Mental Health America Joins Forces witH OMH to Reduce Disparities in Care

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Racial and ethnic minorities make up more of the United States population than ever before, with figures topping 100 million, according to 2006 Census Bureau data. But as our country’s diversity grows, so do disparities in mental health care between minorities and non-Hispanic whites.

The treatment gap is staggering, according to a 2001 report by the Surgeon General “Mental Health: Culture, Race, and Ethnicity.” The overall rate of poverty among racial and ethnic minority groups in the United States is much higher than for whites. And Americans with the lowest socioeconomic status are about two to three times more likely than those with the highest socioeconomic status to experience a mental health condition. Minorities are also significantly less likely to seek or receive high-quality mental health treatment due to stigma, mistrust, cost of care and the nation’s fragmented mental health system.

Last April, Mental Health America entered into a one-year partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health (OMH), the federal agency dedicated to improving the health of racial and ethnic minorities. The partnership was forged to exchange knowledge about mental health disparities, and to share skills and recommendations for eliminating them. Under the agreement, OMH has “loaned” a member of its staff to help Mental Health America develop and implement its own disparities agenda, while Mental Health America provides OMH with community connections and knowledge to develop new policies.

Together, the partnership has developed a powerful mental health disparities agenda and designed a number of projects to promote it.

Self-Assessment

The partnership’s first undertaking was a standard assessment of the knowledge, attitudes, practices and policies of Mental Heath America, and its staff and board of directors. An assessment is considered the first step in building a culturally and linguistically competent organization—especially for organizations that serve diverse populations such as Mental Health America. The findings will determine our agenda and board actions to improve our own internal cultural/linguistic competence.

Disparities Lecture Series

To promote meaningful dialogue about these issues, last year the partnership launched a series of lectures focusing on health disparities. The lectures have attracted affiliates and other like-minded advocacy organizations, and included such presentations as “Ensuring Fair Treatment,” by Phil Wang, M.D., Dr.P.H., Director of the Division of Services and Intervention Research at the National Institute of Mental Health, and “National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health Care” by Guadalupe Pacheco, M.S.W., Special Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health at the Office of Minority Health.

For information on upcoming lectures, contact Antoinette Means at ameans@mentalhealthamerica.net.

Multi-State Meetings

The partnership has also developed a two-part initiative aimed at improving access to culturally competent care in rural and geographically remote areas. Mental Health America will sponsor a March 2008 multi-state policy meeting in Albuquerque, N.M., that will include six state teams of affiliates, rural community members and tribal and state health leaders. The meeting will highlight key concerns about barriers to mental health treatment in rural areas.

Participants will then take home tools and strategies they can use to build innovative models for improving access to appropriate services in their home states. Mental Health America is offering ongoing technical assistance to the state teams and working with them to seek national funding. For more information on the multi-state initiative, contact Julio Fonseca at jfonseca@mentalhealthamerica.net.

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