Alsofa.com's objective is to make certain that anyone, anywhere, has access to the latest and most relevant mental health and well-being information possible. Hispanics are the fastest growing segment of the U.S., in March 1999 the total Hispanic-origin population was 11.8% or 31.2 million, but they have remained significantly under-served in matters of health and mental health needs. Although Hispanics are not a homogenous group, research has found consistently more psychiatric symptoms compared to other respondents, partly due to the difficulty of accessing culturally relevant educational information and services in Spanish.
Spanish mental health information is dispersed throughout the Internet, often very poorly translated, not culturally sensitive and of dubious origin. Alsofa.com was created to reach out to Hispanics, transcending the stigma, cultural isolation, and language barriers that exist by utilizing the Internet. Alsofa.com provides a forum where people can ask questions, find information, an extensive resource bank of topics and resources, which are the first step toward treatment and recovery. Alsofa.com's formatting offers Spanish-speaking, bilingual and monolingual English-speaking consumers and professionals mental health information that is so desperately needed. On average 1,000 people a week have accessed bilingual mental health information and asked questions about their symptoms, problems or related issues. By tracking visitors to the site and responding to queries from people all over the U.S., Alsofa.com will be able to gather demographic data on our viewers. This will allow for a detailed description of our users, their demographics, and their mental health needs/questions wherever they may be.
See www.alsofa.comLearning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, the participants in this session will be able to: 1. Define the major mental health care needs of the Hispanic community. 2. Discuss and identify the reasons that mental health disparities might exist within the Hispanic community. 3. Apply these understandings in the recognition and development of linguistically correct and culturally sensitive services for Hispanics.
Keywords: Internet, Hispanic
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: President and co-creator of Alsofa.com - a free, non-profit,
online bilingual mental health web site.