Summary
Summary: A new analysis by the Colorado Health Institute (CHI) found differences in how people engage with behavioral health care. Data show that within the Hispanic or Latino community, there are many unique identities that have different patterns of accessing behavioral health care. Behavioral health care access has been at the forefront of policy and decision-making as many more people sought treatment during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
In partnership with the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, CHI has worked the last three years to explore strategies to disaggregate racial and ethnic data within Colorado’s major health data systems. The goal of this process is to understand whether members of the Hispanic or Latino community in Colorado have access to important behavioral health care services.
Findings: Researchers learned that:
- Hispanic or Latino community members have similar rates of behavioral health diagnoses compared with the state average, though there are some differences across specific groups.
- However, Hispanic or Latino community members are not accessing behavioral health care to the same degree as the Colorado average.
- Many in Colorado used telemedicine services the last few years, and those who are Hispanic or Latino were no exception. Hispanic or Latino Coloradans were more likely to use telemedicine than the state average. However, these visits were less likely to be related to behavioral health care.
This information will be shared with community partners, decision-makers, and other stakeholders to ensure the findings are getting to those who can use them.
UCLA CHPR's AJ Scheitler, Ninez A. Ponce, and Susan Babey provided guidance and support for this project.
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