Clinical psychologist joins ALAS to help deliver equitable access to mental health services
Half Moon Bay, CA — July 17, 2023 — Ayudando Latinos a Soñar (ALAS) today announced that Dr. David A. Martínez, Ph.D., recognized for his dedication to increase equitable access to mental health care for the Latino community, has been named as Director of Mental Health.
Dr. David A. Martínez is a professor of clinical psychology at the University of San Francisco. He earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Health Psychology from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He completed his clinical internship in behavioral medicine at the Palo Alto VA Healthcare System and his post-doctoral fellowship at Brown University’s School of Medicine.
“I am thrilled that Dr. Martínez, who is bilingual and bicultural, will bring his breadth and depth of experience to lead our Mental Health program,” said Dr. Belinda Hernandez Arriaga, Executive Director of ALAS. “With his extensive experience, he will also catalyze ALAS’s work in delivering equitable access to resources and opportunities for Latino families, essential workers, and farmworkers.”
Dr. Martínez’s vast experience includes employing community-based approaches to increase access to HIV testing, mental health services, and healthcare services for marginalized populations. He also has considerable experience in training health professionals, including mental health and medical practitioners in the U.S. and Peru.
“As the Director of Mental Health at ALAS, I am looking forward to strengthening equitable access to mental health services for everyone in the ALAS community,” said Dr. Martínez. “Collaborating with the leadership, staff, and community at ALAS will be an essential component of this goal. I am also excited about collaboratively identifying innovative ways to deliver essential mental health services to the ALAS community.”
Dr. Martínez is the son of Mexican parents who immigrated to Salinas, California, where he was born. He spent his childhood years in Michoacan, Mexico and returned to the U.S. with his mother and siblings when he was an adolescent.
Upon his return to the U.S., Dr. Martinez only spoke Spanish and encountered many challenges trying to adjust and trying to navigate the educational and healthcare systems in the U.S. These experiences have informed his passion to increase equitable and quality access to healthcare for the Latino community in the U.S.
About Ayudando Latinos a Soñar (ALAS): ALAS is a nonprofit, 501c3, based in Half Moon Bay, California that offers free programs of cultural arts, mental health, education, basic needs and social justice programs for Latino families, essential workers, and farmworkers of the Coastside. The vision of the organization was born from the desire to help children and their families to feel proud of their identity and culture and amplify their voices. For more information, please visit: www.alasdreams.com.
Comentários