The Language Banc And NW Hennepin Family Service Collaborative Announce Innovative Mental Health Initiative

MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Language Banc (TLB) and NW Hennepin Family Service Collaborative (NWHFSC), two leaders in the provision of services to the limited-English-proficiency (LEP) population in Minnesota and nationwide, today announced their partnership in the launch of an innovative healthcare initiative designed to promote healthy children and stable families by increasing access to mental health and related services.

The partnership unites the unique strengths of The Language Banc in the areas of language, culture, social determinants of health and the specific needs of the LEP population and NW Hennepin Family Service Collaborative's long-term commitment to collaborative efforts to improve access to services for children, youth and families, to bring much needed services to a population underserved in healthcare generally and at critical levels with access to mental health services.

The Language Banc, headquartered in Minneapolis, is a leading national provider of high-quality interpreting and translations services in clinic settings with deep connections both to the LEP communities it serves and its medical and healthcare customers. The Northwest Hennepin Family Service Collaborative is a regional family service collaborative that coordinates services among and between organizations that serve children and families in the northwest region of Hennepin County, Minnesota.  The Northwest Hennepin Family Service Collaborative is committed to increasing access to healthcare and mental health services for children, youth and families through a continuum of coordinated services aligned with the Social Determinants of Health.

The partnership's mental health initiative is focused on removing barriers to mental-health services for LEP patients by creating an enhanced, comprehensive continuum of coordinated services available to all initiative participants. Removing barriers results in quicker responses to identified needs thus reducing the need for late-provision services that are both less effective, longer term, and more expensive. Both organizations have committed substantial resources to the launch of the initiative, which will begin with a pilot program prior to full-scale implementation.

"I am honored and proud to be partnering with NW Hennepin Family Service Collaborative to better serve Minnesota's LEP population," said The Language Banc CEO Siyad Abdullahi. "Our two organizations are truly committed to the world-class provision of services in healthcare and this partnership allows us to combine our many strengths in an innovative program that has the potential to revolutionize the provision of healthcare by looking at a patient's issues in a comprehensive manner."

"It is a great honor to be working with the Language Banc on this very important project," said Jonette Lucia, Coordinator of the Northwest Hennepin Family Service Collaborative. "This initiative will have a huge impact on the health and well-being of individuals in an area of greatest need. The initiative addresses some of the core tenants of health equity by coordinating services aligned with the Social Determents of Health, increasing access to services that promote health and well-being and linking them to clinical practice and the delivery of mental health services."

The Language Banc has been providing the highest quality language services in the Twin Cities and nationwide since 2006. The rapidly growing company has been a leader in the interpretation and translation fields since its inception, initially focusing on language services in healthcare settings and now providing nationwide services across all industry, healthcare and governmental sectors. Learn more about us and the services we provide at www.thelanguagebanc.com.

The Northwest Hennepin Family Service Collaborative (NWHFSC), established in 1996, is a regional family service collaborative that works with highly under-served communities.  With the development of the System of Care Partnership, the NWHFSC is uniquely positioned to lead in the area of resource and referral through a continuum of coordinated services across sectors and jurisdictions aligned with the social determinants of health.  You can learn more about the NWHFSC at www.NWHFSC.org.

If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Leigh Stambler at The Language Banc at 612-330-9954, [email protected], or Jonette Lucia at Northwest Hennepin Family Service Collaborative at 763-391-7253, [email protected].

SOURCE The Language Banc