CFS Interim Chair Mario Hernandez Provides Keynote at Latino Coalition of Tampa Bay Conference

Mario Hernandez, Interim Chair for CFS, served as Keynote Speaker for the fifth annual conference of the Latino Coalition of Tampa Bay, held November 15th at the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County. This year’s conference, “Building Our Future through Collaboration,” was sponsored by the Children’s Board and the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute. It provided an opportunity for approximately 90 human service providers to network and discuss strategies to increase community resources for the growing Latino population.

" The conference focus was on collaboration to enhance access to services for the Latino population,” said Lydia Medrano, chairperson of the Latino Coalition. “Given that Hispanics are the largest and fastest growing minority group in the country, it is necessary that organizations collaborate more effectively to support all those in need.”

According to Dr. Hernandez’s presentation, “Changing Organizations and Their Culture Through Collaboration: Perspective From The Field Of Mental Health Disparities,” twenty five percent of Hillsborough County’s population under the age of 18 is Hispanic. By 2050, thirty percent of all children in this country will be of Hispanic background.

“ Despite the dramatic growth in the Latino population, research with Latinos related to mental health is quite limited,” said Dr. Hernandez. “What is known, however, is that Latinos as a population are in great need of mental health services.”

According to the 2001 Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health, Latino youth, in particular, are documented as having a significant number of mental health problems, including depression and anxiety-related disorders.

“ It is important to consider the diverse nature of the Latino population in understanding factors that facilitate or hinder access to mental health services,” said Dr. Hernandez, who has worked closely with the Latino Coalition and other agencies such as the Hispanic Services Council to develop more culturally competent services. He recently founded the first Hispanic Federation of Families chapter at USF. This year, he and additional staff at CFS collaborated closely with a number of community partners to develop the RAICES (Resources, Advocacy, Integration, Collaboration, Empowerment, and Services) training curriculum, designed to support communities in their efforts to strengthen partnerships that better link Latino children and limited English speaking and Spanish monolingual families with school personnel and service providers from mental health, education, child welfare, and juvenile justice fields.

“ Many children and families face language barriers and family factors that can affect school achievement and put them at-risk for developing serious emotional problems,” added Dr. Hernandez. “The need to have educational, behavioral and mental health supports in place is a growing concern in many communities, and particularly, the need to have effective communication with parents about their children in a manner reflective of Latino cultures.”