Last month, Mayor Daley announced plans to close four community mental health centers on the South Side,  due to state budgetary problems. One of the centers to be cut is in Back of the Yards, which is home to a large Latino community. Latinos face particular challenges accessing mental health care including a lack of bilingual therapists, and also, a cultural stigma against seeking professional help.

Hector Torres teaches at the Chicago School for Professional Psychology’s Center for Latino Mental Health and is the coordinator for Latino Mental Health Initiative. He says the state of mental health services for Chicago’s Latino community is dire.

Music Button: Ocote Soul Sounds & Adrian Quesada, “La Lucha Sigue”, from the CD El Niño Y El Sol OST (ESL records)