Cafecito, Cumbia & Salud Mental - Join Us

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Growing up in a Mexican family, I have had my fair share of dinner table conversations. I especially enjoyed these talks when my parents' compadres would come by. The casual chisme would often turn into more meaningful conversations, and, of course, that's when the cafecito and pan de dulce would come out.

As an adult, I have come to really miss these moments. The smell of Nescafe, a little Lechera (condensed milk) to sweeten up your cup. The conversations were sometimes deep but always good. One important observation I remember is that my parents never passed judgment no matter the topic. What I recall is my parents expressing their support, saying "Cualquier cosa, aquí estamos." This is what we do as a community. When we face social, economic, and political challenges that can make life difficult for us to thrive individually, we come together, support each other, protect each other, and resource each other.?

This is why, when I started Zócalo Health, I wanted to find ways to bring this very experience into some of the most important discussions that many of us in our community fail to address head-on. Mental Health or Salud Mental is one of those topics that was always near and dear to my heart and one riddled with stigma. Some Latinos view mental illness as a sign of weakness, while others think it's a personal issue that you should keep quiet. Others fear being labeled as "locos." What is clear is that most of us don't have the language or spaces to talk about our mental health.

Cafecito, Cumbia & Salud Mental

Last October, we partnered up with my great friend Dr. Barbara Robles-Ramamurthy (Teku) and hosted an event called Cafecito, Cumbia & Salud Mental, which was held at Cafe Azteca in downtown San Antonio, TX. The event aimed to raise awareness about mental health and remove the stigma associated with it, particularly within the Latino community. We were blown away by the response. While we expected only 10 people to show up, we received over 150 RSVPs. The success of the event demonstrated a real need for this type of programming, with teachers, clinicians, family members, and individuals with mental illness showing up, eager to connect with others.

Here are some quick facts about the Latino community in the U.S. and access to mental health services:

• According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Latinos are less likely to receive mental health treatment than non-Latino whites, even when they have similar rates of mental health conditions.
• Only 1 in 11 Latinos with a mental health condition receives treatment, compared to 1 in 5 for the general population, according to the American Psychiatric Association.
• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reports that Latinos are more likely to seek mental health services from primary care providers than from mental health specialists.
• Language barriers can also be a significant barrier to accessing mental health services for Latinos. According to a report by the Office of Minority Health, 10% of Latinos report that they speak English "not well" or "not at all," which can limit their ability to communicate effectively with mental health providers who may not speak their primary language.
• Another barrier to accessing mental health services for Latinos is the lack of culturally sensitive care. Mental health professionals who are not familiar with Latino culture may not understand the unique stressors and cultural values that can impact mental health in this community.

Building on the success of our first Cafecito, Cumbia & Salud Mental

We were thrilled to see the turnout for our first event. Attendees really resonated with our approach, which combined social activities, like music and food, with culturally-aligned educational programming from a licensed psychiatrist. The event created a safe space for open conversations about mental health, and we received overwhelmingly positive feedback from attendees. We realized that people were looking for resources to support their mental health, and we were excited to be able to offer them some support and point them to resources in their very own community.

What's Next?

We are excited about the success of our first event and want to build on that momentum. To do so, we need the help of our community. We are looking for community members who are passionate about mental health and behavioral health to help us plan and execute successful future events. We also need the support of local businesses and community-based organizations who want to be a part of this growing movement. Here is what we're looking for:

• Coffee Shops - we want to support local businesses that can accommodate up to 50+ individuals at a time. The ideal coffee shop will be located in a predominantly Latino neighborhood and have plenty of parking or access to public transportation. We're looking for coffee shops in Houston, San Antonio, Los Angeles, San Diego, Bay Area to start.
• Panaderias - we want to support local panaderias or bakeries because you can't have cafecito without a good concha or some other pan de dulce.
• DJs - We're looking for DJs that can set the right tone and mood for our events. While it may be called Cafecito, Cumbia, and Salud Mental today, that doesn't mean we won't be Cafecito, Perreo/Salsa/Corridos & Salud Mental tomorrow. If you are open to working with us, please let us know.
• Community-Based Organizations & Non-Profits - At our first event, we had a voter registration booth, local clinicians offering educational resources, and a local non-profit that facilitates a mental health services online portal (https://www.sacrd.org/MentalHealth/) - everyone came together with a shared goal: to educate and empower our community to access necessary mental health services. It takes a village, so if you have a non-profit that can help the community, we want to include you in our future events.
• Photographers - we want to support photographers who are from the community we serve. If you are down to help us capture the fun and impactful moments that occur at our events, please let us know.

To submit your information, please fill out the following form, and we'll be in touch soon: https://zocalohealth.typeform.com/to/Kd1inCog

Final Thoughts

The success of Cafecito, Cumbia & Salud Mental demonstrates the real need for programming that promotes mental health awareness and removes the stigma associated with mental health conditions. We are excited to continue this work and create a stronger, more supportive community around mental health. If you're interested in getting involved, please reach out to us to learn more about how you can help. Let's work together to promote mental health and well-being for all.