LCH prioritizes community-centered, culturally-responsive research to address emerging issues impacting the health and well-being of Latinx communities across generations in Washington state. In partnership with stakeholders, LCH provides leadership for action-oriented research to advance Latinx health. LCH partners include Latino organizations, community leaders, government agencies, policymakers, students, and researchers.
Symposia, Webinars & Presentations
Publications
Recent Projects
Our team of bilingual, bicultural health professionals, staff, and students provides mobile clinics that offer health screenings, vaccines, and wellness support, along with referrals for follow-up care and dental exams.
Download Full Health Screening Policy Brief
This policy brief presents findings from seven mobile cardiometabolic health screening, referral, and counseling clinics conducted statewide from January to November 2024. The Mi Salud pilot program aims to improve access to care for Washington’s most marginalized Latino communities through partnerships with trusted community-based organizations. The brief highlights significant health challenges, including high rates of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension, exacerbated by barriers like lack of insurance and immigration fears. These findings emphasize the urgent need to expand community-based health services.
The Latino Center for Health is committed to promoting the health of the Latinx community, thus we are proud to help raise awareness of this silent epidemic. This past year the center has learned about leading expert, Dr. María E. Garay-Serratos’s work on the invisible epidemic of Traumatic Brain Injuries and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy linked to domestic violence cases in women.
Washington State Latino Population Profile
The Latino Center for Health at the University of Washington presents this inaugural infographic as part of its planned series of infographics to highlight salient information regarding the Latinx population in Washington state. A particular focus is on socioeconomic, health considerations, outcomes, and related demographic realities.
Download Latinx/Hispanic Stats in Washinton State
The Latino Center for Health presents this inaugural infographic as part of its planned series of infographics to highlight salient information regarding the Latinx population in Washington state. A particular focus is on health considerations, outcomes, and related demographic realities. This infographic highlights important information regarding the Latinx population in Washington state. A particular focus is on health considerations, outcomes, and related demographic realities. All figures presented precede the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in WA.
Coming Soon…
Latino Mental Health Project
This 3-year research project seeks to improve access to quality depression care for rural Latinos by addressing the shortage of Latinx paraprofessional providers who can deliver culturally tailored evidence-based treatment. In partnership with Heritage University and the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic, we will provide specialized curriculum in mental health to 8-10 BASW students at Heritage University and train them in the use of a known effective telephone-based intervention for depression. We will test two training strategies: 1) the traditional approach and 2) a computerized approach and assess the effectiveness of these respective training approaches in equipping the paraprofessionals to reduce patient symptomatology. This grant is one of three projects of a center grant, UW ALACRITY Center for Psychosocial Interventions Research, led by Principal Investigator Dr. Pat Arean, Department of Psychiatry.
Dr. Ramirez’s K12 research study will leverage the existing infrastructure of an ongoing research study led by Dr. Robert Penfold at Kaiser Permanente Washington. The study is testing an evidence-based program that provides digital and self-directed educational materials to family caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). The digital training materials teach family caregivers how to manage the mood and behavior challenges of their loved ones with ADRD. The aims of Dr. Ramirez’s K12 study are to: (1) specify family caregiver requirements for the design of the digital training materials, (2) examine how to adapt the digital training materials to be culturally and linguistically appropriate for Latino family caregivers, and (3) assess family caregiver perceptions of the ease-of-use and usefulness of the digital training materials and how these perceptions influence acceptance of the program.
Latino Health Workforce Development Project
Coming soon…
Past Projects
As Latinx people experienced disproportionate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Washington state, LCH conducted research, organized symposiums, and produced policy briefs in partnership with community leaders. LCH continues to build relationships and disseminate information that addresses the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We must forge new paths, partnerships, and practices for Nuestra Salud y Nuestro Futuro!
Commissioned by the Washington State Department of Health, the Latino Center for Health conducted and completed a qualitative study of 25 telephone interviews with Latinx individuals across Washington state to ascertain their perceptions and attitudes regarding COVID-19 vaccines. One interview question also asked about their perspectives regarding vaccines in general.
The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated the U.S. economy, with Latinos experiencing a disproportionate impact. Latinos represent a large pLroportion of workers in many industries that are essential to the economy. As essential workers, they have faced more exposure to COVID-19, resulting in higher rates of infection and mortality.
Vaccination Rates Policy Brief
Although Washington State has made significant progress towards vaccinating Latinos against COVID-19, some urban and rural Latinx communities are lagging behind the state as a whole, and remain at significant risk of COVID-19 infections. In fact, data from the state COVID-19 dashboard show higher infection, hospitalization and death rates among Latinos compared with Whites.1 The CDC’s recent recommendations for booster vaccinations and the anticipated expansion of eligibility to include 5-11 year-olds will add to the number of Latinos needing vaccination in our state.
Overall, the rate of fully vaccinated individuals among Latinos twelve years of age and older in Washington State was 54.6% as of September 29, 2021, up from 40.5% in July (2021), representing a 33.4% increase in the number of vaccinated Latinos (Table 1).
Trusted Media Sources Policy Brief
Our findings suggest television, social media, and community-based organizations are important channels of information to use to reach Latinos. Television and social media are important channels of information for both English and Spanish speakers. Social media is a particularly important channel for reaching younger Latinos, including those 18 to 30 years of age. It is urgent that new, culturally responsive, and family-centered messaging about vaccinations and the use of facial coverings, social distancing, and hand sanitation be developed and deployed in Spanish and English to reach Latinos throughout WA State in order to stem the rapid spread of COVID-19 and address fears and concerns.
Latino Mental Health Needs Policy Brief
During the pandemic, many Latinos have experienced poverty as well as unemployment, in addition to food and housing insecurities. These stressors have been associated with greater occurrences of mental illness. The COVID-19 pandemic has spotlighted these disparities and stressors when accessing mental health care as well as accessing testing and vaccinations. These realities are an urgent concern that warrants strategic attention.
Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Policy Brief
This policy brief addresses COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Sea Mar Community Health Center Latino patients. Although vaccine hesitancy remains an important barrier to vaccinating Latinos/Hispanics in Washington state, most Latinos say they are willing to take the vaccine. In this brief, we share the results of a recent survey and offer recommendations for addressing barriers to the vaccination of Latinos.
Release Date: April 27, 2021
Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among WA State Latinos Appears to be Low, Accessibility Remains Concern: This brief from LCH researchers finds 62 percent of Latinos/Hispanics in Washington state are willing to take the COVID-19 vaccine yet remain under-vaccinated. LCH calls for policymakers and public health officials to target communications and accessibility barriers.
As Latinx people experienced disproportionate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Washington state, LCH conducted research, organized symposiums, and produced policy briefs in partnership with community leaders.
We are rethinking community-engaged research through storytelling. Project BRIDGE is a Seattle-based digital storytelling group formed by a team of Latines.
Responding to the need for sustainable academic-community partnerships to address the burden of COVID-19 in Washington State Latinx communities, this project aims to develop an innovative bi-cultural, Bi-directional Research Digital Engagement (BRIDGE) project.
WAISN was created in November 2016 in response to the presidential election and is now made up of over 100 organizations with backgrounds and specialties in law, education, policy, and direct services.
WAISN Health Equity Report for Immigrants
The COVID-19 public health emergency has made it clear that immigrant communities and people of color need better access to healthcare coverage and services. In 2018, the undocumented immigrant population in Washington State (WA) was an estimated 240,000 people, or approximately 5.2% of the total WA population. Undocumented individuals have limited access to health insurance options due to eligibility restrictions, leading to high uninsured rates compared to their documented counterparts. As of 2018, an estimated 46% of undocumented individuals were uninsured in WA, compared to just 7% uninsured in the overall population in WA.
WAISN was created in November 2016 in response to the presidential election and is now made up of over 100 organizations with backgrounds and specialties in law, education, policy, and direct services. It has become a powerful, volunteer-driven network of immigrants and refugee-rights organizations, working alongside community members across the state to address systemic inequities and provide information and resources to alleviate the impact of threats and anti-immigrant actions.
Latino workers Labor & Industry project
WAISN was created in November 2016 in response to the presidential election and is now made up of over 100 organizations with backgrounds and specialties in law, education, policy, and direct services.
In collaboration with the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I), this project seeks to identify the strengths and the barriers to accessing workers’ compensation experienced by Latino workers residing in Central Washington. Previous research suggests an underutilization of L&I services by Latino workers in the state as well as differential patterns of outcomes for injured Latino workers. Through a series of 25-30 key informant interviews with Latino workers, providers, community advocates, and attorneys, this project will shed light on the Latino worker’s experience in an effort to inform practices and policies that are culturally responsive to promote the well-being of rural Latinos.
Latinos are an increasingly important part of Washington State’s workforce in part due to the population’s age structure and labor force participation rates. Currently, 12.9% of Washington State’s population self-identify as Hispanic or Latino, up from 7.5% in 2000 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2018). Among Latinos in Washington State, the labor force participation rate is 71.5% and the employment-to-population ratio is 64.9% compared with a labor force participation rate of 62.9% and the employment-to-population ratio is 58.8% among non-Hispanic whites. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2017). As of 2016, Latinos comprise 12.1% of the state’s civilian workforce (WA Dept. of Labor & Industries, 2016).
Funded by the Washington State Legislature, this study seeks to (1) identify the number of Latino physicians across the state, (2) describe their practice areas and geographic locations, and (3) develop and disseminate policy recommendations to meet the state’s growing need for Latino physicians.
Today’s Changes for Serving Tomorrow’s Diverse Communities: Increasing the Latinx Physician Workforce NOW
In partnership with community leaders, policy-makers, and other stakeholders, the Latino Center for Health (LCH) conducts innovative, interdisciplinary research addressing current and emerging health issues affecting Latinx communities in the state of Washington, regionally, and nationally.
- Physical health—including cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity
- Mental health—including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder
- Environmental and Occupational health—including toxic exposure and work safety and conditions
- Violence and Injury Prevention—including community violence, intimate partner violence and child maltreatment
Key to the success of LCH is its partnerships with community stakeholders to translate research into culturally responsive evidence-based practices and health policies that promote meaningful and sustainable improvements in health for our urban and rural Latinx populations.