CBPR: building partnerships with latinos in a rural area for a wellness approach to mental health

Using Community-Based Participatory Research, this study describes the ongoing collaboration between Latino community leaders and academic partners to develop a mental health promotion intervention for rural Latinos in Florida. Two strategies were used: (1) Community Advisory Board (CAB) members completed a Latino Community Partners Survey (LCPS) and (2) scribe notes were taken during CAB meetings. The LCPS demonstrated not only the CAB's knowledge about the community but the readiness of leaders to get involved in the community-academic partnership. Thematic analysis of scribe notes revealed four main categories: caring, knowledges, interpersonal dynamics, and future impact in the community. CAB members greatly enhanced academic partners' understanding of the community's needs as well as of their own culturally-specific knowledge.