The document discusses stigmas that prevent African Americans from seeking mental healthcare. There is a stigma associated with mental illness, some rely too heavily on faith and religion, and a lack of health coverage. The Affordable Care Act is helping to close gaps in access to services by offering insurance coverage. Community programs also provide information on recognizing and treating mental health issues. A proposed intervention would address stigma, religious issues, and lack of insurance through informational sessions, individual counseling, and insurance advice to help motivate African Americans to seek treatment. Limitations include voluntary participation, but the program aims to change stigmas and create a more positive environment.

1. Stigmas Preventing
African Americans From
Seeking Mental
Healthcare

2. Problem
• African Americans are just as much at risk for
mental illness as their white counterparts, yet
receive substantially less treatment, mainly
because they don’t seek services.

4. Root Causes
•There is stigma associated with having a mental
illness
•People can rely too heavily on faith and religion
•Lack of health coverage

5. Normative Model
AFFORADBALE CARE ACT(ACA)
• Currently, the ACA is actively closing the gap between African
Americans and mental health services, by offering insurance coverage
to those who are uninsured & changing the way insurance policies
cover mental health illnesses.

6. Normative Model
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
• Community Conversations, which is a program that provides
information and guidelines on how to conduct a counseling session to
address mental illness in a community. The design of the program
allows those who are participating to have healthy dialogue on how
to recognize and treat mental health within their community.

7. StakeholdersPROGRAM
PARTICPANTS
THE
GOVERNMENT
(CDC)
PASTORS/
COMMUNITY
LEADERS
STAKEHOLDERS

8. Intervention
• Create a comprehensive program that will motivate African
Americans to seek mental health services, by addressing the stigma ,
religious issue and lack of insurance , within the community.
• Phase 1: Informational session( what is mental healthcare/illness )
• Phase 2: Follow up with individual counseling sessions with trained
African Americans psychiatrist
• Phase 3: Bring in insurance reps to advise on how to obtain and or
use insurance as a resource when seeking mental health treatment

9. Limitations & Conclusion
• Limitations: The program is voluntary, therefore stakeholders may
chose to not participate.
• Conclusion :The program will ensure change, it will create a new era
within the African American community, by changing the stigma
that’s associated with mental illness. The national spread of the
program will usher in a more positive environment, where productive
communication can be conducted within the community.

10. References
• Mental Health: Cultural, Race, Ethnicity. (2001). . Office of the
Surgeon General: US Department of Health and Human Services.
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2013).
About us. Retrieved December 5, 2015, from
http://www.samhsa.gov/about-us
• The Kaiser Family Foundation (2013). SUMMARY OF THE AFFORDABLE
CARE ACT