Connecticut Latina Wins Prestigious National Mental Health Award

Connecticut Latina Wins Prestigious National Mental Health Award
Dynamic Advocate Unites Community of Latinos, Focusing on Culturally Sensitive
Care 


ATLANTA, May 16  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Depression can be devastating, and
when the only services available either ignore your ideals and beliefs, or are
in a language you can't understand, mental illness also can seem
insurmountable.  For her dedication to filling the void of culturally
appropriate care for Latinos with mental illness, Ana Lazu has been honored by
an independent panel of national mental health leaders with the 2005 Welcome
Back Award for primary care.  Eli Lilly and Company sponsors the national
awards program, which is in its seventh year.

Lazu had worked in Connecticut's mental health community for several years when
she began experiencing periods of major depression, anxiety and panic attacks. 
When the hours of sitting at home in isolation gradually turned into days and
months, Lazu decided that she needed to find help.  Yet, her search for
Latino-specific information yielded unsatisfactory results; her findings either
contradicted or neglected to incorporate her Latino traditions, language and
culture.

"Like other Latinos living with mental illness, I faced a double stigma -- one
imposed by society, and one imposed by my culture," says Lazu.  "My language,
religion and traditions are an important part of my identity, and I wanted to
find services that would enable me to preserve my heritage while becoming
well."

Deciding to take matters into her own hands, Lazu created Latinos Unidos
Siempre (LUS), a non-profit organization that has become highly successful in
providing culturally sensitive and appropriate care to the Latino population of
eastern Connecticut.  LUS provides referral, advocacy, education, counsel and
case management support to Latinos who have mental illnesses, substance abuse
problems, or have family members with these illnesses.

Lazu's proudest achievement is LUS's PRIMOS Training Program.  Students learn
how to overcome cultural and language barriers so that they can secure quality
care for themselves.  Lazu prepares her students for employment and continuing
education, and gives them a comfortable place to learn interpersonal skills and
practice English.  Students leave the program with a sense of personal value,
and a drive to help other Latinos facing similar problems.  PRIMOS is the
Spanish word for "cousins," and in providing her students with the means to
take care of themselves, as well as those around them, Lazu has succeeded in
transforming the community into an extended family.

"Ana Lazu is a powerful and successful agent of community change," says Dr.
Brendan Montano, Welcome Back Awards committee member and assistant clinical
instructor at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine.  "In less than
a year, she went from being the patient to the primary source of aid for
hundreds of Latinos with mental illness, educating both patient and provider on
the importance of culturally sensitive treatment."

Lazu is one of six individuals who will be honored at the seventh annual
Welcome Back Awards ceremony on May 21, in Atlanta.  Sponsored by Lilly, the
Welcome Back Awards is a national program that recognizes outstanding
individuals who make a difference in the depression community.  In addition to
her award, a $10,000 contribution from Lilly will be made on Lazu's behalf to
Latinos Unidos Siempre and to the National Latino Behavioral Health Association
(NLBHA), for the NLBHA Josie Romero Scholarship Fund.

Nominations for the 2006 Lilly Welcome Back Awards may be submitted by anyone
wishing to recognize an individual for outstanding achievements within the
depression community.  For more information, call 800-463-6440 or visit
http://www.welcomebackawards.com/.

(Logo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031219/LLYLOGO

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050516/WBACKLOGO ) 

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031219/LLYLOGO

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050516/WBACKLOGO

DATASOURCE: Eli Lilly and Company



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