This innovative approach not only improves access to care but also promotes greater engagement and continuity in treatment, ultimately leading to better mental health outcomes for all individuals. Furthermore, increasing funding for community health centers strengthens their ability to offer comprehensive mental health services. Expanding Medicaid in all states is a step towards closing the gap in mental health care access for low-income individuals. In this article, we will delve into the challenges faced by underserved populations in accessing mental health services and explore strategies to enhance access to care. TIS National provides interpreting assistance to enable non-English speakers to access government agencies and services, police and legal services, education, healthcare and community groups, as well as services offered by private businesses.
By normalizing the inclusion of mental health support within routine healthcare visits, individuals are more likely to seek help for mental health concerns without fear of judgment or discrimination. By seamlessly incorporating mental health support within primary care facilities, individuals can receive comprehensive services that address both their physical and emotional well-being in one convenient location. Integrating mental health services into primary care settings not only improves access to care but also promotes a holistic approach to wellness. By providing more opportunities for individuals to receive specialized training in mental health care, we can ensure that there is a sufficient number of qualified professionals to meet the growing demand for services.
Build Inclusive Communities: Supporting Individuals with Diverse Needs
Like other minority groups, including the LGBT community, questioning and queer people are often misunderstood, overlooked, and underrepresented in the health care system and societal institutions (e.g., media). Current and past federal and state funding initiatives do not reflect the need to expand preventative and outreach services led by communities most impacted by systemic barriers to care. Most importantly, to ensure minoritized groups can access treatments built and implemented by individuals in their communities, funding of these programs need to be built into state/federal budgets. For example, Roundfield and Lang (2017) found that trauma-focused cognitive https://www.emdria.org/blog/emdria-members-respond-how-can-the-field-of-emdr-therapy-increase-access-of-care-for-bipoc-individuals/ behavioral therapy (CBT) programs were not sustained for more than a few years in community-based mental health settings due to a lack of funding. Numerous studies have indicated the benefits of implementing culturally-informed care within mental health systems instead of “care as usual” (Garland et al., 2010; Weisz et al., 2012). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), creating accessible mental health resources would mean involving racially and ethnically minoritized individuals at all stages of an intervention including at the implementation stage (CDC, 2023).
Integrating Mental Health Care into Primary Healthcare Settings
To address these gaps, policy initiatives can focus on funding systems that can help with tracking mental health service coordination and outcomes, ensuring funding sustainability for culturally-tailored treatments, and supporting non-traditional professionals and programs to expand the reach of community-based resources. Hay and colleagues (2022) discuss how the lack of access to primary care and community-based services in rural North Carolina affects individuals who live in poverty and note the importance of community partner engagement in assessing health needs and implementing culturally appropriate solutions. Addressing these disparities requires collective action from policymakers, healthcare providers, and communities to ensure equitable access to mental health care for all. The Allan Labor Government continues to invest in mental health support for diverse communities — with $27.2 million for community mental health services supporting organisations such as the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, Cabrini Outreach and Foundation House. Telehealth services have revolutionized the way mental health care is delivered, breaking down barriers to access for individuals in underserved areas.
- One pathway to bridge this treatment gap and enhance access to mental healthcare is through Internet-delivered Cognitive Behavioral Treatments (I-CBT).
- For over 50 years, CRi has been at the forefront of this work, empowering individuals with diverse needs to live full, independent, and meaningful lives within their communities.
- Thus, by examining the legislation and studies analyzing disparities in access, we found gaps that include a lack of systematic data tracking and research, shortcomings in implementation of culturally sensitive evidence-informed treatments, and less funding focus on preventative/outreach services.
Currently, EHR systems (similar to those used in physical health facilities) are not widely used in community-based services with many providers continuing to rely on paper records (Larrison et al., 2018; NCDHHS-b, 2023). Black and Latine people are more likely to receive inpatient services as opposed to community-based outpatient services (Alang & McAlpine, 2019; SAMHSA, 2021). However, substantial disparities continue to be present for communities of color, especially Black and Indigenous populations, which continue to face disproportionate rates of suicide and inaccessibility to care (Cénat, 2020; Stone et al., 2023; Thomeer et al., 2022). However, with this being a more recent law, most funding initiatives have yet to be allocated and some of the initiatives that have been allocated (e.g. expansion of virtual behavioral health services) have yet to receive funding (NC Pandemic Recovery Office-b, n.d.). With these funds, the North Carolina government plans to expand crisis support services, bolster interventions for suicide prevention, purchase electronic health record (EHR) platforms for better integration of physical and behavioral health services, and integrate peer support specialists into more behavioral health settings (NC Pandemic Recovery Office-a, n.d.).
Putting the burden on individuals will “be completely overwhelming” and will cause practitioners to retreat, she said. Coffey urged participants to view addressing the SDH as the responsibility of health systems and of entire teams, not of individual practitioners. BigFoot talked about her conception of self-care and how to “retain our helpers and healers that we have nurtured” and help them to have balance. BigFoot added that creating space and being authentic require people to be vulnerable and uncomfortable, but that is where personal and professional growth comes from.