Demographics clearly project a growing Latino population in this country. At the same time, there is an absence of a unified voice for this population when it comes to mental health issues. This absence inhibits effective collaboration because one of the partners in transforming the mental system is left out of the discussion. Latinos lack an effective role in the policy-making process of national and state behavioral health organizations, and policymakers are ill-informed about the needs of this population and how to respond to them. The Latino perspective needs to be incorporated into the development of criteria for accreditation of training and service institutions, the licensing of behavioral health professionals, and the development of diagnostic instruments that will directly contribute to the improvement of behavioral health care.

• Pablo Hernandez, administrator, Department of Behavioral Health, Wyoming State Hospital, Evanston, WY
• Roberto Quiroz, member, Board of Directors, National Latino Behavioral Health Association, Marina del Ray, CA
• Floyd Martinez, director, Resource Development, Chicanos por la Causa, Phoenix, AZ
• Moderator: Juan Ramos, M.D., consultant, Gaithersburg, MD