HEALTH STIGMAS IN LATINO
COMMUNITIES.
>> AND WE KNOW BLACK AND BROWN
COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN
DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED BY
COVID-19 IN BOTH THEIR PHYSICAL
AND MENTAL HEALTH.
NOW, A LOOK AT THE STIGMA
SURROUNDING MENTAL HEALTH IN THE
HISPANIC LATINO COMMUNITY AND
WHAT SOME ARE DOING TO BREAK THE
BARRIERS BY PROVIDING SERVICES
IN THEIR COMMUNITIES IN
DIFFERENT WAYS.
HERE IS THE NEW FACE ON THE
"CHICAGO TONIGHT" TEAM, JOANNA
HERNANDEZ WITH THE STORY.
>> GROWING UP YOU DID NOT SPEAK
ABOUT HOW YOU FELT OR WHY YOU
FELT AND NOW, GROWING UP I KNOW
I FEEL SOMETHING BUT I DON'T
KNOW WHAT IT IS OR I DON'T KNOW
HOW TO EXPLAIN IT.
>> FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS OZZY
GAMEZ AND HIS PARTNER JUAN
QUEZADA HAVE BEEN RUNNING PLANT
CHICAGO.
GAMEZ WAS BORN IN BELIZE AND
CAME TO KHE AS A CHILD.
HE NEVER IMAGED HE WOULD FIND
HIS WAY BACK TO HIS ROOTS.
>> I STARTED GOING TO GARDEN
CENTERS AND VISITING THE HOUSE
PLANT SECTION AND HOUSE PLANT
SHOPS THAT WERE AVAILABLE THEN.
AND I SAW THAT IT HELPED ME AND
IT HELPED ME CLEAR MY MIND,
PAUSE, LEAVE WORK AT WORK.
COME HOME TO MY HOME.
TO MY FAMILY.
AND THAT HELPED ME A LOT.
I BASICALLY WANTED TO TAKE THAT
AND BUT MY ON TWIST AND OFFER IT
TO WHOEVER WANTED TO COME IN.
>> NURTURING PLANTS IS A FORM OF
THERAPY THAT HE IS NOTICING
WITHIN HIS CUSTOMERS, PLANTS
HELPING THEM WITH THEIR MENTAL
HEALTH.
>> NOW THAT THINGS ARE REOPENING
BACK UP, YOU SEE THAT A NEW WAVE
OF PEOPLE SAYING PLANTS GOT THEM
THROUGH QUARANTINE AND GOT THEM
THROUGH BEING STRUCK AT HOME
OTHERWISE THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT
THEY WOULD HAVE DONE.
HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND
YOU HEAR STORIES AND THEY SHARE
THINGS.
>> ERNESTO A LICENSED CLINICAL
ERNESTO
>> I THINK A LOT OF IT WAS NOT
HAVING THE LANGUAGE TO EXPRESS
WHAT WAS HAPPENING.
YOU KNOW, IF SOMEBODY IS
DEPRESSED, MAYBE IT'S NOT SEEN
AS THAT ESPECIALLY BACK THEN
THERE WAS NO REAL LANGUAGE TO
SAY I THINK I'M FEELING STUCK OR
I'M FEELING SAD AND MY MOOD IS
DOWN.
I THINK IT'S BECAUSE OF
SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED TO ME.
>> LAST YEAR SHE FOUNDED LATINX
TALK THERAPY ON MICHIGAN AVENUE
WHERE SHE OFFERS IMMIGRATION
EVALUATIONS WITH A TEAM OF
THERAPISTS.
THE IDEA IS TO BE ABLE TO REACH
OUT TO THE COMMUNITY AND PEOPLE
ABLE TO SEE THEMSELVES AND SAY,
MAYBE I COULD TRY IT.
THAT PERSON LOOKS LIKE ME OR
THEY CAN UNDERSTAND ME.
AND THEN PEOPLE BEING MORE OPEN
TO TRYING THERAPY.
>> ABOUT 16 MILES FROM PEREZ'
PRACTICE, NESTOR FLORES IS
DIRECTOR OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
INITIATIVES AT PILSEN WELLNESS
CENTER AND ON A PATH TO HELP
OTHERS IDENTIFY THE SYMPTOMS AND
SIGNS OF MENTAL WELLNESS.
>> IN MY FAMILY THERE WAS A
TRAGEDY.
WHEN I SOUGHT SERVICES FOR
MYSELF AND MY SON WE WERE NOT
ABLE TO FIND ANY CULTURALLY
SENSITIVE SERVICES WHERE WE FELT
SUPPORTED WHERE WE FELT SEEN
THAT STARTED ME ON THIS JOURNEY.
>> ONLY ONE IN FIVE LATINOS WITH
SYMPTOMS OF A PSYCHOLOGICAL
DISORDER APPROACH A DOCTOR AND
ONE IN 10 LATINOS APPROACH A
MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL.
>> WHAT HAPPENS WITH LATER
GENERATIONS IS THAT ALL OF THIS
GETS PASSED ON THROUGH BELIEF
SYSTEMS THAT SOMETIMES
VERBALIZED AND SOMETIMES ARE
NOT.
>> HE IS SLOWLY STARTING TO SEE
CHANGES.
>> I WOULD SAY THAT NINE, 10
YEARS AGO THAT WAS THE CASE IT
WAS A STIGMA AND CONSIDERED A
SERVICE THAT WAS ONLY NEEDED IF
YOU WERE HAVING A MENTAL
BREAKDOWN.
NOWADAYS WE HAVE DONE A LOT OF
INROADS WE ARE KNOWN IN THE
COMMUNITY AND THEY KNOW IF
SOMEONE IS STRUGGLING WITH ANY
SYMPTOM OF DEPRESSION, ANXIETY,
BEHAVIOR WITH CHILDREN THEY CAN
COME TO US.
>> GAMEZ SAYS HIS JOURNEY WITH
MENTAL HEALTH HAS NOT BEEN EASY
BUT HE IS TAKING STEPS TO UNPACK
THE DRAMATIC EXPERIENCES.
>> IT TAKES TIME TO EXPLORE YOUR
MENTAL HEALTH AND YOUR FEELINGS
AND EXPLORE WHAT YOU WANT TO
EXPLAIN ABOUT YOURSELF TO THE
WORLD.
THAT GROWING UP IN A COUNTRY
THAT YOU ARE NOT NATIVE TOK YOU
FEEL THE EMPTY SPACES WITH WORK.
>> HE IS CREE ITS AING A SPACE
FOR OTHERS TO LEARN ABOUT PLANTS
WHILE DISCOVERING HIS VOICE IN A
WORLD WHERE HE FELT SILENCED.
>> I AM A FATHER AND MY DAUGHTER
IS FOUR AND HAVING A DAUGHTER OR
JUST A CHILD HELPS WITH THAT.
BECAUSE THAT IS SOMETHING YOU
ARE TEACHING THEM AND SOMETHING
THEY ARE LEARNING.
>> AND PLACES ARE RECRUITING
THERAPISTS FROM COUNTRIES LIKE
MEXICO AND COLOMBIA TO HELP
CLIENTS FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE.
>> THANK YOU.
GREAT STORY.
WELCOME TO THE TEAM.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE
HAS BEEN SO WELCOMING I'M
EXCITED TO BE HOME IN CHICAGO
AND HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO
REDISCOVER CHICAGO.
>> EXACTLY.
BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN IN NEW YORK.
BUT YOU ARE A CHICAGO NATIVE
TELL US A LITTLE BIT.
>> I AM A CHICAGO NATIVE I WAS
LIVING IN NEW YORK FOR FIVE LONG
YEARS.
I LEARNED A LOT BUT I'M EXCITED
TO RETURN TO MY CHICAGO.
IT'S BEEN A DREAM AND I'M
EXCITED TO BE PART OF THE TEAM
AND BE AROUND MY PEOPLE.
>> AND YOU HAVE PEOPLE HERE AT