Press Release
June 22, 2021
Educators in one of L.A. County’s hardest hit communities by COVID, partner with community-based organizations to offer 1,800 students and their families mental health support and prepare for fall classes The focus on mental health is important because among Latinos the topic continues to be taboo.
Written by Evelyn G. Aleman
Contact:
Evelyn G. Aleman Media Image Public Relations 818.881.7976 | evelyn@mipr.net
About Equitas Academy Charter Schools
Equitas Academy Charter Schools are free public schools offering a high-quality education and positively challenging school experience. Its model offers credentialed, passionate, and dedicated teachers and staff who are experts in their field.
About LACFEPS
LACFEPS, is a coalition of successful L.A.-based nonprofit charter public school networks that represent more than 51,500 students in over 112 schools in South Los Angeles, East Los Angeles, Downtown L.A., Southeast cities and parts of the San Fernando Valley. These schools have a proven track record in academics, as well as graduation and college readiness. They serve a diverse population of students with varying abilities and individualized needs.
In one of L.A. County’s hardest hit communities by the pandemic, this summer educators at Equitas Academy Elementary Charter School, a free charter public school in the Pico Union neighborhood of Downtown Los Angeles, have partnered with community-based organizations to provide mental health support for 1,800 families, and help them prepare for in-person fall classes. In partnering with community-based organizations, school officials hope to address the mental health needs of students and their families, and help them process trauma experienced through COVID-19. According to the CDC, since April 2020, mental health–related visits for children aged 5–11 and 12–17 years increased approximately by 24% and 31%. Equitas Academy Elementary is one of six free charter public schools in the Equitas Academy Charter Schools network serving the area and undertaking this work.
“Pico Union was one of the communities most affected by the pandemic,” said Lilia Mitre, Director of Parent Partnerships at Equitas Academy Charter Schools. “Families experienced food and housing insecurity, job losses, mental health trauma and loss of family members to the virus – children lost parents. In addition, our families didn’t have tech literacy skills, and this caused added stress,” added Mitre.
To address this need, Equitas partnered with Dignity Health, a nonprofit health care provider, to offer mental health support. Although the partnership with Dignity Health has been around for two years, the pandemic increased the number of families seeking assistance and placed on a waiting list to receive care. For this reason, Equitas also sought partnerships with other local community-based organizations such as the Salvation Army and El Centro Del Pueblo; two nonprofits that personalized support and established trust with families.
“During COVID, we had to prioritize families with the highest needs,” said Mitre. “We also had to change the way in which we provided assistance. Pre-pandemic, Dignity Health therapists offered services on campus, which made it easier for families who struggled with transportation. Last year they moved to Zoom, so families had to learn to be comfortable with technology,” she added.
These relationships are critical to meeting the increased need and making mental health care accessible in a community where 95.2% identify as Latino. The focus on mental health is particularly important because, among Latinos, the topic continues to be a taboo. School officials hope that the partnerships will help break generational barriers of stigma and wield the power to create notable changes for underserved Latino families.
Since many families in Pico Union live far below the poverty line, it’s vital that services be provided at no cost. Ninety percent of families served by Equitas rely on state-funded Medi-Cal for essential health care services. An estimated 92.6% of all scholars enrolled qualify for free or reduced meals, and 41.2% identify as English-language learners.
This combination of Equitas dedicated counselors and key partnerships merge to create a powerful, but caring body of mental health support – capable of challenging cultural stigma, pandemic-induced trauma, and the harsh socioeconomic realities for children and families living in the Pico Union area.
“Pico Union has been a community in the eye of the storm when it comes to COVID and this is why this work is so important,” said Mitre.“When scholars return in the fall, Equitas Academy will be ready to lend a helping hand.”