By: Ashmar Mandou
Latino men face unique challenges in regards to mental health, often experiencing higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide compared to other ethnic groups. There are various contributing factors around the increase of mental health struggles among Latino men, including cultural barriers, stigma around mental illness, limited access, and even discrimination. Compelled by the need to help those heal from mental health struggles, Dr. Ricardo Camacho, a bilingual school psychologist, professor at Loyola University, father and now founder of Salud Chicago, is creating spaces for people to come together to create cultural connect and build mental health support.
“One of the reasons why we wanted to fund and create something like Salud Chicago is because we saw that in terms of how mental health was being discussed there wasn’t really any spaces in communities that represented our backgrounds, whether it was myself being Latino or represented our current teen demographics,” said Dr. Camacho. “Specially, to our most marginalized communities, we often don’t see community spaces talking about mental health. Especially in ways where it really connects to us and is really relevant and responsive to what is currently happening. Not just in terms of what’s happening in our lives, our homes or our relationships, but where we live and in terms of how it’s all connected to conflicts. One of the things we wanted to do was normalize conversations we want to have, but maybe are not sure when, where, or how to have them. We wanted to create spaces to let people know, ‘hey you are not alone,’ this is how we can come together.”
Salud Chicago began in late 2022 as a single Instagram post which now has flourished into a movement, hosting citywide healing events, collaborations with run clubs and corporations reaching thousands through community engagement. What makes Salud Chicago unique is its approachable, bilingual, and hyperlocal, gathering individuals to share their real stories with one another. Dr. Camacho and his team meet people where they are—which for many is on Instagram, where followers turn to Salud for trusted, culturally grounded content in moments of insecurity. “One of the things we aim for as an organization is to have consistent and active gatherings,” said Dr. Camacho. “This past May we hosted a large event in the Pilsen community, called “You Are Still Here.” It was discussion of how we are doing through a creative lens. For example, whether you are an artists or on a corporate level, it is creating an understanding that our experiences are similar.”
In honor of Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month, Dr. Camacho will be hosting another event on Sunday, June 29th in partnership with the Men’s Running Club, in the Pilsen community for another discussion on mental and physical well-being. “Mental health looks different for everyone,” said Dr. Camacho. “It’s important to know that you can start a conversation about mental health on a run, or at a local shop. We can come together in communities that we trust.”
While taking the initiative to talk about mental health with a loved one can be challenging, Dr. Camacho shared a vital approach for everyone to try. “I think what makes Salud specifically different is that we do a lot of preventive work in terms of approaching mental health on a community level. People may think of mental health as going to therapy or think of it as a crisis, but we take a step ahead of that and offer realistic and practical tools. We want to let people know that there is an acronym we go by which is A.S.K. Which is first “A”, which stands for acknowledgement of what the person is going through, then “S” which stands for support. Supporting the person in any capacity that they need, and “K”, which means keep in touch. Acknowledging that as an organization we are building a community every month by providing yoga or meditation efforts in Humboldt Park or a run club in Pilsen, or a book club, or what we really try to do, which is host larger community talks about mental health. We provide resources to people in need, we meet them where they are at and in so doing truly creating a space of what mental health can look like for communities and neighborhoods,” said Dr. Camacho.
If you would like to learn more about Salud Chicago visit www.saludchicago.com or visit their Instagram page at www.instagram.com/saludchicago/ or email hello@saludchicago.com.
Photo Credit: Salud Chicago
