Latinos In Social Media (LATISM) will hold a panel discussion and Tweet Up networking event to reveal how healthcare communications professionals use social media to connect with the communities they serve, while a mental health clinician and HIV / AIDS community activist will discuss these respective issues as they relate to the Latino community. This event is free and open to the public.

The LATISM Health & Wellness panelists include:

** Deborah Neffa Creech – Communications Coordinator, Carolinas HealthCare System

** Carlos Martinez – Psychotherapist & mental health clinician

** Daniel Valdez – Community activist and HIV/AIDS educator

**Adrienne Woods – Special Projects Coordinator, Levine Children’s Hospital

For information on the health & wellness event, contact Brian Cockman at brian@roostercomm.biz.

Latino stats on mental health: According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), fewer than 1 in 11 Latinos contact mental healthcare specialists to seek treatment. The statistics become even more alarming among Latino immigrants with mental disorders as less than 1 in 20 use services from mental health specialists. Moreover, a national survey conducted by NAMI revealed that out of 596 licensed psychologists with active clinical practices who are members of the American Psychological Association, only one percent of the randomly selected sample identified themselves as Latino.

Latino stats on HIV / AIDS: According to the Centers for Disease Control, Latinos are disproportionately affected by HIV and in a 2009 study, accounted for 20% of new HIV infections in the U.S. while representing approximately 16% of the U.S. population. While Latina women accounted for 21% (2,000) of new infections among Latinos in 2009, their rate of HIV infection was more than four times that of white women (11.8/100,000 vs. 2.6/100,000).

About LATISM: A pioneering social media organization, Latinos in Social Media (LATISM) has been hailed as the most influential online movement in the new multicultural Web. LATISM, the largest organization for Latino and Latina engaged in social media, is a 501(c) 4 nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to advancing the social, civic and economic status of the Latino community. LATISM also serves corporate brands, NGOs and government entities, with a broad range of services including research, event sponsorships, and leadership training. One of the most popular hashtags on Twitter, the #LATISM hashtag captures over 10 million impressions on a daily basis.