National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to highlight and discuss challenges in accessing and maintaining mental health care for Americans of racial and ethnic minority backgrounds. The bi-partisan recognition of July as the month in which we recognize that not all people have or share the same health care experiences in America, first started in 2008 in celebration of the work of Bebe Moore Campbell. Ms. Campbell was an activist who worked to overcome the various barriers faced by people of minority backgrounds in understanding and accessing mental health care. She later co-founded the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Urban Los Angeles and worked to change the way in which the mental health care system interacts with people of color.

Though National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month was first recognized in 2008, there are still significant differences in the way mental health care is viewed and delivered to people of different backgrounds and experiences. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that in 2022, one in five, or 59 million U.S. adults, were living with a mental illness.

Health care (including mental health) disparities exist across the country, driven by underlying economic, social, and cultural factors.

A closer look reveals that across ethnic groups distinct disparities exist in reporting of mental illness and in receiving treatment. According to Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) in its report on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Mental Health Care found:

“Reports of any mental illness in the past year remain lower among Hispanic, Black, and Asian adults compared to White adults. However, mental illness among people of color may be underdiagnosed due to the lack of culturally sensitive screening tools, coupled with structural barriers to care, with previous research pointing to racial disparities in receipt of mental health services.

“Among adults who report fair or poor mental health, White adults (50 percent) are more likely to say they received mental health services in the past three years compared with Black (39 percent) and Hispanic adults (36 percent). People of color also are more likely to report experiences of racism and discrimination, which are associated with worse mental health and well-being.”

At Myers and Stauffer, we support a variety of governmental agencies and programs dedicated to providing mental health care and overcoming disparities across localities and states. We celebrate the work of Ms. Campbell and invite you to learn more about the challenges facing American of racial and ethnic minority backgrounds and about how we can help your organization in a holistic approach to serving diverse communities.

What the Data Say: Minority Mental Health Experiences and Barriers to Care

KFF reports that cost and scheduling are primary obstacles in seeking mental health care for minority populations and are key factors exacerbating the disparities these populations face. People of color also report that they have the added difficulty of finding providers who can relate to their personal experiences and heritage, as well as the challenges of stigma, shame, and general lack of information.

A story in Medical News Today reports that certain barriers to mental exist for minorities, including racism and discrimination, stigma, and language barriers. Others include:

Costs.
No insurance or underinsurance.
No local or nearby treatment services.
Distrust in the health care system along with real or perceived inequities.

These barriers can mean delays in care or absence of care altogether, which can result in worsening conditions or crises.

A study in the National Library of Medicine found people in racial-ethnic minority groups were 20 percent to 50 percent less likely to seek mental health services, and another 40 percent to 80 percent were more likely to end treatment early compared to others. The study also found that people in racial-ethnic minority groups were more likely to use emergency psychiatric services and to be hospitalized involuntarily. At the same time, they were less likely to pursue regular outpatient care afterward or following care, potentially leading to conditions that were more likely to persist or recur.

How Myers and Stauffer Can Help

The data highlight the challenges facing governmental agencies and programs in improving how mental health is viewed in different segments of the American population. The data further suggest that a multifaceted solution is required to overcome these barriers to address social and cultural stigmas, long-held perceptions of health care, health insurance coverage and costs, and geographical access to services.

In its study, KFF suggests that mental health care may be improved for minority groups by focusing on reducing or eliminating barriers to care, such as diversifying the mental health workforce and providing training on culturally competent care among providers. KFF also cites outreach and education in certain communities as an avenue to raise awareness and reduce stigma.

In the spirit of National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, and the work done by Ms. Campbell, Myers and Stauffer supports overcoming barriers to mental health care by working with governmental agencies to identify the unique challenges facing your communities.

Established in 1977, Myers and Stauffer is a nationally based consulting and certified public accounting firm. For more than 48 years, we have worked exclusively with local, state, and federal government health and human-services agencies to help them accomplish their strategic goals for improved health outcomes for diverse populations.

Our teams work every day on helping states deliver effective and robust behavioral health services, including home and community-based services and clinics that meet people where they are in their own communities. We also provide justice-involved services to support those transitioning from incarceration back to the community.

Moreover, our depth and breadth of experience affords us an uncommon perspective and nuanced understanding of the challenges related to designing, developing, and implementing the solutions our clients need most for their health and human-service programs. Together with our insight into state programs across the nation, we offer a constellation of value-added competencies our clients are unlikely to find elsewhere.

Consulting. We provide a variety of services related to behavioral health, including:
- Evaluation and improvement plans for behavioral health program service delivery.
- Needs assessment of behavioral health provider capacity.
- HCBS rate setting.
- Resource evaluation of state-owned and operated adult behavioral health facilities.
- Waiver services to help states provide more innovative programs that better support behavioral health needs of their states.
Forensic Accounting and Litigation Support.Myers and Stauffer works with many states and their adult protective service agencies to provide forensic accounting analysis of cases suspected of fraud and financial exploitation within a variety of programs, including behavioral health facilities. We conduct investigative forensic analysis to determine if the participants’ personal financial accounts have been compromised and to what extent. And we then support them in court.
Cost Report Audits.We have been auditing cost reports on behalf of state Medicaid agencies for more than four decades. We currently process more than 1,000 cost reports annually for mental/behavioral health-related providers, including community mental health centers, sober homes, and HCBS.
Rate Setting. Myers and Stauffer is a national leader in Medicaid rate setting, technical assistance, and support and have assisted numerous states in rate setting projects involving mental health providers.