Access to preventive healthcare remains a significant challenge for many Latino families across the Greater Knoxville region. Language barriers, lack of insurance, transportation limitations, and limited access to culturally responsive health education prevent many children from receiving routine preventive care, such as dental screenings, wellness visits, and nutrition education.

Centro Hispano seeks to engage in a pilot initiative to develop a replicable model that expands preventive health access for Latino children and families across Trinity Health Foundation’s service region who face structural barriers to healthcare access. This initiative aligns with priorities identified in the Greater Knoxville Report Card, including improving health insurance coverage, access to preventive healthcare services, childhood health outcomes, and food access.

During Phase I, Centro will collaborate with regional healthcare partners to design and test a community-based model that integrates preventive health services into trusted community settings. Planning activities will include youth wellness and nutrition programming through Centro’s Bienestar Jr. curriculum during their summer camp, collaborating on a pediatric dental clinic model with healthcare partners, and organizing a community health fair providing back-to-school physicals, preventive screenings, as well as health resource navigation.

Phase I will also include focus groups with Latino youth and Spanish-speaking parents to better understand barriers to accessing preventive physical and mental health services. Findings will inform the development of a scalable Phase II initiative to increase preventive care utilization and improve child health outcomes across East Tennessee.