Abstract
Breast cancer can have a significant impact on the emotional and psychological well-being of Latinas who are diagnosed with the disease. Although psychosocial interventions can alleviate the psychological distress experienced by survivors, the benefits of psychosocial support remain elusive for many Latina women due to lack of access to mental health services in their community. To meet the rising need for services among Latina breast cancer survivors, new infrastructures are needed to increase access to culturally congruent and comprehensive mental health services. Within this chapter, we propose that community-based nonprofit organizations can play a key role in the expansion of mental health services for Latina breast cancer survivors. First, we describe the range of psychological concerns of breast cancer survivors to underscore the need for mental health services. Next, we present a model of comprehensive mental health services within the nonprofit sector. The final section provides further infrastructure recommendations for narrowing this critical mental health services disparity.
