Canal Alliance is Helping to Prevent Substance Abuse with Support from Marin Health

Canal Alliance’s behavioral health program is one of only two programs in Marin County to provide behavioral health and substance abuse prevention services to undocumented and uninsured immigrants. The need for services is growing quickly. Since the pandemic, monthly referrals for behavioral health services from Canal Alliance have more than tripled. 

Now, thanks to a $15,000 grant from Marin Health, Canal Alliance will train six, Spanish-speaking Community Health Workers to directly reach 350 very low-income Latino immigrants and encourage them to seek the help they need from our staff.

The Canal Alliance behavioral health program team is comprised of three Behavioral Health Clinicians, a Behavioral Health Navigator, and a bilingual, trauma-informed case manager, all of whom work together to conduct interventions, assess risks, and collaborate with family members, teachers, and medical providers to mitigate the negative outcomes of substance abuse disorders.

By lifting many of the cultural and socioeconomic barriers that can prevent our low-income Latino neighbors from reaching out for the support they need, this grant will help to address the inequities of many existing behavioral health systems.