Shining a Spotlight on Minority Mental Health Month with These Indiana Organizations
Every person deserves access to quality healthcare regardless of their age, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and economic status. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case.
People who belong to “minority” groups are less likely than the rest of the population to have access to care, and the care they receive is often of a lower quality. This is especially true when it comes to mental health care. For example, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported that in 2017, 42% of all youth ages 12-17 received care for a major depressive episode, but only 35% of African American youth and 33% of Hispanic youth received treatment for their condition.
This long-running disparity in treatment led the U.S. House of Representatives to establish July as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month in 2008. This month, organizations across the country are advocating for better mental health care for members of minority groups.
Here are a few of the organizations and events celebrating Minority Mental Health Awareness Month in Indiana!
The Indiana Youth Institute
The Indiana Youth Institute is a statewide organization dedicated to improving the lives of all Indiana children. IYI provides data, resources and training to organizations that directly interact with youth, such as those in the areas of education, workforce development, health care, the Department of Corrections, and the State Department.
IYI’s mission is to understand the health issues that affect children and teens in Indiana, and one way it does this is by collecting data. Each year, IYI compiles the Indiana KIDS COUNT® Data Book to provide a snapshot of youth health in the state. According to Kevin Enders, Senior Outreach Manager at IYI, one of the things this data does is help organizations identify and remedy disparities in mental health treatment for minority groups.
“As an example, we know that 1 in 5 high school students in Indiana has thought about suicide. We can break this down by gender, sexuality, race, or ethnicity and take a deeper look. If we break it down by sexual orientation, we see a huge disparity. Suicidal ideation occurs in 15% of heterosexual youth, but it occurs in nearly 47% of gay, lesbian and bisexual youth. When it comes to race and ethnicity, we see higher rates of suicidal ideation in Hispanic, African American and multiple-race youth compared to their white counterparts. We want to educate the state of Indiana about these disparities so that we can provide better interventions and preventions in the field of mental health.”
Visit the Indiana Youth Institute on Facebook to learn more about how the organization is promoting the health of minority populations and all youth across Indiana.
Hendricks County Health Partnership
On the county level, the Hendricks County Health Partnership is a grassroots community service organization with a mission to improve the physical, mental and spiritual health of residents. It consists of seven local coalitions that each focus on a specific facet of public health, such as the Physical Activity & Nutrition Coalition, the Mental Health & Wellness Coalition, and the Substance Abuse Task Force.
One of the newer additions is the Minority Health Coalition, which meets the first Thursday of each month to discuss the physical and mental health of the county’s minority populations. When it comes to mental health, the coalition recognizes that members of minority groups face unique barriers to receiving treatment in Hendricks County, as explained by Partnership Coordinator Chase Cotten:
“If you are a member of a minority population in Hendricks County, the lack of intercultural competency is a large barrier. If I’m a Spanish-speaking resident and English is my second language, it’s going to be very difficult to connect with a therapist or counselor if they don’t have any sort of translation services on site. Another example would be the lower income barrier. Maybe I’m an uninsured patient and there are only one or two providers that accept a sliding-scale fee instead of an insurance fee or a standard fee, so my options are very limited. Or let’s say I’m a member of the LGBTQ+ population. Not all providers are affirming of that, so that adds another layer of barrier and stigma that I have to fight through. The ‘why’ behind the coalition is to increase intercultural competency for providers and community members so that everyone has an equitable chance to get the help they deserve.”
Visit the Hendricks County Health Partnership Facebook page to get in touch with the coalitions and see how you can help make a difference in Hendricks County.
2019 Indiana Black and Minority Health Fair & Shalom’s Dr. Dannée Neal Back-to-School Family Health Fair
In celebration of Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, Cummins Behavioral Health Systems will be in attendance at two local events over the weekend!
The first is the 2019 Indiana Black & Minority Health Fair, which is part of the Indiana Black Expo Summer Celebration. The goal of the Health Fair is to raise awareness of chronic disease prevention and treatment among minority populations. To this end, there will be a wide variety of free health screenings available as well as health education, demonstrations and activities!
The 2019 Indiana Black & Minority Health Fair runs from July 18th through the 21st. It’s being held in Halls J and K of the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis. Cummins’ own Michelle Freeman, Director of County Operations for Hendricks and Marion Counties, will be there to answer your mental health questions on Saturday the 20th from 12:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.! Please consult this flyer for additional information.
Also on Saturday, Shalom Health Care Center will be holding its annual Dr. Dannée Neal Back-to-School Family Health Fair. This health fair welcomes more than 3,000 people—including children, their families, and other members of the community—to participate in free health screenings, games and activities. There will also be music and dancing, backpack giveaways in preparation for the new school year, and exhibitions from more than 100 community health partners.
This year’s Dr. Dannée Neal Back-to-School Family Health Fair will be held on Saturday, July 21st at Shalom’s Primary Care Center at 34th Street and Lafayette Road. The fair runs from 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m., and members of the Cummins staff will be in attendance! Please visit Shalom Health Care Center’s website for more information.
This Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, Cummins BHS wants you to know that no one should be ashamed of their mental health struggles, and help is out there! Our health care providers can offer assessments, evaluations and interventions based on your needs.
For more on mental health care for underserved groups, take a look at our recent post for LGBTQ Pride Month!