El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center
Organization Background
Founded in 1991, El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center (El Sol) is a grassroots organization whose mission is to empower disadvantaged and vulnerable communities, to lead healthy and comfortable lives with access to health care; opportunities for education; safe, affordable housing; and the leadership skills to eliminate disparities. Services range from health education to case management and care coordination; prevention and early intervention: addressing health and well-being holistically by addressing social determinants of health, to early childhood development and parenting education including maternal, infant, early childhood education, home visitation; and women’s health and career development.
El Sol implements the community health worker (CHW) / promotores model which is a peer-to-peer empowerment approach to education, prevention, and early intervention for social and health services that developed in Latin America and has been rapidly spreading throughout the U.S. The model is based on the recognition that the people best equipped to reach underserved communities are the very people from those communities.
Grants
| Year | Amount | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $25,000 | To re-initiate their work conducting depression screening along with providing culturally and linguistically sensitive intervention(s) for older women through PEARLS, a peer-based mental health intervention program for women 65 and over, delivered by promotores. Referrals are made to therapists for individuals requiring more care. |
| 2020 | $27,500 | General operating support to provide relief during COVID-19. |
| 2019 | $30,000 | El Sol received a $30,000 grant from the Valenzuela Foundation to continue their work conducting depression screening along with providing culturally and linguistically sensitive intervention(s) for older women. El Sol implements the peer-based PEARLS mental health intervention program for women 65 and over. PEARLS (Program to Encourage Active, Rewarding Lives for Seniors) is delivered by community health workers (CHW) in neighborhoods, at people’s homes, and involves active screening for depression, trained depression care support (brief, patient-centered, evidenced-based interventions, education, self-management support). Referrals are made to therapists for individuals requiring more care. |
| 2018 | $25,000 | El Sol received a $25,000 grant to continue depression screening along with culturally and linguistically sensitive intervention(s) for older women. Furthermore, their access to health and social services will be improved. The project aims to screen a minimum of 250 older women (individuals 65 years of age or older), for depression each year and improve care for a minimum of 55 of them with depression by strengthening the involvement of family, friends, and community-organizations in depression care. |
| 2017 | $25,000 | El Sol received $25,000 towards a project to enhance access to health and social services for women who are screened for depression and who may have a co-occurring health concern. The project aims to screen a minimum of 500 older adults (individuals 65 years of age or older), for depression and improve care for a minimum of 60 older adults with depression by strengthening the involvement of family, friends, and community-organizations in depression care. The funds will support older adults in navigating health systems and includes a specific focus on adults with chronic disease and at risk for or experiencing depression. $25,000 will enable expanded support to an additional 130 women in a 12-month period. |