October 13, 2007
8:00 AM to 8:00 PM

New York University School of Medicine
Farkas Auditorium

 

The NYU Center for Latino Health at the Institute of Community Health and Research and the NYU-Bellevue Hospital Latino Treatment Program are hosting the First Annual Latino Mental Health Conference to be held in New York City on October 13, 2007. We invite students, educators, advocates, community and faith-based organizations, health and social services professionals, researchers, families and consumers to join in the dialogue on the mental health disparities community-based solutions in the Latino community.

View the Letter of Invitation to the First Annual Latino Mental Health Conference.

The Latino Health Conference will:

1. Educate physicians and allied health professionals about mental health issuesdisproportionately affecting, or having higher morbidity among, Hispanic Americans;
2. Stress evidence-based approaches in the delivery mental health services and education to Hispanics;
3. Examine factors involved in developing cultural competency in mental health;
4. Provide and analyze data about mental health disparities in Hispanic communities;
5. Discuss barriers preventing Hispanics from accessing mental health services;
6. Review innovative approaches to solving the complex problems involved in delivering mental health servies to the diverse Hispanic population.

PRE-REGISTER for the conference. You can also download and complete the Registration Form and fax it to (212) 889-2618.

Preliminary Conference Program
(PDF View)

8 :00-9:00 AM Continental Breakfast and Registration

9:00-9:45 AM Opening Remarks and Keynote Plenary Conference
Mariano Jose Rey, MD, Dean for Community Health Affairs, NYU School of Medicine
Honorable Congressman Jose Serrano, United States Congress
Honorabel Assemblyman Peter M. Rivera, Chairman, NYS Assembly Mental Health Committee
Al Aviles Esq., President, New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation
Key Note Speaker: Margarita Alegria, MD, HArvard University

9:45-10:30 AM Plenary Session: Services and Cultural Competence in Latino Mental Health: Developing a
Consensus in Cultural Competency
Manuel Trujillo, MD, NYU School of Medicine
EmilioCarrillo, MD, Columbia University

10:30-11:15 AM Plenary Session: Policy and Advocacy in Latino Mental Health
Moderators: Lillian Lopez-Rodriguez, President, Hispanic Federation
Michael Friedman CSW, Director of Advocacy and Policy, Mental Health Associations of New York City and Westchester

11:15-11:30AM Coffee Break

11:30- 12:30 PM Morning Workshops:

Suicide Acts, Attempts and Ideas in the Latino Community
Rosa Gil, DSW, President and CEO Comunilife, Inc., and Manuel Trujillo, MD, NYU School of Medicine

Language and Mental Health Services for the Latino Community
Wilma Alvarado Little, Center for the Elimination of Disparities
Luis R. Marcos, MD, NYU School of Medicine

Spirituality, Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Mental Health in the Latino Community
Assemblyman Karim Camara, New York State Assembly Mental Health Committee

Bringing Recovery and Rehabilitation Approaches to the Latino Community
Ruth Gonzalez, Training Collective Coordinator, New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services

12:30-2:00 PM Lunch Break and Poster Session Presentation

2:00-3:00 PM Afternoon Workshop Session 1:

Geriatric Issues in Mental Health in the Latino Community
Commissioner Edwin Mendez-Santiago, NYC Department for the Aging.

Centers of Excellence in Cultural Competence and Research in Elimination of Latino Mental Health Disparities
Cathy Cave, Director, NYS Office of Mental Health, Cultural Competency Department

Morbidity, Mortality and Wellness among Latinos Affected by Mental Illness
Jose Sanchez LMSW, Senior Vice-President, New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation

3:00-4:00 PM Afternoon Workshop Session 2:

Grassroots Development and Advocacy in the Latino Families and Communities
Sigfrido Benitez, Co-chair New York State NAMI Multicultural Outreach Taskforce

Addictions in the Latino Community
Assemblyman Felix Ortiz, Chairman Alcohol and Addictive Disorders Committee, New York State Assembly

Achieving Cultural Excellence through Clinical Community Partnerships
Antonio Abad MD, Director, Latino Treatment Program, Department of Psychiatry, Bellevue Hospital Center

4:00-5:00 PM Afternoon Workshop Session 3:

Consumer Empowerment in the Latino Community
Harvey Rosenthal, Executive Director, New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services

The Role of the Media in Mental Health for the Latino Community
Rosana Rosado, Publisher of El Diario/La Prensa (Invited)

Barriers to Mental Health Care to the Latino Community: Access, Outreach and Stigma
Dr. Guillermo Linares, Commissioner of the New York City Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs

5:00-6:00 PM Summary, Conference Awards and Closing Ceremony

6:00-8:00 PM Reception and Fiesta

Learn more about the Conference's Call for Abstracts