The Cambridge Hospital Latino Health Clinic: a model for interagency integration of health services for Latinos at the provider level.

Latinos who present for health services often suffer from a complex interaction of medical and mental health needs, requiring a multifaceted intervention. An essential element of this multilevel approach is cultural and linguistic sensitivity on the part of health providers. New, innovative models of health service organization are needed to address the unique needs of the Latino population. Some of the key characteristics these models need to focus on include interagency collaboration rather than competition for resources, interdisciplinary teams of primary-care providers that also involve other nonmedical professional members, centralized case coordination and decentralized service delivery, flexibility and adaptability to changing priorities, continuity of care for all patients, and mutual support among providers to minimize the effects of stress and burnout.