July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

Oakland Community Health Network (OCHN) is helping to promote National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month throughout the month of July. The national month-long observance, organized by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health (OMH), aims to improve access to mental health treatment for multicultural communities through public awareness.

July was designated as the Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month in 2008 by the U.S. House of Representatives. Campbell was a leading African American journalist and novelist, and a national spokesperson for individuals and families affected by mental illness. She died in 2006.

Everyone is touched by mental health regardless of race, culture, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), roughly one in five adults in the U.S. will experience mental illness in a given year. Although mental illness is so prevalent, only 41% of adults in the U.S. receive treatment and racial and ethnic groups in the U.S are even less likely to get help.

Minority communities face specific issues regarding mental health, some of which include:

• Less access to treatment
• Poorer quality of care
• Higher levels of stigma
• Language barriers
• Less likely to receive treatment

These disparities in mental health care often times prevent people from getting the care and treatment that they need. Raising awareness can help to create a more efficient and healthy community where those who need help receive it. OCHN will be showing support through a social media campaign throughout the month of July.

To get involved share the nation-wide hashtag, #MinorityMentalHealth, to show support. More information can be found at www.nami.org.

About OCHN

Oakland Community Health Network is the public mental health system responsible for identifying, influencing, and delivering services and supports to approximately 25,000 Oakland County residents, including individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities, adults with mental illness, children with serious emotional disturbance, and persons with substance use disorders. Most of these individuals have Medicaid.

OCHN’s current network of service providers include: Common Ground, Community Housing Network, Community Living Services, Community Network Services, Easterseals Michigan, Macomb-Oakland Regional Center, Oakland Family Services, Inc., and Training and Treatment Innovations. A complete list of substance use service providers is available on OCHN’s website. For more information about OCHN call (800) 341-2003 or visit www.oaklandchn.org.