We have so much to be proud of with all of our work PRA-wide. I am so honored (and find myself somewhat emotional) to be part of what we recently accomplished in San Juan, Puerto Rico. For the first time ever, we conducted a Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) Mapping Workshop in a U.S. territory. Just as important, this is the first ever SIM Mapping Workshop we have conducted in a language other than English.
This SIM Mapping Workshop was hosted by the SAMHSA GAINS Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Project Associate Michelle Espinosa-Clark and Consultant Magdalena Morales-Aina facilitated the two-day event.
This event would not have been possible without the incredible dedication of Policy Research and GAINS Center staff. So many people had a hand in coordinating this event, translating materials, prepping materials, bringing in translators, and ensuring that this event was culturally relevant while maintaining fidelity to the SIM Mapping Workshop process. In particular, Michelle put an amazing amount of prep time into getting ready for this workshop. In the days before our SIM Mapping Workshop, she spent time late into the night with her uncle, taking a final look at the slide deck, ensuring everything was appropriately translated from English to Spanish.
In the pictures below, you see Michelle opening the SIM Mapping Workshop. The second picture shows the room we were in at the Supreme Court in San Juan, Puerto Rico, along with all our workshop participants. The final picture shows 1 of the 11 judges we have in the room. She provided opening remarks to the group. In the background you will see the translators who worked with us over two days, translating our discussion from Spanish into English for me.
Again, thank you to so many of you who helped us to get here. I was so proud to introduce myself to the room as being affiliated with Policy Research!