The increasing language barrier between immigrant Latino workers and medical staff, and the inaccessibility of these services has encouraged the founding of new nonprofit organization, El Futuro, which opened Monday.
El Futuro - located at the Interfaith Council for Social Services' location in Carrboro - is headed by former Orange-Person-Chatham area program staffer Karen Currant and will provide mental health services like substance abuse awareness and prevention programs, adolescent transition programs and psychological therapy, among others to Hispanics of all ages.
"We are trying to provide a friendlier face on mental health," says Currant.
The program will coordinate its efforts with those of the primary local health center, Carrboro Community Health Center.
Ben Banderas, senior project manager for El Centro Latino, a nonprofit organization that provides social services to the Hispanic population, said there is a "need for bilingual mental health services" in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro community.
"People come in looking for family counseling, substance abuse and other services," he says.
As a long-term goal, El Futuro also plans to expand its services to neighboring communities.
"We are hoping to do collaborative work with other nonprofits," Currant said.
The center's expansion plans include enlarging El Futuro to Siler City in a mutual effort with the local community health center to address its large immigrant population.
