In order to highlight pockets of excellence across the country, the NNED selects a partner organization to highlight once a month. African Communities Public Health Coalition, has been selected as the Partner of the Month for February in celebration of African American History Month.
The African Communities Public Health Coalition (ACPHC) was founded by a focus group representing the faith-based leaders, businesses, service providers, community leaders, organizers, and advocates as a result of the growing suicide incidents in the most African communities in Los Angeles. The urgency, as identified by Department of Mental Health and the communities, to address mental health and wellness in the African immigrants urged the collaboration and the formation of the ACPHC.
The ACPHC develops and implements the mental health education projects for African Communities locally, which became a model to other counties and states for African mental health community engagement. Some of the volunteer board members and consultants are Psychiatric social workers and mental health clinician; provide intense direct clinical and case management at a community setting specifically for African and Caribbean immigrants. As an immigrant based organization, they advocate on behalf of the African consumers, coordinate and assist community members in receiving culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health services.
Some of the programs and services that are currently offered:
- Mental Health Direct Services – The African Coalition is providing mental health services that is culturally specific practice that can be broadly applied to all ethnic groups at community-level, but that has special appeal for individuals of African descent who in many cases have been failed by more generic interventions that do not take into account an individual’s heritage.
- Immigration Services– The Coalition works with culture-based centers (mosques, churches, schools, African-owned businesses/retail shops/restaurants/community centers) that assemble, employ, and provide services to African-born immigrants.
- Outreach and Education – The Coalition developed a culturally and linguistically competent curriculum and conduct Health Education activities to increase awareness and decrease stigma about mental health, physical health and substance abuse in ways that are culturally congruent to the black immigrant community. The program assists communities beyond the core mental health services.
- Leadership Development Program – The African Coalition focuses on Afro-centric, culturally competent leadership development and advocacy, to find new solutions to prevent and reduce persistent health disparities and improve health outcomes of the African immigrants by building social belonging, cohesion and trust Since most attitudinal and behavioral change occur in the context of relationships.
- Keeping Our Lungs Safe (KOLS) – Keeping Our Lungs Safe is a project funded by the California Tobacco Control Program that aims to reduce tobacco-related health disparities among the African/Black communities. The goal is to promote health equity through community education and policy change.
Learn more about the African Communities Public Health Coalition and their goal of prevention, promoting safety, stability, health, and well-being to groups including but not limited too: newly arrived refugees, the elderly, youth in the risk situations, and children.
View a list of previous NNED Partners of the Month.