A Community Health Worker-Led Community-Clinical Linkage Model to Address Emotional Well-Being Outcomes Among Latino/a People on the US-Mexico Border

Introduction Compared with their non-Hispanic White counterparts, Latino/a people have limited access to health resources that might improve their emotional well-being. Interventions that prioritize the Latino/ a population, address social determinants of health, and decrease health disparities are needed. The objective of this study was to describe a community-clinical linkage intervention led by community health workers (CHWs) in 3 Latino/a populations along the US-Mexico border. Methods Researchers at the Arizona Prevention Research Center conducted the Linking Individual Needs to Community and Clinical Services (LINKS) study during 2017-2018. Clinic-based CHWs referred participants to community-based CHWs who met with participants monthly for 6 months to assess participant needs, provide support for emotional well-being, and link them to resources. Two community-based CHWs collaborated to maximize participant care; they also administered an emotional well-being questionnaire at baseline and at 3-month and 6-month follow-up. We estimated changes in emotional well-being outcomes. Results Scores for social support, perceived hopefulness, and quality-of-life measures among 189 LINKS participants increased significantly during the study period, especially among men and participants with low baseline scores. For each of the 3 outcomes, the standardized change was approximately 0.28 per 3 months of intervention, a decrease of more than half an SD (0.56) during 6 months of follow-up. Conclusion A CHW-led community-clinical linkage intervention can result in positive emotional well-being outcomes. We encourage policy makers, funders, and public health practitioners to further investig- ate such interventions as a solution to reduce disparities in emotional well-being.