AUTHOR=Thoumi Andrea , Plasencia Gabriela , Madanay Farrah , Ho Ethan Shih-An , Palmer Caroline , Kaalund Kamaria , Chaudhry Nikhil , Labrador Amy , Rigsby Kristen , Onunkwo Adaobi , Almonte Ivan , Gonzalez-Guarda Rosa , Martinez-Bianchi Viviana , Cholera Rushina 

TITLE=Promoting Latinx health equity through community-engaged policy and practice reforms in North Carolina

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 11 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1227853

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2023.1227853

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=The Latinx Advocacy Team & Interdisciplinary Network for COVID-19 (LATIN-19) is a unique
multi-sector coalition formed early in the COVID-19 pandemic to address the multi-level health
inequities faced by Latinx communities in North Carolina. We utilized the National Institute on
Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) Research Framework to conduct a directed
content analysis of 58 LATIN-19 meeting minutes from April 2020 through October 2021.
Application of the NIMHD Research Framework facilitated a comprehensive assessment of
complex and multidimensional barriers and interventions contributing to Latinx health while
centering on community voices and perspectives. Community interventions focused on reducing
language barriers and increasing community-level access to social supports while policy
interventions focused on increasing services to slow the spread of COVID-19. Our study adds to
the literature by identifying community-based strategies to ensure the power of communities is
accounted for in policy reforms that affect Latinx health outcomes across the U.S. Multisector
coalitions, such as LATIN-19, can enable the improved understanding of underlying barriers and
embed community priorities into policy solutions to address health inequities.