Hispanos Unidos, a vibrant and thriving organization, was founded in 1987 and began its operations in a small store front on Grand Avenue in the Fair Haven area of the City of New Haven, Connecticut. From a limited staff of 1.5 positions, Hispanos Unidos has become the leading Latino-led health organization in Southern Connecticut. Small in size, but a giant in accomplishments, this organization continues to reach greater heights.
Hispanos Unidos came during a time when the AIDS epidemic was ravaging the Latino community and Latinos were not being reached by already existing programs in the Greater New Haven area due to cultural and linguistic barriers. Hispanos Unidos began addressing the issue through aggressive outreach and case management services to link individuals living with HIV/AIDS to care.
As Hispanos Unidos continued its trajectory serving individuals living with HIV/AIDS, it learned that the healthcare needs went beyond HIV prevention education and case management services and that other services were needed in order to address the “whole person.” Hence, Hispanos Unidos began charting a course that would eventually lead to the expansion of programs and services and the growth of the organization.
In 1998, Hispanos Unidos expanded services into the City of Meriden, Connecticut when a gap in services for individuals living with HIV/AIDS was identified. The organization was awarded Ryan White Title 2 funding through the State of Connecticut Department of Public Health to provide case management services.
In 2000, Hispanos Unidos underwent a concerted effort, which included participation from the Board of Directors, staff, and clients to devise a plan for the agency’s next five years. This effort resulted in a new five-year strategic plan, which led to the implementation of a comprehensive set of services that now include a medication and treatment adherence program, mental health services, substance abuse counseling, case management services, prevention and health education services, and a sleep-a-away camp for children affected by HIV/AIDS. It was also at this time that the organization changed its name from Hispanos Unidos Contra El SIDA, Inc. to Hispanos Unidos, Inc.
As Hispanos Unidos brought to life its strategic plan, it reached another significant benchmark in 2001 when it was federally funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to provide mental health services for Latinos living with HIV/AIDS. Through SAMHSA funding, Hispanos Unidos developed a successful culturally relevant mental health model and has served over 500 unduplicated clients over the past five years through its Nuevos Horizontes (New Horizons) mental health program.
Hispanos Unidos made a breakthrough with the Latino Christian community when, in 2002, the agency was funded to deliver weekly one-hour radio programs, which were aired on Radio Amor (Radio Love) to discuss HIV/AIDS, HIV/AIDS transmission, and other health related issues. According to radio station management, the program was reaching over 50,000 listeners weekly. In 2003, Hispanos Unidos applied for and was awarded the State of Connecticut Department of Public Health Evaluation Bank grant to evaluate 55 contractors across the state that were awarded HIV prevention dollars to implement the DEBI (Diffusion of Effective Behavioral Interventions). Under this grant award, Hispanos Unidos was also responsible for the coordination of all required trainings for the contractors that were awarded funding to implement the interventions.
Growth for Hispanos Unidos continued when in 2004, DPH renewed the original grant award and increased funding to include a second Ryan White Title 2 Case Manager at the Meriden site. The Meriden site expanded again in 2005 when the Ryan White Title 1 Office funded the agency for an additional case manager and a substance abuse program. The expansion of services over the last several years has provided Hispanos with the capacity to serve over 2,000 individuals annually across all programs.
Hispanos Unidos is now poised for additional growth as, most recently, the organization received State of Connecticut facility licensing for its mental health program and authorization to conduct third party billing. Hispanos Unidos is currently pending State of Connecticut facility licensing for its substance abuse program.