Introduction: The Latinx Advocacy Team & 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.
Methods: 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.
Results: 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.
Discussion: 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.
Competing Interests: VM-B was contracted by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to serve as a Latinx Advisor during 2021. VM-B is Co-Founder of LATIN-19. RG-G, GP, and AT were Executive Board Members of LATIN-19. Executive Board Members do not receive any direct financial remuneration for their involvement in LATIN-19. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
(Copyright © 2023 Thoumi, Plasencia, Madanay, Ho, Palmer, Kaalund, Chaudhry, Labrador, Rigsby, Onunkwo, Almonte, Gonzalez-Guarda, Martinez-Bianchi and Cholera.)