Orange County health provider pledges $500K for Latino mental health needs
José Franco and his family have struggled to find therapists they could afford who were bilingual, but also bicultural and who could understand their lives as Mexican immigrants.
Now a push by the Latino community and its advocates has made that more promising for families in Orange County like Franco’s seeking the care they need.
“Last year, we had a vision of achieving what we’ve been able to achieve today by convincing our public officials to support mental health,” Franco, 46, said in Spanish at a forum Thursday night in Chapel Hill..
Alliance Health announced it is investing around $500,000 to better serve local Spanish-speaking residents during the forum at St. Thomas More Catholic Church held by Orange County Justice United and the N.C. Congress of Latino Organizations.
“Now, we’re more convinced that this will be a reality,” said Franco, a St. Thomas More member who sat in a crowd of about 200 people.
Following up on commitments made during a forum last November, Alliance Health CEO Sean Schreiber said it will be making a multi-year financial investment as Orange County’s designated Medicaid mental health provider.
For Franco and his wife, Diana Huerta, this will mean not having to turn to private providers whose higher fees have prevented them from getting the help they need, he said.
“My struggle is constant. ... I’ve dealt with panic attacks and depression,” said Huerta, who has had difficulties adjusting to life in the U.S. as an immigrant.
How Alliance Health will spend the money
At the forum, Schreiber said Alliance Health would spend the $500,000 on:
▪ Developing a mental health resource guide in Spanish for Latinos in Orange County in collaboration with the Latino Congress and Justice United.
▪ Holding mental health first aid training classes in Spanish.
▪ Increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates by nearly 50% to improve hiring and retention of therapists,
▪ Hiring and training four bilingual community health workers for mental health intervention in the county.
▪ Funding for the multi-phase return of a new El Futuro office in Orange County and hiring two case managers.
▪ Hiring bilingual providers for the future Orange County Crisis/Diversion facility that is under construction. The facility is meant to be an alternative to either jail or the emergency room for individuals with mental health needs. Orange County officials have said they receive hundreds of 911 calls monthly that could be referred to a crisis diversion center, reported CBS 17.
▪ Incentivizing the hiring and retention of bilingual therapists in Orange County across different providers.
Alliance Health’s investment could become a model for Durham, Wake, Mecklenburg, Cumberland and Johnston counties where Alliance also operates, according to Justice United.
“Many good ideas have come out of this group,” Schreiber said. “We’re really learning more what the community needs. I think it’s important ... they keep us firm to our commitments. And we know darn well that if we don’t live up to our commitments, we’re going to hear about it.”
El Futuro to return to Orange County
El Futuro, the Triangle’s main bilingual mental health provider with offices in Durham and Chatham counties, faces a weeks-long waitlist for patients due to high demand.
“Can you imagine how long that is for a person in crisis?” Huerta, a St. Thomas More church member, said at the meeting.
El Futuro closed its Carrboro office years ago due to a lack of county funding, although it serves Orange County patients virtually through the help of Alliance Health, according to Luke Smith, the executive director of El Futuro.
Alliance’s investment has begun the first phase of El Futuro’s return to Orange County.
“That’s been the big development here,” Smith told The News & Observer. “We’re doing some initial work. Community health workers are one of them. Alliance is enriching the (reimbursement) rates.”
The investment will create a more sustainable business model that enables El Futuro to compensate its provider staff, Smith said in a follow-up email.
“There is a high rate of turnover in the workforce, which is due to the high level of stress from offering such services for individuals who have high rates of trauma and complex mental health/social issues and the low reimbursement rates for services,” Smith said.
National statistics show 57% of Latinos ages 18 to 25 and 40% percent ages 26 to 49 with serious mental illness did not receive treatment in 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
People who are experiencing or know someone experiencing a mental health crisis can call 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, where help is available in Spanish.
