Three African American Leaders Making an Impact on Mental Health in the Community

February 27, 2019

For the February 2019 African American History Month celebration, SAMHSA recognizes three leaders who have had significant impact on the mental health of their communities and beyond and have been important contributors to SAMHSA’s efforts to advance behavioral health equity for African Americans.

Each of these leaders has had a significant role in SAMHSA’s National Network to Eliminate Disparities in Behavioral Health (NNED). Operated by SAMHSA’s Office of Behavioral Health Equity (OBHE), the NNED is a network of over 1,000 community-based organizations that address the mental health and substance use needs of diverse racial and ethnic communities. The NNED supports information sharing, learning collaboratives, and technical assistance to build prevention and treatment capacity needed to improve behavioral health outcomes. Additionally, OBHE convenes the annual NNEDLearn training meeting. This meeting is designed to assist network organizations in developing the required skills and capacity for implementing selected evidence-based and culturally-adapted prevention and treatment practices.

Altha Stewart, MD, a key member of the NNED since 2009, continues to participate on the NNED Steering Committee. Dr. Stewart is a nationally recognized expert in the public sector, on issues in mental health care for minority populations, and in the effects of trauma and violence on children.

Gayle Porter, PsyD is the co-developer and trainer of the award-winning Prime-Time Sisters Circle with Marilyn Gaston, MD, former assistant surgeon general. Prime-Time Sisters Circle is a theory-driven, empirically supported behavioral health intervention geared for middle-aged African American women.

Howard Stevenson, PhD, professor at the University of Pennsylvania and director of the Racial Empowerment Collaborative and the Forward Promise program, is the developer and trainer of Preventing Long-term Anger and Aggression in Youth (PLAAY). The intervention empowers youth, families and individuals to address the impact of trauma and chronic stress on African American boys.