Abstract
According to the California Senate Office of Research (2017), California is home to the largest Latino population in the United States, with an estimated 15 million Latinos residing in California. Given that Latinos represent such a large population in California, it is important to acknowledge the disparities and lack of access to healthcare, in particular mental health services. Mental Health America of California (2014) found that mental health services access has been a difficult issue to address for Latinos for various cultural and socio-economic reasons. As a preliminary analysis, my thesis explores what the most significant barriers to mental health services for the Latino population in a Central Valley County are and what, if any, strategies the County is using to address these barriers. I used qualitative methods for this research. I conducted phone interviews with a County administrator and the County’s primary contract provider to learn and understand what they see as barriers to mental health services access for Latinos, in addition to the strategies they develop to address these barriers. Further extensive research should be conducted in this area due to various data limitations and numerous remaining questions about effective strategies for serving Latinos with mental health needs in California’s Central Valley.