How the Providence Center for Outcomes Research & Education (CORE) helped Raíces de Bienestar build a data story needed to expand its bilingual suicide prevention training program nationally.
Suicide rates among Hispanic people in the U.S. have risen sharply over the past decade. Today, Latine and Spanish-speaking communities face major obstacles to mental health services and suicide prevention resources that go beyond language barriers. That includes stigma, too few culturally competent services, and limited access to mental health care.
The Hillsboro, Oregon-based nonprofit Raíces de Bienestar (Raíces) is working to change that through culturally responsive suicide prevention training for Traditional Health Workers.
In 2025, Providence CORE proudly supported this work by helping Raíces use its data to tell the story of the program's impact.
Read on to learn how CORE helped Raíces prepare to reach more people with this life-saving training. Or visit Raíces’ website to learn more about their trainings.
An opportunity for national impact
“[Es] algo muy bonito poder hablar del tema [suicidio] y no tener pena, no tener miedo. (“[It's] a very beautiful thing to be able to talk about it [suicide] and not be ashamed, not be afraid) - Suicide training program participant
Raíces’ suicide prevention trainings are designed by and for the Latine community. They aim to prepare community health workers, peer support specialists, Promotores de Salud, and other community leaders to identify suicide risk factors, intervene effectively, and connect people seeking assistance to resources.
Raíces sought to grow its impact by offering its trainings through the national Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) website. But first, the organization needed to apply and submit formal evidence of the program’s impact. Raíces had already gathered feedback through surveys and focus groups. However, they lacked the staff capacity needed to turn that feedback into the type of program evaluation SPRC required. They turned to Providence CORE for help.
Translating feedback into a compelling data story
“Partnering with a trusted community organization like Raíces de Bienestar to tell its data story was really exciting for us,” explains Sarah Roth, Research Scientist at CORE. “Helping demonstrate the impact of Raíces' suicide prevention trainings and expand the reach of this culturally grounded, lifesaving program is exactly the kind of opportunity that drives us!”
CORE helped Raíces translate its survey and focus group data into a compelling data story. This included:
- Developing clear data summaries that highlighted what participants learned, how confident they felt using new skills, and how the training supported culturally grounded approaches to suicide prevention.
- Creating a logic model that helped map Raíces’ training objectives to relevant indicators that could demonstrate the program’s intended impact.
- Helping shape the narrative so that Raíces could clearly demonstrate the training’s reach, relevance, and effectiveness in a way that aligned with national evaluation standards.
By organizing the information in a structured, accessible way, CORE made it easier for Raíces to show the real impact of their program—rooted in community voice and built for the people it serves.
“CORE was the ideal partner for this project. The team demonstrated a profound understanding of our unique cultural needs, was highly flexible, and proved to be exceptionally skilled. They seamlessly integrated into the project, providing essential support to help us analyze the data and translate it into a compelling story that showcases the impact of this vital program for Latine community leaders.” Ruth Zúñiga, PhD, Co-founder and Executive Director, Raíces de Bienestar
With a strong evaluation in hand, Raíces is better positioned to expand access to these trainings and, ultimately, to save more lives.
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