Success Story

Spanish Language Outreach

The objective was to remove barriers to care in the Latino community.

The Story

Fourteen percent of North Carolina’s 2.5 million Medicaid enrollees are Hispanic/LatinX, but many experience a radical disparity in access to care, particularly for behavioral health and/or intellectual/developmental disabilities.

There are multiple barriers to care beyond language, including both awareness and stigma. We knew that to reach and engage with more Spanish-speaking members, we had to invest in more than content translation.

Bright red side that says Emergency in white letters. There is a red brick building in the background.

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Members and their families

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Providers

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Local and State Government

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Community-based Organizations

Black female on a headset and in front of a computer screen. The woman is touching the headset on her left ear.

The Approach

Following the launch of a redesigned and fully translated website, we created a multi-year campaign aimed at reducing stigma through better community integration. Our outreach centered on four distinct pillars:

partnership with key organizations
leveraging traditional media and events
expanding our digital Spanish-language footprint
building equity within the Latino Community

The Results

Spanish language sessions on the website increased 816% year over year, and Spanish language calls to our call center more than doubled year over year. Our blog post on the stigma of mental health in the Latina community became one of the most read blog posts of all time and was reprinted nationally and internationally. More importantly, we experienced a significant and sustained update on Spanish language mental health screenings via the health plan’s website afterward. Through community partnerships, we developed brand recognition and built trust, which increased clinical and social service referrals.

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