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Research shows that people of color are less likely to use mental health services and several barriers can contribute to that. But one local entrepreneur is working to empower the Black community.Ladonna Welch, a military spouse and Caddo Parish teacher, is on a mission. She’s the founder and CEO of the Ebony Notes app.

“At the end of the day, I just want to have a way to support the Black community in a multi-generational way,” Welch said.

Welch struggled with postpartum depression after having her second child. Suffering in silence, she says in the Black community, the topic of mental health is often avoided.

“In our households, we didn’t talk about therapy, we didn’t talk about counseling, it was all about staying strong, hiding your pain, and I think that it plays a big part in the stigma,” she said.

And out of pain, Ebony Notes was born. It’s an app designed to address the challenges associated with accessing traditional resources, something Welch says the community is in desperate need of.

“When I did want to reach out and seek help, one of my criteria, I was looking for someone who looked like me, who had a similar background as me, because I felt like they would be able to relate better, and I was in Colorado Springs at the time and that was something that I could not find,” Welch explained.

The app offers resources like meditation, mental health, and youth services, and delivers daily positive affirmations in a range of categories, tailored to resonate with hurdles faced by the Black community. The app not only won the UPS Small Business Award, securing a grand prize of $25,000, but Welch was also able to participate in Denver Startup Week, an opportunity to share her app with others.

Read more at KSLA.com.

According to the Oklahoma State Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, there were 872 suicides in Oklahoma in 2022. More than 9% of those were identified as Native Americans. That’s the same year the new 988 suicide prevention hotline was rolled out. The department reported the 988 call line received more than 40,000 calls and 10,000 text messages.

The Wichita Affiliated Tribes, located in Anadarko, Oklahoma, coordinated the 988 Mental Health Lifeline Summit which included tribal nations to share stories and resources on how to help those in crisis. The summit included 988 grantees including the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Comanche Nation, Muscogee Creek Nation, Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma, Osage Nation, and Southern Plains Tribal Health Board.

The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration also participated in the conference along with Oklahoma’s 988 call center Solari.

“I just want to thank you all for being here because it is important and it’s important that we get these programs out into our communities,” Terri Parton, President of the Wichita Affiliated Tribes told those in attendance. “Not just Native communities, but all communities, because our families are intermarried and we serve that whole community.”

Parton shared some personal experiences with the audience about family and community members that were lost to suicide. She remembered how a young Wichita girl who worked at the travel plaza she would see every morning before work committed suicide.

Wichita Affiliated Tribes applied for a SAMHSA grant and received it.

“I truly believe that for our tribe that, you know, that was a calling for us to be involved in the SAMHSA grants and to build those programs,” Parton said.

Read more at KOSU.org.

Mental health remains a stigma in society, and especially in cultures where it is often pushed to the side or frowned upon.

According to census data, there is “an increase in poor mental health” within the Hispanic community. Because of that organizations and City leaders introduced a toolkit to break that barrier.

“Pathways to Mental Health” is an interactive, bilingual packet launched in partnership with NAMI Central Texas and the Community Advancement Network (CAN) to provide information and resources to everyone, especially the Latino community.

Austin City Councilmember Vanessa Fuentes, who also chairs CAN, understands all too well how mental health is considered a cultural taboo.

“As a Latina, certainly, you know, growing up, mental health was definitely not talked about,” Fuentes said. “It was certainly like, ‘Oh, it’s all in your head. It’s not a real thing. Toughen up.’ What we’re doing is saying to our Latino community in particular is like, no, it’s ok for us to talk about it.”

The toolkit asks questions and explains mental health. It also provides resources and information surrounding the stigma behind it in several communities. Fuentes hopes people can have conversations and normalize the topic by doing so with family, friends and even colleagues.

Read more at KVUE.com.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) Office of Behavioral Health Equity invites you to join the Behavioral Health Equity Best Practices for African Americans event on Monday, February 5 at 1:30-3:00 pm EST. This dynamic webinar is a collaboration with SAMHSA’s Division of Children and School Mental Health, Mental Health Promotion Branch, Suicide Promotion Branch, and the 988 & Behavioral Health Crisis Coordinating Office.

Behavioral health equity and access to high-quality and affordable healthcare services and support is the right of all individuals, regardless of race, age, ethnicity, gender, ability, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, or geographical location. Advancing behavioral health equity means working to ensure that every individual has the opportunity to be as healthy as possible.

During this virtual Black History Month celebration, participants will learn how collaborations to leverage best practices can advance health equity within African American populations and for underserved communities.

During this webinar, participants will:

• Increase awareness of best practices in health equity for African Americans
• Understand resiliency and the impact of trauma within African American communities
• Learn about the impact of training and capacity building programs for African American providers

The event will also be shared on Facebook Live at fb.com/nned.net and closed captioning will be available through Zoom.

Learn more about the Office of Behavioral Health Equity!

Opening Remarks

Moderator

Speakers

Although preventable, suicide is a serious public health problem in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is a leading cause of death in the U.S. with 45,979 deaths in 2020. That’s about one death every 11 minutes. People of any age, race, ethnicity or sex can experience suicide risk, but certain groups have substantially higher rates of suicide than the general population.

Native Americans and their communities are disproportionately impacted by suicide compared to other racial and ethnic groups, according to the CDC. The CDC says suicide rates decreased 4% among white people between 2019 and 2020. At the same time, suicide rates increased 4% among Black people and 6% among Native people. For Native communities, some contributing factors to suicide include limited access to health care resources, higher unemployment and poverty, and historical trauma.

Nathan Blacksmith is from Sacramento and currently serves as the Chief Traditional Health Officer at the Sacramento Native American Health Center (SNAHC). It’s a non-profit committed to sharing the legacy of a healthy Native community “based on cultural values delivered through a traditional, innovative and accessible patient-centered health home.”

For behavioral health, SNAHC provides integrated care, mental health counseling and treatment, and recovery services.

When it comes to addressing suicide rates for Native communities, Blacksmith says it’s important to recognize “cultural connection for Native people, access to ceremonies and elders, and funding for mental health services for Native populations.”

Read more at ABC10.com.

In support of President Biden’s Unity Agenda efforts to beat the overdose epidemic, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the General Services Administration (GSA) announced new guidance recommending that all federal facilities across the nation include overdose reversal medications in their safety stations on site. The recommendation will make life-saving medications like naloxone more readily available in case of an emergency situation.

“Far too many lives are being lost to overdose. Fortunately, we know what it takes to save people. Safety stations save lives,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “We must continue to do everything we can to make sure the necessary tools are quickly and easily available so anyone can respond to an emergency situation – anytime, anywhere. It’s about empowering everyone to play a role in saving lives when it counts the most.”

“Saving lives is at the very core of the HHS Overdose Prevention Strategy and that’s why it’s so important for federal facilities to have naloxone and other opioid overdose reversal medications readily available,” said Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., HHS Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and the leader of SAMHSA. “Taking this step ensures these lifesaving medications are accessible, and protects the millions of Americans that work in and visit these facilities every year.”

The updated guidelines expand the concept of an automated external defibrillators (AED) program by introducing the “safety station,” which would enable anyone located within a federal facility to access the necessary tools quickly and easily to respond to an emergency situation. Under the new guidance, anywhere that an AED was previously located can and should be converted to a safety station. Each safety station is recommended to include an AED and supporting equipment at a minimum. It is now highly recommended that each station also includes either a bystander-empowered opioid reversal agent or hemorrhagic control component, or both.

Read more at HHS.gov.