El Futuro, a leader in providing bilingual and culturally-responsive mental health services, is thrilled to announce a significant investment commitment from Alliance Health to support and expand the Mentes Fuertes (Strong Minds) program in Orange County, North Carolina. This vital support, totaling more than $464,000 annually for the next two years, will enhance and solidify the presence of community mental health workers (CHWs) in the region.
This transformative initiative draws inspiration from the successful promotoras movement within Latin American communities and global mental health strategies like friendship benches, setting a precedent for community-driven mental health care in North Carolina and beyond. The funding from Alliance Health not only supports the continuation of Mentes Fuertes but also marks a significant step towards a value-based care model, emphasizing preventative and community-focused health solutions.
“I am deeply grateful for the support and commitment of Alliance Health to Orange County and to El Futuro,” shares Mary Jones, Client Care and Engagement Manager and Director of the Mentes Fuertes Program at El Futuro. “Our community mental health workers exemplify the profound impact and compassion required to change lives, showcasing what it means to be community-led.”
The Mentes Fuertes program was born from the grassroots leadership of hundreds of Latino residents. Latino community leaders organized through Orange County Justice United and the NC Latino Congress to collaborate with El Futuro and Alliance Health to address the urgent need for accessible mental health services. At a public accountability assembly in Chapel Hill, Latino residents shared personal testimonies to emphasize that need for bilingual, culturally responsive services, and presented Alliance Health leadership with a program proposal developed in partnership with El Futuro. Nearly a year later, that proposal would become the Mentes Fuertes program. Thanks to initial funding from Alliance Health, which responded to community advocacy and partnership, El Futuro launched its first community health worker initiative. To date, the program has successfully engaged 48 participants, providing over 200 free therapeutic sessions to combat anxiety and depression among Latino adults in Orange County.
One participant and Hillsborough resident shared her journey, saying, “You use all your tools and all your knowledge to try to carry your emotions, and you say, ‘I can, I can, I can.’ But you can’t if you need help.” Her words echo the sentiments of many in our community who have found solace and strength through Mentes Fuertes.
Ivan Almonte and Marilu Solis, CHWs at El Futuro, detailed insights into the program’s impact. “Strong Minds has been instrumental in helping participants recover and value their mental health, identifying positive tools and activities for a healthier future,” Almonte noted. “This program is a journey toward emotional well-being, offering a safe, culturally relevant environment where participants can thrive,” Solis added.
El Futuro, in collaboration with Alliance Health and supported by Orange County Justice United and the Orange County Government, is set to not only continue this impactful work but also to expand it, potentially influencing mental health policy and practices at the state and national levels.
Other participants have voiced transformative experiences, stating, “This program helped me reduce stress, depression, and anxiety, and I learned valuable self-care and thought management techniques that I use daily.”
This initiative not only reflects Alliance Health’s forward-thinking approach to healthcare but also highlights the successful coalition among El Futuro, local government entities, and community organizations, driving forward a model of care that places community and preventive practices at the forefront of mental health.
Please visit www.alliancehealthplan.org for more information about Alliance Health.
ABOUT ALLIANCE HEALTH
Alliance Health is a public managed care organization serving Cumberland, Durham, Harnett, Johnston, Mecklenburg, Orange and Wake counties in North Carolina. Working with a network of more than 4,000 private providers, Alliance has responsibility for almost 470,000 Medicaid-eligible and uninsured individuals among a population of over 3.5M. The Alliance Medicaid Behavioral Health and Intellectual/Developmental Disability Tailored Plan manages all the health care needs – physical, behavioral and pharmacy – for people with severe mental illnesses, substance use disorders, and long-term care needs including intellectual/developmental disability and traumatic brain injury.
Alvely Alcántara, LCSW
Rossy C. Garcia, MEd 
Katy Sims, MD 
Everardo Aviles, LCSW, LCAS (Eve)
As a medical anthropologist and social work researcher, Dr. Gulbas’ research embodies interdisciplinarity through the integration of applied theories of health and human development with qualitative and ethnographic methodologies. Her work seeks to understand how people—children, families, and providers—navigate complex sociocultural landscapes in the pursuit of mental health. Most of her work, to date, focuses attention on developing more robust interpretations of suicide risk. With funding from the National Institutes of Mental Health, this body of research has contributed to advancements in theoretical and empirical knowledge of the broader contexts within which youth suicide risk is situated. 
R. Gabriela Barajas-Gonzalez is a developmental psychologist and an assistant professor of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Dr. Barajas-Gonzalez is the principal investigator of a study that examines the impact of immigration-related threat and stress on school communities. She earned a PhD in developmental psychology from Columbia University and hold a BA in human biology from Stanford University. Dr. Barajas-Gonzalez is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and a first gen college student.
Dr. Parra-Cardona is an Associate Professor in the Steve Hicks School of Social Work (SHSSW) at the University of Texas at Austin. At the SHSSW, he serves as Coordinator for Mexico and Latin American initiatives. He also serves as Area Director for Research at the UT Austin Latino Research Institute. Dr. Parra-Cardona’s program of research is focused on the cultural adaptation of evidence-based parenting interventions for low-income Latinx populations in the US and Latin America.
Bianka Reese, PhD, MSPH is a research scientist and program evaluator specializing in adolescent and young adult sexual and reproductive health. Her previous research in the experiences of Latinx LGBTQ+ youth stems from her work as the Research and Evaluation Manager at SHIFT NC (Sexual Initiatives For Teens), where she led largescale evaluations of multilevel, community-based sexual health promotion initiatives and research projects aimed at elevating the voices of diverse youth in North Carolina. Dr. Reese is currently the Senior Research Strategist at Creative Research Solutions, LLC, an award-winning national evaluation, research, and assessment firm.
Tania Connaughton-Espino, MPH is an independent researcher focused on adolescent and young adult sexual and reproductive health. Her interest in the experiences of Latinx LGBTQ+ youth stems from her previous work with SHIFT NC (Sexual Initiatives For Teens), where she led the training and evaluation department, conducted capacity-building workshops for youth serving professionals including on the topic of how to be more affirming of LGBTQ youth, and from her extensive experience working with the Latinx population in NC.
Maru Gonzalez, EdD is an Assistant Professor and Youth Development Specialist in the Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences at North Carolina State University. Her areas of inquiry include youth development with a focus on activism, social justice, and the experiences of LGBTQ+ young people across familial, school, and community contexts. 
Nayeli Y. Chavez-Dueñas, PhD
Hector Y. Adames, PsyD