Community health worker support and navigation for mental health
Official title: Community Health Worker Navigation to Support Mental Health
Funded at Cultura Y Arte Nativa de Las Americas · NIH-11379178 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project gives people in San Francisco’s Mission District community health workers who help them connect to mental health care and wellness activities, comparing navigator support plus services to wellness activities alone.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cultura Y Arte Nativa de Las Americas NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2023 |
| Project end | September 19, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,500,000 |
| NIH project number | 3OT2OD035895-01S2 |
| Project ID | NIH-11379178 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults who live in or near San Francisco’s Mission District who are experiencing anxiety, depression, or difficulty accessing mental health services are the best fit for this work.
✕Less likely to help
People who already have ongoing, timely mental health care or who live outside the local area are unlikely to gain direct benefit from participating.
What this research studies
If you join, you would work with a local community health worker from CANA who helps you find and use mental health services and neighborhood wellness programs. Some participants will get structured navigation plus wellness activities while others will be offered wellness activities alone. The team will collect brief surveys, interviews, and service-use information to learn what helps with anxiety, depression, and overall well-being. The work is run with local partners and UC Riverside as part of the CAPAZ Hub and will occur in the Mission District over the project period.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could make it easier for neighborhood residents to get connected to mental health care and improve symptoms of anxiety, depression, and wellbeing.
How similar studies have gone: Similar community health worker navigation programs have shown promise increasing engagement with care and improving mental health outcomes in some settings, though results vary by population and program design.
Where this research is happening
-
Cultura Y Arte Nativa de Las Americas
San Francisco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hernandez, Roberto Y — Cultura Y Arte Nativa de Las Americas
- Study coordinator: Hernandez, Roberto Y
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.