News

There is a mental health crisis in the black community, which calls for improved cultural competency training for all psychiatrists as well as more openness among blacks to talk about these issues, said APA President Altha Stewart, M.D. She spoke on Thursday at a session on mental health at the 48th legislative conference of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF), an organization aimed at advancing the global black community by developing leaders, informing policy, and educating the public.

Cultural competency training is aimed at helping health care providers understand patients’ values, beliefs, and behaviors so they can customize treatment to meet patients’ social, cultural, and linguistic needs. For black Americans, this means becoming more aware of the impact of community stressors and how these factors are contributing to their mental health problems, said panelists at the first-ever CBCF panel devoted to mental health in the black community. These factors include violence and trauma, racism, implicit bias, poverty, and limited access to educational, recreational, and employment opportunities, said Stewart, who is also the director of the Center for Health in Justice Involved Youth at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. “Just being a black person in America can keep you in a constant state of rage,” she said, quoting James Baldwin.

There are only about 2,000 black psychiatrists nationwide, Stewart pointed out. “There are not enough black psychiatrists in America to serve all the black people who need mental health care.” She called for all psychiatrists to become more culturally competent, and for all to encourage young blacks with an interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) to enter the mental health field. “Medicine needs their voice. We need their presence.”

Read more on PsychNews.org.

In order to highlight pockets of excellence across the country, the NNED selects an organization to highlight once a month. White Mountain Apache Behavioral Health Services has been selected as the Partner of the Month for November in celebration of Native American Heritage Month.

The mission of White Mountain Apache Behavioral Health Services (ABHS) is to improve the quality of life for individuals and families who are residing on the Fort Apache Reservation and enrolled members of the White Mountain Apache Tribe. Services are available to Tribal members regardless of their state or federally funded status.

ABHS offers a wide range of services for all age groups, including:

• THRIVE: Birth to Five (0-5 years)
• Child, Adolescent & Family Services (6-18)
  
• STARRS: Successful Traditional Adventurous Respectful Resilient Students (13+)
• Adult Services (18+)
• Parent Empowerment (All ages)
• “Life is Precious” Nowhi’ Ida’ Bagoye’ – Suicide Prevention Services
  
• Emotional, Social & Spiritual Support Services

ABHS services are provided in a timely, respectful, compassionate manner. They seek community input to ensure services are geared toward addressing problems specific to the White Mountain Apache Tribe. They are committed to the development of staff and the development of programs that are innovative, and fiscally responsible to serve the White Mountain Apache Tribe both now and in the future.

Learn more about ABHS’s responsive behavioral health services for the White Mountain Apache Tribe.

View a list of previous NNED Partners of the Month here.

The six-part Preparing for 2019 Open Enrollment series was prepared by HRSA’s ACE TA Center to help agencies assist clients with enrollment and renewals during the 2019 Marketplace Open Enrollment Period, November 1 through December 15, 2018 in most states.

2019 health insurance plans & prices are available for review!

This HIV.gov blog summarizes Part 6 of the Preparing for Open Enrollment series and covers the following:

• Tips for finding out which plans are being offered in your area
• How to find a plan that best meets your clients’ needs
• How to prepare clients for their enrollment appointments
• Open enrollment deadline reminders

Tips for finding out which plans are being offered in your area

In the final days before Open Enrollment, learn more about the Marketplace plans being offered in your area.

How to find a plan that best meets your clients’ needs

If no one is analyzing Marketplace plans in you area, you can preview plans and prices on HealthCare.gov. Then use the ACE TA Center Health Care Plan Selection Worksheet to help your clients find the best plan for their needs.

How to prepare clients for their enrollment appointments

Start scheduling enrollment appointments and help clients gather the information they’ll need for their application.

Open enrollment deadline reminders

2019 Open Enrollment begins on November 1 and ends on December 15 for most states, including those that use HealthCare.gov.

Read more on HIV.gov.

Hispanics/Latinos are the largest minority group in the United States with over 59 million people comprising 18% of the population. However, this growing population’s access to health care is limited by disproportionate rates of underinsurance and underutilization of care, as well as lack of access to providers who speak Spanish and culturally appropriate health services. Even with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, Hispanics remain the group most likely to be uninsured. In 2016, the uninsured rate for Hispanics was 16% compared with 6.3% among non-Hispanic whites, 10.5% among non-Hispanic blacks, and 7.6% among Asians. Hispanics are also more likely to struggle with overall economic adversity and have a lower socioeconomic status than non-Hispanic whites which impacts healthcare coverage even further. Compounded economic and health-related stressors can severely increase daily stress. As a result, research has shown that Hispanics are more vulnerable to the adverse mental health impacts of a cancer diagnosis when compared to non-Hispanic whites.

Cancer in Hispanic populations

Cancer is the leading cause of mortality among Hispanics, accounting for 22% of all deaths. Compared to non-Hispanic whites, Hispanics are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced stages of disease and experience poor quality of life following a cancer diagnosis.

Mental Health Effects of a Cancer Diagnosis

There can be significant psychosocial effects of a cancer diagnosis, especially amongst patients with a pre-existing mental health condition. According to The National Cancer Institute:

• 1 in 3 people with cancer experience mental or emotional distress.
• Hispanics are more vulnerable to adverse mental health impacts due to cancer, when compared to non-Hispanic whites.

For more research articles on the mental health impacts of a cancer diagnosis in Hispanic populations, see this study from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center or this study from the Rutgers Cancer Institute.

Managing the psychosocial effects of cancer can be key to ensuring longer survivorship. Evidence-based psychosocial interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapies that focus on stress management, relaxation skills, coping skills, communication skills and social support have been associated with improved emotional well-being, reduced depressive symptoms, and reduced symptom burden among Hispanic patients diagnosed with breast or prostate cancer. These studies have demonstrated consistent areas of improvement in emotional well-being.

Helping Hispanic Patients Cope with the Psychosocial Effects of a Cancer Diagnosis

When seeking to help patients cope with the psychosocial effects of a cancer diagnosis, it is important that providers consider several important factors. First, faith, spirituality, and family involvement are a large part of the Hispanic community’s cultural beliefs. It is important to recognize that these cultural priorities can provide support to patients and play an integral role when interacting with the Hispanic community. Additionally, mental health providers must be aware of and respect that many Hispanics define family differently than other groups. 

Read more on BHtheChange.org.

The Center for Women and Families is closing its domestic violence and sexual assault emergency shelter, but the move should actually increase the presence of the nonprofit and the reach of its services in Southern Indiana, President and CEO Elizabeth Wessels-Martin said.

“While we have been able to serve many people in shelter over the years, we have been limited by shelter capacity, and we believe this transition will allow us to help more people who may be in danger…,” Wessels-Martin said in a news release.

The shelter, which had 159 residents in 2016 and 153 in 2017, will be phased out beginning Nov. 1 and CWF will begin implementing mobile advocacy.

In an interview, Wessels-Martin explained that running the brick and mortar shelter costs hundreds of thousands of dollars a year when, in reality, most victims do not want to use a shelter.

“We know 75 percent of victims don’t seek out shelter. They say ‘I won’t go to a shelter, I’ll stay in a car before I go to a shelter,’” Wessels-Martin said.

“People think shelter is the only answer and it is not. There are many, many more options for women that leads to self-sufficiency and leads to developing a skill set they haven’t been able to develop because of their situation,” she said.

CWF will provide the same services, including, but not limited to, safety planning, legal advocacy, transportation and counseling, but rather than having clients come to the shelter for those, they’ll offer flexible meeting locations.

Read more on NewsandTribune.com.

Philippine American Foundation for Charities, Inc (PAFC) & Philippine Embassy, convened an inaugural forum on Filipino American Mental Health on October 20, 2018, for a discussion around advancing mental health efforts in the Filipino American community.

The new NNEDshare post shares the initial meeting report, and other resources.  View the NNEDshare post here!

While information is still being processed from the forum to solidify next steps, PAFC has confirmed a partnership with SAMHSA and the Campaign to Change Direction to develop outreach tools around the 5 signs of emotional suffering in the various languages of the Philippines.

Ways you can be involved:

• Submit a photo! Snap a photo of you and/or your community with your hands up to signify you know the five signs of emotional suffering. PFAC will be using these photos for the social media campaign launch and the Campaign to Change Direction website. Submit your photos no later than Friday, November 30th.
  
• Help with materials translation! If you would like to be involved in the translation and development of these materials, contact PFAC president Krystle Canare directly no later than Wednesday, October 31, 2018.

​Visit NNEDshare to learn more and view related resources!