20-593 Help Increase Mental Health Awareness in BIPOC and LGBTQ communities
Date: 07/29/20
Connect your patients to the right resources
If your patient is part of the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) or lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (or queer) (LGBTQ) communities and struggles with mental health issues, use the resources in this update to help get them the care they need.
BIPOC and LGBTQ patients
Although rates of mental illness in some BIPOC populations are sometimes comparable or slightly lower than the rates in the white population, BIPOC often experience a disproportionately high burden of disability from mental disorders.1 Many LGBTQ people have reported experiencing stigma and discrimination when accessing health services, leading some individuals to delay necessary health care or forego it altogether.1
To learn more about BIPOC and LGBTQ communities, refer to the 2020 BIPOC Mental Health Month toolkit, developed by Mental Health America (MHA).
You and members have many resources for help
We have many options for you and members to choose from when help is needed.
myStrength program
To help members during this stressful time, myStrength recently released an activity on racism-related stress and mental wellness. In addition, other programs are available that focus on help with opioid use disorder (OUD) and substance use, support in anxiety, chronic pain, depression, stress, and insomnia.
Members can visit bh.mystrength.com/cahealthwellness to sign up online. myStrength.com offers interactive, individually-tailored applications to help members struggling with mental health issues. It is private, safe and secure.
MHN
If a member is ready to get a referral to a mental health professional, please refer them to MHN for a mental health evaluation and treatment. You can call MHN at 1-800-647-7526 or visit MHN online .
1 American Psychiatric Association. Mental Health Disparities: Diverse Populations. (2017). Retrieved 2020, from
www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/cultural-competency/education/mental-health-facts.
Case management
If a member is still not sure on what treatment options would be best for them, or would like to learn more about mental health treatment options, please refer them to California Health & Wellness Plan (CHWP) Behavioral Health Case Management at 1-877-658-0305.
CHWP Community Connect
CHWP Community Connect offers providers the largest online search and referral platform that provides customized results for the communities you and your health care staff serve or where members live. To use the tool:
1 Go to www.cahealthwellness.com.
2 Click on Find Community Resources at the top of the web page.
3 Scroll down the page to the topic Aunt Bertha, enter a ZIP code and click Search.
More resources for your patients
For more information about minority mental health, visit the websites in the table below:
Organization | Websites
|
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) | |
Mental Health America (MHA)
|
|
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Behavioral Health Equity Resources |
|
Additional information
If you have questions regarding the information contained in this update, contact CHWP at 1-877-658-0305.