought in U.S. Hispanic community in the public, private, and non-profit sectors, as well as in the international community. For more information, please visit www.chli.org. You may also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Mia St. John Knocks Out Stigma in Mental-Health Ring

(by Robert David Jaffee, Author, journalist, mental-health activist. The Huffington Post, February 15, 2011)

Mental illness disrupted Jimmy Piersall's baseball career. For Mia St. John, it has propelled her to three boxing championship belts.

Unrolling a white hand-wrap as she sits on a chair at Outlaws Gym in Tarzana, Calif., St. John, 43, says that she suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder. "If I didn't have that, I wouldn't have been so successful." She adds, "I can't stop and won't stop until I've perfected (something). I won't let go."

St. John, who also has endured panic attacks, has learned how to control those episodes and how to harness her obsessive-compulsive behavior to her advantage. She takes medication and has been in therapy for years. A regular attendee at meetings of the National Alliance for Mental Illness' Westside L.A. branch (namila.org), she is a spokesman for the mentally ill, having hosted fund-raisers and filmed PSA's to raise awareness of mental illness, particularly among Latino youth.

Recently, St. John, who was born in San Francisco and is of Mexican descent, provided computers, electricity and Internet access to La Cantera, a barrio in Zacatecas, Mexico, through her foundation, El Saber Es Poder/Knowledge Is Power (miastjohnfoundation.org).

The graduate of Cal. State Northridge University, with a B.A. in psychology, notably did not build a boxing gym, the way many boxing champs have. "It kills brain cells," says St. John, with a mischievous smile.

Despite having fought professionally for 15 years, including many appearances on the undercard of Oscar De La Hoya matches, St. John still retains the looks that once made her a Playboy cover girl. She also still has a quick jab and right cross, which she demonstrates in the ring while a trainer holds up the focus mitts. All of the punches land crisply, like fastballs smacking a catcher's glove.

St. John, who has long black hair like Pocahantas, which she ties into a pony tail, is training for a possible rematch against Christy Martin, who beat her in a controversial decision years ago.

St. John wants to avenge that loss and earn her "rightful victory" over her foe. She will likely have to step up from her natural weight class, lightweight, to do so.

In the meantime, she has been invited to testify on Feb. 17 before Congress. Along with the Lakers' Ron Artest, who also has battled mental-health issues, St. John will be speaking on behalf of Rep. Grace Napolitano's Mental Health in Schools Act, which calls for $200 mill. to fund more mental-health counselors in public schools.

Just recently, UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute came out with the results of its annual survey on stress levels in college freshmen, finding that the psychological fitness of these students was at the lowest level in the 25-year history of the survey.

St. John would like to help kids earlier before they end up in the Twin Towers, the well-known jail facility in downtown Los Angeles. She says that roughly 70% of Latino youth in that facility reported mental-health issues, which, she adds, carry a harsh stigma in Latino culture.

Her own son, 21, has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and has been in and out of hospitals.

That is why she hopes to get her PSA on Spanish-language networks. To let Latino kids know that it is okay to be in therapy and take medication. In fact, it is more than okay. It is what has allowed St. John to thrive, to be a champion, and maybe even to knock out Christy Martin.

Elective opportunity at Texas-Mexico border medical and public health students

Spend a month at the US-Mexico Border. What you learn at STEER will last a lifetime! Enjoy an international experience without leaving home.

Tuition free for students in US-accredited schools of medicine and public health. Housing provided for only $600/month. Most students’ schools give credit for STEER. Some programs offer global health credit for STEER elective. Presenters are bilingual. Spanish not necessary.

$300 scholarships available for a limited number of non-UTHSCSA students on a first-come,
first-served basis!

At present, the STEER students do not cross into Mexico. Nevertheless, the Border provides a unique bicultural (90% Hispanic), bilingual learning environment, with a focus on the concerns of our nation’s border with Mexico – poverty, water and air pollution, immigration, sanitation, imports, the border “fence” and a medically underserved population threatened by infectious diseases such as dengue, tuberculosis, rabies as well as high rates of obesity and diabetes.

More than 25 presenters – all experts in their own right – will answer your questions: What are the biggest challenges border residents face? How are the medical and public health systems of both nations working to address these concerns? How do health concerns at the US-Mexico Border affect every US citizen?

STEER offers training in two locations along the U.S.-Mexico Border─Laredo and Harlingen, Texas.

See the website http://steer.uthscsa.edu for information and application or contact us directly at steer@uthscsa.edu.

Latinos in the US 2010 Population Bulletin

A report about Latinos in the US is now available, by clicking here.

The 2010 Congressional Reapportionment and Latinos

This report as now available from thec Pew Hispanic Center, by clicking here.

Some Colleges and Universities do Better Than Others in Graduating Hispanic Students

Please click here for the full story.

Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence guideline now available in Spanish

For the first time, the entire 2008 U.S. Public Health Service Clinical Practice Guideline, Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence, has been translated into Spanish. In past years, summaries of the guideline were translated into Spanish. The guideline in Spanish can be accessed at any of the following Web sites:

· U.S. Surgeon General

· Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

· Sociedad Española de Neumología y Cirugía Torácica (SEPAR)

· University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention (UW-CTRI)

Patient-Centered Communication Standards and Advancing Effective Communication, Cultural Competence, and Patient- and Family-Centered Care: A Roadmap for Hospitals

In August 2008, The Joint Commission, with funding from The Commonwealth Fund, began an initiative to advance the issues of effective communication, cultural competence, and patient- and family-centered care in hospitals. Under the direction of Paul Schyve, MD, and Amy Wilson-Stronks, MPP, the project focused on developing accreditation standards for the hospital program and developing a monograph to help hospitals better meet patient needs.

• The project explored how diversity, culture, language, and health literacy issues can be better incorporated into current Joint Commission standards or drafted into new requirements.

• The proposed requirements to advance effective communication, cultural competence, and patient-centered care built upon previous studies and projects, including the research framework from The Joint Commission's ongoing Hospitals, Language, and Culture: A Snapshot of the Nation study and evidence from the current literature.

• A multidisciplinary Expert Advisory Panel, representing a broad range of stakeholders, provided guidance regarding the principles, measures, structures, and processes that serve as the foundation for the proposed requirements to advance effective communication, cultural competence, and patient-centered care.

The Patient-Centered Communication standards, which were approved in December 2009 and released to the field in January 2010, will be published in the 2011 Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals (CAMH): The Official Handbook. Joint Commission surveyors will evaluate compliance with the Patient-Centered Communication standards beginning January 1, 2011; however, findings will not affect the accreditation decision. The information collected by Joint Commission surveyors and staff during this implementation pilot phase will be used to prepare the field for common implementation questions and concerns. Compliance with the Patient-Centered Communication standards will be included in the accreditation decision no earlier than January 2012. A pre-publication version of the standards can be viewed at The Joint Commission Web site at http://www.jointcommission.org/Standards/.

Advancing Effective Communication, Cultural Competence, and Patient- and Family-Centered Care: A Roadmap for Hospitals is a monograph developed by The Joint Commission to inspire hospitals to integrate concepts from the communication, cultural competence, and patient- and family-centered care fields into their organizations. The Roadmap for Hospitals provides recommendations to help hospitals address unique patient needs, meet the new Patient-Centered Communication standards, and comply with existing Joint Commission requirements. Example practices, information on laws and regulations, and links to supplemental information, model policies, and educational tools are also included. The Patient-Centered Communication standards will be presented in a separate appendix that provides self-assessment guidelines and example practices for each standard.

Access a free copy of Advancing Effective Communication, Cultural Competence, and Patient- and Family-Centered Care: A Roadmap for Hospitals (Requires Adobe Reader) by clicking here.

Review existing Joint Commission standards that support effective communication, cultural competence, and patient-centered care by clicking here.

Meet the project team by clicking here.

For more information, please contact Christina Cordero, PhD, MPH at (630) 792-5845 or ccordero@jointcommission.org.

The Commonwealth Fund/Harvard University Fellowship in Minority Health Policy (CFHUF, est. 1996).

Supported by The Commonwealth Fund, administered by the Minority Faculty Development Program at Harvard Medical School, this unique fellowship is designed to prepare physicians for leadership roles in formulating and promoting health policies and practices that improve the access to high-quality care at the national, state, and /or local levels for the minority, disadvantaged, and most vulnerable populations. Up to five one-year, degree-granting fellowships will be awarded per year. Fellows will: 1) complete academic work leading to a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree at the Harvard School of Public Health; and 2) be provided with core fellowship components such as seminars on leadership and health policy, practicum, forums, conferences, site visits, mentoring, journal club, and shadowing. CFHUF also offers a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree at the Harvard Kennedy School to physicians already possessing an MPH. It is expected that CFHUF will support the development of a cadré of leaders in health policy and practice, well-trained academically and professionally in public health, health policy, health management, and clinical medicine, as well as actively committed to careers in public service.

Physicians who are U.S. citizens and who have completed residency, either Board Eligible or Board Certified in the U.S are eligible for the fellowship. We are seeking physicians with evidence of leadership and leadership potential; experience or interest in addressing and improving the health needs of minority, disadvantaged and vulnerable populations; and intention to pursue a career in policy, public health practice, or academia.

The application deadline for the 2011-2012 Fellowship is January 3, 2011.

For application materials, information, and other training opportunities, please contact the CFHUF Program Coordinator by telephone at (617) 432-2922; by fax at 617-432-3834; or by e-mail at mfdp_cfhuf@hms.harvard.edu.

For more information about the fellowship, please visit the following link:
http://www.mfdp.med.harvard.edu/fellows_faculty/cfhuf/about.html

Bilingual and Ethnic Minority Psychologists Will Increase With Educational Psychology Grant

AUSTIN, Texas — The first Graduate Psychology Education Program grant to be awarded to a Department of Educational Psychology has been given to The University of Texas at Austin for the training of doctoral psychology students in integrated health care.

The $369,000 grant, awarded by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, was created to address the severe shortage of bilingual and ethnic minority child psychologists, including school psychologists, who can provide mental health services within integrated community health care settings.

"The training program will prepare our graduate students in evidence-based, family-centered and culturally sensitive psychological services in an integrated health care setting," said Dr. Cindy I. Carlson, chair of the College of Education's Department and principal investigator for the grant. "The major goal is to improve the training of Spanish-language speaking and ethnic minority future providers in order to better address the needs of underserved children and families in Central Texas.

"'Integrated health care' refers to various health care professionals working together in a single setting to permit treatment of mental and physical problems in a coordinated manner. Increasingly, research indicates that physical, emotional and educational problems are interrelated in children. Whereas funding to support the training of other health professionals in community health, such as physicians and dentists, has been available for a long time, psychologists have not benefitted. This grant indicates an increasing appreciation of psychologists as health professionals."

According to Carlson, Texas ranks first in the nation in number of uninsured children and 47th in per capita mental health funding. Only 3 percent of Texas youth who suffer from serious emotional disturbance have been receiving care in community health care clinics, where there is a severe shortage of mental health care providers. In the U.S., it's estimated about 84 million people receive no mental health care services, or reduced services, because of the shortage of community mental health care providers.
Three doctoral students in The University of Texas at Austin's Department of Educational Psychology will enter the Graduate Psychology Education program this year, with nine to receive stipends and go through the two-year training program over the next two years. The three students starting this year are Kiara Alvarez, Yessenia Marroquin and Luis Sandoval.

"This program builds," said Carlson, "on recent partnerships that have developed between the University of Texas System, Seton Family of Hospitals, the College of Education's Texas Child Study Center, Dell Children's Medical Center and the Department of Educational Psychology. This program broadens the partnership to include the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health and Austin Travis County Integral Care.
"Our educational psychology students will be trained in seminars with medical students who are preparing to be child psychiatrists. All of these groups, institutions and individuals working diligently together will mean that health care in Central Texas, and beyond, will continue to improve."

CHCI 2011 Program Applications Now Available Online

CHCI is recruiting Hispanic American students - undergraduate and graduate - for its nationally recognized youth development leadership programs.

Applications for CHCI's 2011 Congressional Internship, Public Policy Fellowship, Graduate Fellowship, and Scholarship Programs are now available online at www.chci.org.

The Congressional Internship Program provides college students with Congressional placements on Capitol Hill for eight weeks during the summer and twelve weeks in the spring and fall. Participants are exposed to the legislative process and strengthen their professional and leadership skills. Housing, travel and stipend are provided.

2011 Congressional Internship Deadlines:
Spring: November 5, 2010
Summer: February 4, 2011
Fall: April 29, 2011

CHCI's nine month Public Policy Fellowship Program, conducted from September to May, seeks to enhance participants' leadership abilities, strengthen professional skills and produce more competent and competitive Latino professionals in public policy areas. The program provides college graduates with national, hands-on public policy experience in a congressional office, federal agency, nonprofit sector, or corporate setting. Travel, healthcare and monthly stipend are provided. The Public Policy Fellowship Program application deadline is February 18, 2011.

CHCI's nine month Graduate Fellowship Program offers unparalleled experience in the underserved public policy areas of education, health, housing, international affairs, law, and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). This competitive program is for exceptional Latinos who have earned a master's degree within three years of the program start date. The International Affairs Fellowship includes three months abroad in Mexico. Travel, health insurance and a monthly stipend are provided. The Graduate Fellowship Program application deadline is February 18, 2011.

With close to $3 million in need-based scholarships awarded to Hispanic students since 2001, CHCI's Scholarship Program is available to undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in a two-four year accredited college or university. Students pursing an associate's degree may apply for a grant in the amount of $1,000; $2,500 for bachelor's candidates; $5,000 for graduate students. The Scholarship Program application deadline is April 16, 2011.

To be eligible, all program applicants must be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents, be a graduate or undergraduate student with remarkable leadership potential, and have demonstrated a vast history and commitment to community and public service.

Launch of Spanish Website for Consumers

On September 9, 2010, www.cuidadodesalud.gov, the first website in Spanish of its kind to help consumers take control of their health care by connecting them to new information and resources that will help them access quality, affordable health care coverage, was launched. President Obama wrote an op-ed in La Opinion and El Diario La Prensa today that highlights the website and the importance of health reform to the Latino community.

http://www.impre.com/laopinion/noticias/2010/9/7/los-latinos-y-la-salud-209385-1.html

NIH Loan Repayment Program - Nov 15 Application Deadline

The 2011 application cycle for the National Institutes of Health's LoanRepayment Programs is now open, and applications can be found online at www.lrp.nih.gov. The LRPs repay the outstanding student loans of researcherswho are or will be conducting nonprofit biomedical or behavioral research,and opportunities are available in five research areas: clinical,pediatric, health disparities, contraception and infertility and clinicalresearch for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Applicationswill be accepted until 8:00 p.m. Eastern time on November 15, 2010.

BENEFITS:
New LRP contracts are awarded for a two-year period and repay up to$35,000 of qualified educational debt annually. Tax offsets also are providedas an additional benefit. Participants may apply for competitive renewals,which are issued for one or two years. Undergraduate, graduate, medicalschool, and other health professional school loans qualify for repayment. AnNIH grant or other NIH funding is not required to apply for or participate inthe LRPs.

ELIGIBILITY:
Applicants must possess a doctoral-level degree (with the exception of the contraception and infertility research LRP); be a U.S.citizen, national or permanent resident; devote 20 hours or more per week toconducting qualified research funded by a domestic nonprofit, university orgovernment entity; and have qualified educational loan debt equal to orexceeding 20 percent of their institutional base salary.

AWARDS:
Each year, nearly 1,600 research scientists benefit from the more than $70 million NIH invests in their careers through the extramural LRPs. Twenty-six percent of awards are made to individuals within one to five years of receiving their doctoral degree. More than 75 percent of awards go toindividuals within 10 years of receiving their doctoral degree. Approximately40 percent of new applications and 70 percent of renewal applications arefunded.

For guidance on the application process and NIH Institute and Center (IC) research priorities, potential applicants should review Tips for Completing a Competitive Application at http://www.lrp.nih.gov/pdf/0310_1_application_tips.pdf and contact an IC LRP liaison. The list of ICs and their liaisons can be found at http://www.lrp.nih.gov/contact_us/contact_list.aspx

QUESTIONS?
Visit the LRP website at www.lrp.nih.gov for more information and to access the online application. For additional assistance, call or e-mail the LRP Information Center at (866) 849-4047 or lrp@nih.gov. Also, receive application cycle updates through Twitter @NIH_LRP or www.twitter.com/NIH_LRP.

Agency Begins Radio Programs in Spanish

HHS’ Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality introduces “Healthcare 411 en Espanol,” a news series providing Spanish speakers with health and healthcare information. Each month, Spanish language radio stations nationwide will receive two 60-second audio reports that include an interview with a Spanish speaking AHRQ physician. In addition, AHRQ is working with health departments, hospitals, and community and migrant health centers to get the audio segments out to their constituencies through websites or by lay health aides, many of whom work in community health centers. According to AHRQ’s 2008 National Healthcare Disparities Report, Hispanics are 20% more likely to receive poor healthcare than non-Hispanic whites, and the problem is especially acute among Hispanics who speak little or no English.

Info: To listen to the Healthcare 411 audio segments in Spanish, visit www.healthcare411.ahrq.gov

Low-income Latinos who have depression but stigmatize mental illness are less likely to take medications, keep scheduled appointments and control their illness
Low-income Latinos who have depression but stigmatize mental illness are less likely to take medications, keep scheduled appointments and control their illness, a U.S. study has found. Researchers interviewed 200 poor, Spanish-speaking Latinos in Los Angeles who all showed signs of depression in an initial screening. Further screening found that 54 of the patients had mild to severe depression.

Based on responses to questions, the researchers determined that 51 percent of the patients stigmatized mental illness. These patients were 22 percent less likely to be taking depression medication, 21 percent less likely to be able to control their depression, and 44 percent more likely to have missed scheduled mental health appointments compared to other patients. (Health Day News, 3/31/10) http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=637534

Stigma Keeps Some Latinos from Depression Treatment
A new study published in General Hospital Psychiatry provides evidence that in the Latino community, members who stigmatize mental illness are less likely to seek and comply with mental health treatment. The study screened 200 Latino patients for depression and then, using a stigma checklist, assessed patients to determine whether or not they stigmatize mental illness. It was found that patients that stigmatize mental illness were less likely to disclose their depression diagnosis to their family and friends, less likely to be taking depression medication, and more likely to have missed scheduled appointment visits.According to lead researcher William Vega of the University of Southern California, the study may point to new approaches to treating individuals with high levels of stigma. The stigma checklist presented for treating Spanish-speaking Latino patients in primary care may be used to assess depressed patients for stigma to help inform clinical management of patients. For more information click here.

Seeking Minority Behavioral and Social Science Volunteers
Washington, DC Metropolitan Area
The American Psychological Association (APA) Behavioral and Social Science Volunteer (BSSV) Program is a national HIV prevention technical capacity-building assistance (CBA) program funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The BSSV Program, operated through the APA Office on AIDS, has established a national network of psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists and public health experts that offers free CBA to community-based organizations (CBOs). The BSSV Program has trained and mobilized its network of behavioral and social science volunteers (BSSVs) to assist HIV prevention planners and implementers who are attempting to provide state-of-the-science HIV prevention in their communities.

The areas of technical assistance areas provided by BSSVs include:

· Designing community needs assessment instruments and methodologies
· Using behavioral and social theory to guide intervention development
· Conducting formative research to inform intervention design
· Adapting and tailoring proven interventions to new settings and populations
· Developing and implementing effective evaluation strategies
Prospective volunteers should possess the following criteria:
master's or doctoral level degree in behavioral or social science;
minimum of 5 years experience in HIV prevention;
member of or extensive experience with a minority ethic/racial group;
experience with/knowledge of HIV prevention science and its application in the community; and
personal commitment to HIV prevention and a desire to contribute to their communities in a meaningful way.
Volunteers of the BSSV Program will receive the following benefits:
training in state of the art HIV prevention science
training in delivering effective capacity-building assistance to CBOs, involved with the front lines of HIV prevention;
opportunities to learn from and network with national experts;
opportunities to help facilitate and apply knowledge in community settings that are practical, useful and time efficient; and
be a part of an activist group of social scientists who are committed to improving the health of communities disproportionately affected by HIV.

We currently have a request from a small community-based organization in the Washington , D.C. area who is seeking assistance packaging a home-grown community level intervention. They have done in-house evaluation of the intervention. The organization states it is "looking for a Ph.D. level volunteer to assist us in the process of packaging our CHAMPS program as a possible community-level ". We have an IMMEDIATE need for BSSVs.

Please pass this message onto others who might be interested in serving as a professional volunteer for APA’s BSSV Program. For more information, please contact Sharon Asonganyi, BSSV Capacity Building Coordinator - (202) 336-6164/ sasonganyi@apa.org.

APA works to eliminate disparities as the nation looks to reform its health-care system

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) has developed a dynamic and interactive Spanish-language Web site