APA Uses Multiple Strategies To Eliminate MH Disparities
While there have been substantial advances in mental health treatment in recent years, one area in which we still have a lot of work to do is in eliminating the disparities that often characterize the care received by those who are members of racial or ethnic minority groups, are elderly, or live in rural areas.
A large portion of the 46 percent of Americans who suffer from a mental disorder at some point in their lifetime but receive no or inadequate treatment are in one or more of these population groups. Several years ago, in response to a national challenge to help reform and repair the nation's crumbling mental health system, APA unveiled a blueprint for mental health care titled “A Vision for the Mental Health System.” This blueprint includes the principle that mental health care should be patient and family centered, community based, culturally sensitive, and easily accessible without discriminatory administrative or financial barriers or obstacles.
The Office of Minority and National Affairs (OMNA) has responded to the blueprint by developing various strategies to eliminate mental health care disparities and implementing recommendations in APA's “Action Plan to Reduce Mental Health Disparities for Racial and Ethnic Minorities.”
OMNA's mission—to meet the professional needs of minority psychiatrists and improve the quality of care for underserved people—is being fulfilled through new strategic plans under the leadership of Annelle Primm, M.D., M.P.H. Thanks to OMNA staff and APA minority councils, caucuses, and committees, our members are able to expand their reach into communities across the country through new initiatives to increase diversity in the psychiatric workforce; inspire and recognize minority psychiatrists and those from underrepresented groups; and serve as a clearinghouse for information on mental health care disparities.
Here are just a few examples of how OMNA is working on behalf of our members and the communities we serve.
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OMNA's long history of promoting and helping to recruit a culturally competent and diverse psychiatry workforce is evident in numerous programs. These include the Minority Fellowships Program in conjunction with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline Leadership Program, Jeanne Spurlock Congressional Fellowship, Minority Medical Student Summer Mentoring Program, and Summer Externship in Addiction Psychiatry. These programs have supported more than 600 psychiatry residents, fellows, and medical students. OMNA is also working to expand further the pool of psychiatry fellows through the new Minority Fellowship on Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Mental Health, for which it is seeking funding support.
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OMNA teamed up with the Division of Education and Career Development last October to release a dynamic recruitment video that has proven to be a highly effective marketing tool for the field of psychiatry. “Real Psychiatry: Doctors in Action” is a half-hour video that was developed to increase the diversity of the psychiatric workforce and raise awareness about mental health issues in patients from diverse backgrounds (Psychiatric News, January 21). Copies of the video on either DVD or VHS are free and can be ordered by sending an e-mail request to [email protected].
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The OMNA on Tour initiative was launched earlier this year as a series of town-hall-style meetings to inform underserved communities about mental health disparities and their impact on overall health, economic productivity, and societal well-being. The meetings produce collaboration among stakeholder groups in developing local action plans to eliminate mental health disparities. The tour began in Washington, D.C., in January (Psychiatric News, March 4) and will continue later this year with stops in Memphis and the Delaware Valley area.
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Earlier this year OMNA convened a roundtable on racial and ethnic disparities with 25 mental health advocates from government agencies, mental health organizations, and consumer groups to develop recommendations in support of APA's initiative to reduce mental health care disparities among racial and ethnic minorities (Psychiatric News, May 6). This effort yielded recommendations for expanding the role of minorities in mental health research and the publication of best-practice guidelines for mental health services for minority and underrepresented groups. These and other recommendations will be made available in the future on a section of the APA Web site dedicated to OMNA initiatives.
I encourage every APA member to ask: “What can I do to make a difference in these communities?” You can make a difference by, for example, supporting an OMNA event in your community and by volunteering to serve as a mentor to a minority medical student or resident. Members who are black, Asian American, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian, international medical graduates, women, or gay, lesbian, or bisexual may choose to join one of the APA minority caucuses representing the concerns of these groups.
As your Association, we value your ideas, support, and membership!▪
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Published online: 15 July 2005
Published in print: July 15, 2005
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