Bobby DeLeon, counselor at Nyssa High School, says the mental health system runs up agains cultural values and other factors in the communities he serves. (Liliana Frankel/The Enterprise)
VALE – A recent state report about mental health in the Latino community showed that while Latino youth are seeking mental healthcare at high rates, there is still a lack of services in rural areas like Malheur County, where 33% of the population is Latino.
Malheur County has the second-highest ratio of Latino to other residents by county in Oregon. Of counties with a high population of Latinos, it has the third-highest ratio of residents to mental healthcare providers – 1,223 to 1. Experts say that this isn’t enough.
“Access to any mental health providers, especially culturally specific mental health providers, is particularly scarce . . .
