Survey Launched To Meet Mental Health Needs Of East End Students

EAST END, NY — A new survey has been created to address the critical need for mental and health services among youth on the East End, with a focus on the Latino population.

"We are launching a mental and emotional health initiative to create better access points for adolescents and families to get therapy and support before emergency room crisis happens," said Minerva Perez, executive director of Organización Latino-Americana, or OLA, of eastern Long Island.

The survey is in English and Spanish. The interest is in meeting the needs of all
students, including Latino students, she said.

"The mental/emotional needs of our adolescents and their families are hard to meet on a good day. Currently on the East End, Latino adolescents and their Spanish speaking parents/guardians have limited access to ongoing mental health support other than drastic crisis response. Approximately 50 percent of our public school students are Latino. It is time for a shift in access," the survey said.

OLA has asked individuals ages 14 to 29 to help lead the initiative by honestly answering the questions in the survey, Perez said.

"With your honest and anonymous responses, OLA can begin to address the disparities in mental/emotional health access. Together we can make this better," she said.

Regular phone consultations with mental health professionals should be an easy and accessible option, especially in light of COVID-19 concerns and transportation challenges, the survey continued.

"With anonymous responses and stories, you will help us to increase this opportunity and create more points of access for the Spanish-speaking community," Perez said.

The survey takes about six minutes to complete.

To take the survey, click here.