Building Healthy Communities: Behavioral Health Initiative
What is Building Healthy Communities: Behavioral Health Initiative?
A program that aims to:
Increase awareness of mental health and reduce mental health stigma in communities of color
Increasing the delivery of culturally competent mental health care among mental health providers
Increasing community advocates and members’ knowledge about mental health and confidence in responding to persons of color with mental health challenges
Enhancing access to a full continuum of culturally appropriate and integrated behavioral services, support, and treatment
Building the success of our works thru the Coalition of Healthy Asian Minds Program (CHAMP) and Training Responders and Individuals to Navigate using Mental Health First Aid (TRAIN-MHFA) in the Chicago areas, we will expand these behavioral health initiatives to suburban Cook County targeting the Arab American, African American, and Latinx communities.
Our Strategic Interventions
Conduct a multi-language media campaign to increase awareness of MH and reduce stigma in communities of color
Provide Project ECHO series for mental health providers to increase the delivery of culturally competent mental health care
Utilize the evidence-based program, Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), and develop cultural supplements to improve CBO staff and community members’ knowledge about mental disorders and their confidence in responding to person of color with mental health challenges
Develop a multi-language mental health resource guide and a mental health referral module in the existing IL Care Continuum (ICC) portal to enhance access to full continuum of mental health services, support and treatment