As part of St. Mary’s commitment to meeting the diverse needs of our community, we recently established a new program in collaboration with the nonprofit Progreso Latino.
Funded by a grant from the Rhode Island Foundation, this new
program is providing wraparound care coordination for members of the Latinx population who live in the urban core cities of Providence, Central Falls, Pawtucket, and others.
These communities have been hard hit by COVID-19 and also face issues such as language barriers, immigration status problems, past trauma, and a lack of basic daily needs.
“This is an exciting opportunity to join forces between our two agencies and identify those who most need the help,” said Jeiza Munoz, Wellness Coordinator who works for St. Mary’s but spends at least two days per week at the Central Falls office of Progreso Latino helping clients. “There are so many vulnerable people out there who don’t know where to go for services.”
Munoz will take up to 15 client families at one time and provide assistance and education so these families can work to overcome the barriers they face. Some clients New program meets diversity needs in our community came to the U.S. due to trauma they suffered in their home countries which compounds the difficulty they face when dealing with systems of help. In addition, many are under-employed,
don’t have health insurance, and must deal with understanding documents that may only be in English.
“They are struggling to access certain systems to get their needs met,” said Stephen Addy, Enhanced Outpatient Services Program Coordinator who oversees the program. “Many of their needs are time sensitive and we are now able to provide the assistance they need to meet their basic needs.”
Overall, the goal for the short-term program is for families to be supported on how to access services that will help them find jobs, receive child support, and meet other needs, but also
become their own advocates within the systems they face. And when their mental health needs are identified, St. Mary’s is here to provide the support they need.
“At St. Mary’s outpatient program, families are building up their resource development,” said Addy of the families they serve. “We have the potential to do some amazing work
for families who are faced with a lot of challenges.”
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