Written by Shar Najafi-Piper, PhD, CEO
While the rich cultural fabric of Phoenix and the surrounding area offers us the benefits of progressive innovation, enhanced problem-solving, and better decision-making, it remains incumbent on us to ensure that racial and ethnic minority equity is fully achieved in healthcare, including mental health access and treatment. Some of the tips that I can share deal directly with increasing that equity.
- Ensure that ethnic diversity among mental healthcare providers matches our diverse population
- Ensure that policy decision-makers are ethnically and racially diverse
- Increase access to resources and services by ensuring that materials and websites are culturally and linguistically appropriate
- Increase mental health benefits for employees, ensuring adequate access to care
- Take deliberate steps to increase outreach to minority groups
- Evaluate policies to remove mental health stigma
- Use social determinants of health and data systems to make mental health policy
We have great mental health resources in Phoenix, but we have an opportunity to promote health equity to better serve our wonderfully diverse culture.
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