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=11

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=<sec><title>Introduction</title><p>The Latinx Advocacy Team &amp; 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.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>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.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>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.</p></sec><sec><title>Discussion</title><p>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.</p></sec>