Latinx Mental Health in the Mexican Consulate: Addressing Barriers Through Social Good

Abstract

Objectives: This article examines an innovative mental health program in the largest Mexican consulate in the United States guided by a social good organizing framework and an intersectionality lens. The mental health program, Modulo de Salud Mental, was designed to address barriers to help seeking. Methods: The Modulo used the central characteristics of the social good model, such as innovative collaborations between systems that otherwise do not typically collaborate and burgeoning technologies to overcome barriers for service utilization among this population. We conducted a qualitative study to examine how the Modulo addressed structural and cultural barriers to care. Results: The salient themes from interviews were classified into four categories: current political situation, reasons for seeking services, prior barriers to care addressed by program, and perceived benefits of the program. Conclusions: Findings suggest that the Modulo's services and convenient location in an unconventional setting can serve as a model for promoting social good by facilitating help seeking and alleviating illness burden for this immigrant community.