Addressing Mental Health Inequities Through the Community Health Equity Alliance

The state of mental healthcare in the US today reminds us that many people with lived experience are struggling to access what should be a basic necessity—equitable healthcare. Bebe Moore Campbell experienced this struggle—as she worked within a system and faced significant barriers as she sought to help her daughter get the mental health support she needed. Through this difficulty, she became empowered to find solutions for not only her and her daughter, but to work to reduce the challenges Black people face when living with mental illness.??

During July, we recognize Bebe Moore Campbell’s legacy through Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month.???

Too many people in the US do not receive the mental health support and care they need—over half of the US adult population in fact—and this unmet need is greater for communities of color. Too often those living with mental illness describe feelings of isolation, hopelessness, and defeat when it comes to navigating the mental healthcare system. While progress has been made in recognizing the inequities Black people in the US face, disparities persist and there is so much more to be done.???

This is explored in a recently-published article titled, Racial Disparities in Mental Health Care: An Explainer and Research Roundup . It details how little progress has been made on the mental health front for populations that have been historically marginalized since the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General issued “Mental Health: Culture, Race, and Ethnicity ,” a report about mental health disparities affecting racial and ethnic minorities, published over 20 years ago.?

That’s exactly why we helped pull together 14 health equity experts in the fields of advocacy- like @mentalhealthamerica and @NAMI- as well as experts from academia, serious mental illness clinical care, and population health to form a strategic Steering Committee, to identify care paradigm gaps and opportunity areas within the Black community. The Community Health Equity Alliance Steering Committee has shaped our approach to partner holistically at the community level.?

Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble , a member of the Community Health Equity Alliance Steering Committee, expertly highlights differences in how mental illness is viewed among communities.??

? “While in white communities often the thinking is that mental illness is medical and genetic, in many communities of color, it’s seen as a failure to thrive or it’s a failure to pray or it’s a personal flaw, or it’s just something that if you change your behaviors, you can get back.”??

We know there is an opportunity here to do better and drive better care for those in need. We also know that for strategies to combat health inequity to be effective, they must deliver solutions that are tailored, intersectoral and multidisciplinary. Often, these solutions encourage the acquisition of knowledge through resources, integration of decision-makers at the community level, and empowerment of those impacted.??

There are many ways we can work together on a national and local level to increase awareness of mental illness, reduce stigma, and provide quality healthcare for those in need. For those with serious mental illness, like schizophrenia and hard-to-treat depression, a comprehensive treatment plan can be very important to an individual’s recovery journey, resiliency, and well-being. Mental health treatment and support services must transform to address the state of mental health and wellness in the US as well as reflect its citizens.??

At Janssen Neuroscience, we are driving change through improved access to culturally responsive care as well as solutions and resources to address key issues impacting care.??

Our actions to eliminate health equity disparities include:??

• Sponsoring the National Alliance for Suicide Prevention 988 Messaging Coalition to assist the roll-out of a new mental health crisis response system to communities and systems of care. Those facing mental health-related distress are too often met with barriers to finding support, services, and help in crisis and non-crisis situations. Additional resources are needed, and we look forward to the continued evolution and growth of 988.??
• Prioritizing a community-based approach to advance mental health equity and solutions for Black adults living with serious mental illness through the Community Health Equity Alliance. The Alliance has established state coalitions that have launched tailored resources created in areas of importance for Black communities, such as systems of care navigation, peer support, and faith-based community engagement. This initiative is unique in that it coalesces collaborators to work together and with Janssen Neuroscience through multidisciplinary coalitions to provide solutions to care for Black adults living with serious mental illness.?
• Amplifying the voices and experiences of those in the LGBTQ+ community living with hard-to-treat depression and providing access to carefully curated information, including directories for support services, through Depression Looks Like Me .??

?As we work to address health inequities at the national, state, and local levels, I call on each of you to use your voices and influence to work to address gaps in mental healthcare. Share stories to increase awareness of #BlackMentalHealth and identify national, state, and engage with local, efforts and programs, like the #CommunityHealthEquityAlliance in North Carolina, Texas, California, and Georgia, to drive change.??

We are making progress, and we will continue pushing in the spirit of equity and for the mental health community.?

#JanssenDEI #MyCompany #MentalHealth #MyCompany