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Description of Organization:
The Boston Public Health Commission’s mission is to protect, preserve and promote the health and well-being of Boston residents, particularly those who are most vulnerable. The Commission works with academic medical centers, community health centers, federal and state agencies and a broad spectrum of community agencies and leaders to plan urban health policy, conduct research related to the health of the city’s neighborhoods and provide residents with access to health promotion and disease prevention. Core activities include communicable disease surveillance and control, maternal and child health services, substance abuse services, homeless services, environmental health functions, emergency medical services and health data collection.

Description of project:
The Boston Public Health Commission’s Mente y Cuerpo (Mind and Body) is a bilingual/bicultural program which seeks to address the mental health issues of Latina women 18 and older for whom limited English proficiency is a barrier to effective prevention and care. More broadly, the program also seeks to improve the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases such as diabetes, asthma and cardiovascular disease by addressing depression and other mental health concerns which may contribute to disease and interfere with treatment compliance. The Commission partners with the South End Community Health Center, and the Southern Jamaica Plain Health Center. The program aims to demonstrate that: (1) mental health screening, referrals and education can be effectively integrated into primary care; (2) through such activities, many more women with depression and other behavioral health concerns can be connected to prevention and treatment services; and (3) by addressing mental health concerns, the prevention and management of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases can be improved.