Youth Mental Health Initiatives Grow in Mexico and the Americas

In the Mexican state of Querétaro, the Contigo Sanamente program has delivered more than 389,000 free psychological sessions to young people, expanding to all 18 municipalities and adding a new clinic in Jalpan de Serra. The initiative, overseen by Youth Secretariat head Virginia Hernández Vázquez, was built during Governor Mauricio Kuri González’s administration and was selected for a binational youth mental‑health network with Uruguay, receiving $80,000 in joint funding.

Separately, the Pan American Health Organization released a regional roadmap to strengthen community‑based mental‑health services for adolescents across the Americas. The guidelines call for early detection, reduced stigma, integration of schools, families and primary‑care centers, and greater youth participation in policy design, aiming to shift away from hospital‑centric models.

Both efforts reflect a broader push to improve mental‑health care accessibility for young people throughout the region.