National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month: How independent practices can support minority patients

July is National Minority Mental Awareness Health, which recognizes the unique challenges racial and ethnic minority groups face in the United States regarding mental healthcare. In 2020, less than 1 out of every 2 African American adults received mental healthcare. In 2018, Asian Americans were 60% less likely to receive mental health treatment than non-Hispanic White Americans.

Possible barriers to mental healthcare for minority groups can include:

As a medical practice owner, it is crucial to ensure you and your staff assist patients with accessing mental health services — regardless of whether or not you offer them directly. 

We spoke to two independent practice owners, Sarah Bonza, MD of Bonza Health, and Melinda Beavers, MD, PhD of Bloom Pediatric Partners, to get their insights on how you can support the mental health of patients from disadvantaged groups during National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month and beyond.

Here are a few ways your practice can recognize National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month.

“Social media is typically the most effective way to share news from a practice to a community,” Dr. Beavers says. “The reality is that we can no longer rely on in-office visits only to educate and engage with patients.”

You can create posts highlighting the importance of caring for your mental health and how patients can seek help. To save time, you can use this toolkit from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which includes premade graphics that you can share across your social media pages. 

You can also use other avenues to spread awareness. “Other means may include publishing blog posts, email campaigns, or newsletters that talk about minority mental health concerns to raise awareness among practitioners, providers, patients, and their loved ones,” Dr. Bonza says.

In-person or virtual events are great ways to meet with your community beyond an exam room. “We have done a webinar where we talked about mental health during menopause and perimenopause and the available treatment modalities for patients struggling with mental illnesses during the hormonal transition,” Dr. Bonza says. 

If mental health services are not offered at your practice, you can share resources with your patients to seek care — such as contact information for local mental health professionals or materials from reputable health organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), alongside other sources. 

“Psychology Today allows families to filter providers by insurance and mental health conditions to contact them,” Dr. Beavers says. “I have also used the Harvard Developmental Institute to educate people about executive function and ADHD/ADD.”

There are a few ways you can start supporting minority patients in your practice.

Reach out to mental health professionals in your area. They can encourage patients to prioritize their mental health and well-being and seek care. “Consider creating events where mental health providers can interact with minority community members,” Dr. Beavers says.

The social determinants of health (SDOH) are the non-medical factors in a patient’s surrounding environment that can impact their health outcomes — including where they are born, work, live, learn, play, and worship.

According to research, SDOH can influence mental health outcomes, which are independent risk factors for worsened health status and physical illness. 

The SDOH can be a helpful tool when creating mental health programs designed for disadvantaged patients during National Minority Mental Awareness Health. 

“I take into account my patients' socioeconomic standing, education, access to healthcare, living conditions, employment, and support systems when creating plans for them,” Dr. Bonza says. “I need to be realistic for my patients and adjust accordingly to the means they have. You have to be patient-centered with your care plan, and that includes looking into their support systems and background.”

Having stereotypes or prejudices against minority patients can have a significant impact on the patient-provider relationship, potentially affecting a patient’s willingness to get mental healthcare.

“If a provider is not of the same minority, they should be careful of shared and unshared assumptions,” Dr. Beaver says. “These patients can have very different life experiences due to cultural, racial, social, or economic reasons.”

Your practice should be a safe haven where patients from racial and ethnic minority groups feel comfortable sharing their mental health concerns. 

“Providers should provide a judgment-free and safe space for minority patients to open up — not only just for their physical concerns but also what ails them mentally,” Dr. Bonza says. “This includes not overlooking the social background and cultural contexts that may shape the experiences of a minority patient's mental wellness.”

Cultural competence training is one way to prevent or address biases in your practice. Many in-person and virtual programs are available to help your staff become more culturally aware and accommodating to minority patients. 

“It is good to have cultural sensitivity training for your practice so that staff can better understand the mental health challenges that minority groups uniquely face,” Dr. Bonza says. 

Along with training, Dr. Bonza advises practice owners to offer culturally sensitive language translation services and patient education materials. 

National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month aims to spread awareness of the difficulties patients from racial and ethnic groups can face. As an independent practice owner, you can support these patients by giving them the resources and tools to empower them to get mental healthcare.