Provider Perspectives on Latino Immigrants' Access to Resources for Syndemic Health Issues

Introduction: Latino immigrants to the United States experience disproportionate impacts from the syndemic formed by substance abuse, violence victimization, HIV/AIDS, and mental health (SAVAME). This study characterizes resource access for Latino immigrants living in Philadelphia, as perceived by staff at Latino-serving organizations. Methods: An online cross-sectional survey of staff at key Latino-serving Philadelphia organizations assessed access to their organization and citywide access to each type of service (substance use, HIV/AIDS, domestic violence [DV], and mental health) for Latino immigrants. Descriptive statistics for organizational access indicators and citywide access scores across four syndemic domains (availability, accessibility, adequacy, and quality) and by syndemic condition were computed. Results: Organizational access and citywide access across HIV/AIDS (mean = 1.94, SD = 0.83), mental health (mean = 1.37, SD = 0.95), substance use (mean = 1.11, SD = 0.74), and DV (mean = 1.49, SD = 0.97) services were perceived as far from optimal. Domain scores were highest for accessibility (mean = 1.66, SD = 1.03), followed by quality (mean = 1.44, SD = 0.79), availability (mean = 1.41, SD = .81), and adequacy (mean = 1.24, SD = .75). Conclusion: Based on findings from a survey of staff working at Latino-serving organizations, this study highlights the lack of support and resources for Latino immigrants, in particular those related to mental health and substance use. Programs and interventions are needed to improve service delivery in Latino immigrant communities.

Automated summary

The study found that access to substance use, HIV/AIDS, domestic violence, and mental health services for Latino immigrants in Philadelphia, both at organizational and citywide levels, were perceived as far from optimal, particularly in terms of accessibility.