Ohio Hispanic CoalitionApril 15, 2015

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Ohio Hispanic Coalition

Vision

• OHCO is committed to creating collaborative partnerships in order to promote general awareness, including social, educational and economic advancement of Ohio’s Latino population.

Mission

• The mission of the Ohio Hispanic Coalition is to improve the well-being and quality of life for all Hispanics/Latinos through advocacy, education, training, and access to quality services.

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Organization’s History

1990 – Ohio Hispanic Coalition founded

1996 - Awarded 501(c)3 status

1996 - Promotoras de Salud Program initiated

1999 – Domestic Violence Program initiated

2000 – OHCO helped introduce Interpreter Standards and Ethics through Columbus Public Health

2002 – After School Program initiated

2003 - Fire in the Coalition offices

2005 – Smoke Cessation Program initiated

2010 – March for America in Washington, D.C.

2013 – OHCO awarded five AmeriCorps VISTAs through Corporation for National and Community

2014 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

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PROGRAMS

• After School Program

• Citizenship Classes

• Health /PDS/SNAP

• Technology Center

• Safety / DV&SA

• CERT

• Interpretation /Translation

• Cultural & Training

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Introduction

• Access to services is one of the greatest obstacles facing refugees, immigrants, and other Ohio residents of Limited English Proficiency

• Absence of bilingual professionals and/or qualified interpreters results in serious misunderstandings, denial of benefits, as well as discourages LEP clients from seeking services they may be eligible for.

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Terms• Preferred: Undocumented Immigrant

• Not Appropriate: Illegal Alien

• Individuals with Limited English Proficiency (LEP Individuals from Civil Right Act of 1964)

• New Americans (adopted from Minnesota by the City of Columbus to describe Somali refugees)

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U.S. Hispanic/Latino Population

• 50.5 million Hispanics, 16.3% of total population of 308.7 million

• Between 2000 and 2010

• Hispanics accounted for over one-half (55.5%) of the nation’s growth

• Hispanic growth rate (43%) was more than four times the growth rate of the total population (9.7%)

72010 U.S. Census

12.5% 16.3%

87.5% 83.7%

2000 2010

Hispanic/Latino Population Change

HispanicsNon-Hispanics

Ohio Hispanic/Latino Population

• 354,674 Hispanics, 3.1% of Ohio’s total population of 11,536,504

• 38.27% of Hispanics in Ohio are underage of 18

• Median age is 24.5 years; that compares with Ohio’s median age of 38.8 years

82010 U.S. Census

3.1%

96.9%HispanicsNon-Hispanics As of 2010

Mexican 172,209Puerto Rican 94,965Guatemalan 8,680Cuban 7,523Other 71,297

Components in Assisting LEP Patients

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It will result in the ability to communicate and understand with other cultural.

Cultural Specific

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Important cultural factors to consider:

• Communication Styles – High Context vs Low Context

• Polychronic vs. Monochromic• Learning Styles• Multiple channels of communication• Listening styles• Hierarchical structure vs. Equality interaction• Formality vs. Informality• Extended Family vs. Nuclear Family

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Culturally Competent

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Linguistically Competent

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What are their expectations when they come to you for help?

• Someone who is sympathetic and shows care and concern

for their situation.

• A good listener – they’ll tell you their life story if you let

them.

• A quick resolution – they often do not understand that

there are rules, regulations, processes and procedures.

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Experiences with Professionals

• When repeatedly faced with traumatic events over which they have no control, people come to feel helpless, hopeless, and depressed. Mental health professional may call this passive resignation “learned helplessness”.

• When people have little control over their case, the experience lower morale and increased stress.

• With immigrants the weight in their spirit is much heavier due to the various barriers they face not only on their everyday life, but with mental health professionals.

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Communicating

In order to establish collaboration: You need to understand their journey (culturally)

We need to be willing to place ourselves in that position “What would you do if you were in their place”.

Reasonable understanding of the situation Open-Minded Cautious to judge We will have limited understanding of the individual that we are serving.

Ensuring that communication is reciprocal, then we will be building the trust needed for disclosure.

Helpful phrases: It seems to you…, you think.., what I hear you saying …, Where you’re coming from this is like…. You feel…

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Treatment

I want:• Someone by my side• Non-judgmental attitude• To be accepted as I am• Someone to be there• Someone with time• Understand my values• Not to be question why am here

or why I stay in the USA• Not to be told to go back• To talk with someone in Spanish• The information in Spanish

I do not want:• To be talk down• To feel alone• To be treated like a number• Comparisons• To be ask why I am pregnant

again (if I stated the reason)• To be send to a counselor if I did

not requested• For you to assume that LEP

individuals do not understand some English

• To be told to learn English

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Total Well -Being…

• 3 Dimensional

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Common Barriers to Access Services

• Language/culture; Limited English Proficiency (LEP)• Simply don’t know that there are resources available to

them• Outreach efforts should be directed to locations where the

community generally congregates • Confusion about eligibility rules• Fear of being reported to USCIS • Lack of transportation/directions• Negative reputation among community members (word of

mouth) • Nature/form of current outreach materials

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Common Barriers to Access Services

• A strong sense of fear associated with “falsification of information,” resulting from change in circumstance (i.e. deportation)

• LEP individual are been told “We don’t do that here” after requesting an interpreter.

• Face-to-face interviews are intimidating for many Hispanic/Latino immigrants.

• Domino effect/distrust of system• Extraordinarily long waits, leading to rejection of

services • What qualifies as legitimate Photo ID? (i.e. passport

or matricula)

Recommendations

• Simultaneously build the agency’s own capacity by hiring Spanish bilingual staff and in some of the most frequently spoken languages.

• Establish Language Access policies within your agency to ensure non-English speaking immigrants can call and get information in their own language.

• Provide, on a continuous basis, cultural competency training to all staff whether they have access to the community or not.

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Recommendations

• Partner with local community-based agencies serving the immigrant communities to ensure your service agency is successful serving LEP victims.

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Contact Information• Ohio Hispanic Coalition

6161 Busch Blvd, Suite 311 Columbus, Ohio 43215-3130

Phone: (614) 840-9934 Office

– Julia Arbini-Carbonell

E-mail: julia@ohiohispaniccoalition.org

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Hispanic/Latino DACC Learning Series Event

Guisselle Mendoza Executive Director of Adelante

President of The Latino Alliance of North West Ohio

Educate . Empower . Support . Advocate . 

Adelante, The Latino Resource Center is a Latino non-profit organization whose mission is to empower Latinos and the community at-large through

supportive services, education and advocacy for children and families.

Website: www.AdelanteToledo.org Facebook: www.facebookcom/AdelanteToledo

Working with the Latino Population

The Latino population and the population who live in the “Shadows”

Barriers to Latino Population

Lack of Resources to the Spanish speaking population

Cultural competency

Barriers to the Latino Community

Language

Health Insurance

Transportation

Access to care

Lack of knowledge

Latino own cultural issues, myth and stigma

Lack of Latino and or Spanish speaking mental heath professionals

Existing service gaps

Culturally and linguistically appropriate services

Shortage of bilingual and bicultural mental health workers

Nonexistent or lack educational programs for Latinos including youth

Policies and evidence-based mental health practices designed specifically for racial and ethnic minorities

Advocacy for Latinos

Reaching the Latino Community

Go Where People Are

Make the Process Accessible

Customize to Culture and Circumstance

Invest in Ongoing Relationships

Foster Community Capacity

Use Media and Marketing Strategically

Educate . Empower . Support . Advocate . 

Adelante, The Latino Resource Center is a Latino non-profit organization whose mission is to empower Latinos and the community at-large through

supportive services, education and advocacy for children and families.

Website: www.AdelanteToledo.org Facebook: www.facebookcom/AdelanteToledo

Adelante in the CommunityServes as the only Latino Resources center

in NWO

Primarily works with the Latino population

Experts in providing quality service to primarily Spanish speaking clients

Established for over 20 years

Holistic approach in their programs and services providing empowerment to families

Advocates for the Latino community

A partner to many other resources helping the community move forward “Adelante”

Questions? Comments?

Thank you!

References:

http://www.nrchmh.org

http://mhcaucus.napolitano.house.gov

http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu

Thank you!

Learning Series: Working with Latino Youth and Families

Kevin Bilapka, QMHS•Hispanic/Latino CPST worker with St. Vincent Family Center

•Experienced in working with underserved youth

St. Vincent Family Center

• Has clinical and community outreach programs staffed by Spanish speakers.– Provides interpreters for any meeting that

does not have Spanish speaking employees.

• Provides documentation and paperwork in Spanish in order to make treatment easy for Spanish speaking families.

Barriers for Families Seeking Mental Health Services for Children• No access to Spanish Language

informational materials.• If undocumented—Fear.• Possible language barrier between mental

health workers and family.• Possible Inability to drive to agency for

services.• Stigmatization of mental health services• No one to ask about organizations that

offer support.– These can all lead to trauma experiences

going untreated.

Empowering Families• SVFC participates in the annual Columbus

Latino Festival, handing out brochures and other informational materials in English and Spanish.

• SVFC does not require families to have legal documentation.

• If Families are unable to commute to the agency, CPST workers can visit families at home to find solutions there.

• SVFC can refer families to local Columbus Latino-focused organizations for answers to any problems we cannot solve.

Common Difficulties for Families

• Can be difficult to communicate with schools.

• Paperwork and other documentation often not provided in primary language.

• Unfair work conditions can lead to lack of balance between time spent at work and time spent at home (can negatively impact child).

• If undocumented, can lead to lack of access to basic services and no clear avenue to acquire them.

• Relationship and attachment difficulties for children whose parents had to leave them in their country until able to financially provide for them in the United States.

More Difficulties

•Understanding behavioral evaluations can be difficult when information is heard second-hand through an interpreter who may or may not be experienced in the matter.

•Homework is in English. Helping young children with work or reading assignments can be a difficult task.

•Language barriers can exist between child and parent. Also cultural barriers can arise between the child who is socializing at school and the traditional culture at home.

How We Help • Communicate with teachers to

explain difficulties.

• Attend any school meetings related to the child.

• Assist interpreters to ensure complete clarity.

• Work with school to ensure there is no intentional miscommunication between student and parent.

How We Help • Schools contact us with concerns, and we

pass the message along to parents.• Clinical staff are able to:– educate families regarding the impact of

trauma on social and emotional development.

– provide Evidence Based Treatment approaches in Spanish for children who have experienced trauma.

– provide treatment approaches in Spanish to address parent-child relationship issues, including the Evidence based Model: Parent Child Relationship Therapy.

How We Help• Work with caregivers and children at home

to find solutions to familial conflicts.

• Help bridge the gap between clashing cultures at home.– Encourage children and caregivers to speak

the same language, or translate as necessary.

• Present and help implement effective parenting strategies.

• Educate parents on social media and technology, and how to help their children be safe and responsible.