Supporting the Latino Demographic Shifts in Our Communities

According to the 2021 American Community Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, Ohio’s Hispanic population more than doubled since 2000 and has more than tripled since 1980. Latinx students are also surpassing the growth rate of any other racial-ethnic group in Ohio and across the country, yet, the ability to access mental health services, low utilization, and gaps in prevention and early intervention persist across this community.

It is more vital than ever that the unmet needs and barriers to accessing services including outreach and educational strategies are incorporated into best practices and concepts to combat stigma in this community.

Join NEOMED’s Jessica Zalava, MA and Iris Mirelez, MA, for this important conversation, as we discuss how to best support prevention efforts in the Hispanic/Latinx community.

About Jessica:

Jessica Zavala is director of the Ohio Program for Campus Safety and Mental Health at Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED). As director, Jessica works alongside stakeholders to encourage collaboration between campus and community partners to develop suicide prevention programs, and activities that promote mental health and wellbeing across Ohio’s colleges and universities. Jessica has Master’s in public administration and is also licensed as a chemical dependency counselor assistant and is certified via the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School as a Tobacco Treatment Specialist and American Lung Association as a Freedom from Smoking Group Facilitator. Jessica serves the Hispanic/Latinx community (and other underrepresented) populations as a Smoking Cessation Coach at Metro Health Medical Center.

About Iris:

Iris Mirelez has a Master’s in Higher Education and has been a higher education administrator for 19 years. Prior to joining NEOMED, she served as the Director for the One Stop for Student Services at Kent State University, which combined front facing student services related to financial aid, billing and student records. Prior to her time at Kent State, she served in a variety of administrative roles at Wright State University including the Associate Director of Student Enrollment Services and the Assistant Director of Financial Aid.

Registration is free for OSPF members and $25 for non-members. A CE Application has been submitted for continuing education for prevention, social work, and psychologists.