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What’s behind the Foundation’s new Hispanic outreach initiative?

The Hispanic population is diverse and comprises the largest ethnic minority group in Texas. In fact, 50% of Texans are classified as Hispanic. While this minority community suffers from the same mental health conditions the rest of the country faces, cultural differences and language barriers may lead mental health professionals to misdiagnose Hispanics, and fear of having the stigma of a mental illness prevents some from seeking help.

As Grant Halliburton Foundation seeks to reach all people with mental health programming and resources, Blanca N. Garcia, LCSW-S, director of mental health resources, explains why it is important to reach the Hispanic communities in North Texas.

of Grant Halliburton Foundation when they need help building programs and services that focus on the mental health needs of their clients and families. I hope that we create relationships in the community focused on trust that truly comes from the heart. Que la gente sepa que somos de confianza y que estamos aquí para apoyarlos de todo corazón.

Q How will the Foundation reach the Hispanic communities in north Texas with its lifesaving work?

a We will be launching HereForTexas.com/espanol to make sure that mental health information and our database of providers are available 100 percent in Spanish. It will be accurate, quality information in Spanish. We’re thankful for the grant provided by United HealthCare last summer that allowed us to make this dream a reality. We partnered with Dieste, a well-known natational Hispanic advertising agency to ensure that the information is not just translated into another language, but trans-created to create meaning for those who will be reading it. The generous grant from United HealthCare also allowed us to bring on two Hispanic Outreach staff members that are master’s level social workers and native Spanish speakers. We want the community to see themselves represented in our staff. We translated all of our marketing and educational materials into Spanish, updated the information in our brochures and mental health presentations to ensure that it’s culturally relevant, and will continue to provide bilingual services to callers on the Here For Texas Mental Health Navigation Line.

Q How do you plan to expand the Foundation’s reach to the Hispanic community?

a I’m going to quote Kevin Hall here and say, “One coffee at a time!” Or should I say, “One cafecito at a time!” One of my favorite things about the Foundation is that we work hard to build relationships and genuine connections with community members in North Texas. We’ve connected with trusted Hispanic-serving organizations like The Concilio, Therapy Works Counseling, Bachman Lake Together, Community Does It, and DFW Hispanic Heritage Ambassadors, among others. We want to support and pour into organizations that are already familiar with the needs and interests of Hispanic communities around North Texas and find ways to infuse mental health information and conversation through the work that is already being done. Trust and respect are extremely important, and this is built by partnering with trusted organizations. We hope the Foundation will be the go-to place for mental health questions, information and resources for the Hispanic community.

Q What do you hope this program achieves as it grows?

Q Why is it important to have a program that targets the Hispanic community?

a I’ve been at Grant Halliburton Foundation for almost five years, and in 2021 I really felt like the programs were flowing and running so well. The Foundation established quality presentations and resources, and we were at a point to say everything we were doing was going great and working. The next step was to determine how we could expand our impact and reach. What communities are we missing? And personally, for me, working with Hispanic and Spanishspeaking communities is near and dear to my heart. I want the Hispanic community to start talking about mental health so they aren’t afraid to reach out for care when someone in the family needs help. From new families immigrating to the U.S. to first-generation Texans, there are so many mental health conditions that go unaddressed. We’re taught to be strong and keep working hard no matter what. Our Hispanic families deserve to be taken care of too, especially in terms of mental health. It’s making sure they have access to information, support, and resources as well.

Q What are the goals of the Foundation’s new Hispanic outreach program?

a The goals of the Hispanic outreach initiative are to make all of Grant Halliburton Foundation’s information, presentations, and resources available in Spanish, with information that is culturally relevant and appropriate for people who are Hispanic or who grew up in a Hispanic household. There are many great Hispanic-serving agencies in DFW and I want them to automatically think a I hope our Hispanic outreach initiative serves as an example to other organizations that it’s necessary and possible to provide your services in English and in Spanish. I want us to be the example that creating impact means considering those who are left out of conversations, who are underserved, and taking concrete, intentional steps to be more inclusive. Mental illness affects individuals from all walks of life, and suicide rates are rising at alarming levels for many, including Black and Hispanic communities. I’m proud that Grant Halliburton Foundation is choosing to lead by example, and I hope that the mamás, papás, and niños that look like me and my family members, and speak the language, and share the culture will trust us. I hope they know that they don’t have to suffer in silence, and that finding appropriate help to take care of illnesses and strengthen our health is better for our families, ourselves, and our community.

Blanca n . Garcia, lcsW-s Director of Mental Health Resources

Blanca leads the Foundation’s Here For Texas program. A licensed clinical social worker, she has worked with children, teens, and families for more than 10 years as a bilingual mental health clinician. Blanca understands that navigating mental health services is a challenge and was critical in implementing the Foundation’s Here For Texas Mental Health Navigation Line to increase access to mental health resources in North Texas.