MICOP — New Trilingual Website Sheds Light on SLO County’s Mexican Indigenous Population

New Trilingual Website Sheds Light on SLO County’s Mexican Indigenous Population. 

Website hosts survey findings for organizations serving the community.

SAN LUIS OBISPO — A new trilingual website shares survey findings that shed light on the demographics and health needs of San Luis Obispo (SLO) County’s Mexican indigenous population. 

The website, written in English and Spanish with audio available in Mixteco (a group of languages native to the Oaxaca and Guerrero regions of Mexico), is an openly accessible resource for local organizations and agencies serving this community. The key findings of this study reinforce that Mexican indigenous community members—estimated to be between about three and eight thousand people living in SLO County—face unique health risks driven by poor housing and economic conditions as well as barriers to health services.

“These findings are crucial so we can learn more about a community that has been historically underserved and underrepresented,” said MICOP’s Santa Maria Program Director, Ana Huynh. “We now have an opportunity to ensure services are provided appropriately and equitably to the Indigenous migrant communities residing in SLO County.

Powered by the Mixteco/Indígena Community Organizing Project, Cuesta College, Diringer and Associates, Queer Profs, and California State University San Marcos with funds from the County of SLO Public Health Department, the newly launched website shares specific focus areas for local organizations. To address survey respondents’ concerns, the study’s team has collaborated with various organizations, including the SLO Food Bank, First 5 SLO County, and Community Health Centers of the Central Coast.

Learn more about the San Luis Obispo Mexican Indigenous Community Study and see an executive summary of the findings at SLOMICS.org.