Screening for Major Depression and Alcohol Use Disorder in Laundromats As a New Setting for Community- Based...

Place-based health interventions are becoming popular in public health, but have been less common in behavioral health services. This study implemented mental health screenings with a total of 195 individuals across seven laundromats in Texas from March 2024-April 2025 to examine the potential to treat laundromats as a new, unique setting for place-based behavioral health interventions. The sample of laundromat users was screened for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and asked about their receptiveness to receiving healthcare interventions in laundromats. Multivariable analyses were conducted to examine individual characteristics associated with positive screens for MDD and AUD. Results found that 19.9% of laundromat users screened positive for MDD, which was comparable to county, state, and national estimates. However, 17.4% screened positive for AUD, which was higher than state and national estimates. The majority of the sample was Hispanic, had less than a college education, and reported annual incomes below $50,000. Laundromat users who were aged 60 years or older or who reported financial barriers to healthcare were significantly more likely to screen positive for MDD. Of the total sample, 83 (42.6%) completed a 1-month follow-up assessment and were re-screened for MDD and AUD which revealed no significant changes in rates of either disorder. Generally, participants reported a positive experience with the screenings in laundromats and reported being receptive to receiving other healthcare interventions in laundromats. In conclusion, this study found that providing health screenings in laundromats may reach underserved individuals. Laundromats may serve an important setting for further interventions after screenings.