Addressing Emotional Wellness During the COVID-19 Pandemic: the Role of Promotores in Delivering Integrated Mental Health Care and Social Services

Authors: Kyle J. Moon; Gloria Itzel Montiel; Patricia J. Cantero; Saira Nawaz

Mental health needs of working-class Black and Latino communities have long been insufficiently met in the United States and have only worsened by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts have suggested local implementation of community level mental health interventions and prevention efforts that provide culturally and linguistically tailored education on COVID-19 and mental health. This study investigated the role of promotores de salud (community health workers) in providing community-led and integrated mental health care and social services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Latino communities. The study found a community-based organization with long-standing ties in the Latino community effectively expanded its Emotional Wellness program to provide integrated mental health care and social services to communities. These findings are informative for traditional health systems that have struggled to address the health inequities that have been exacerbated during the pandemic.