Black Americans Face Disparities in Health and Healthcare

Black Americans experience worse health outcomes compared to other Americans, including:

• Developing chronic conditions at earlier ages.
• Being diagnosed with more advanced stages of illness.
• Facing higher death rates for certain conditions.

In addition, Black Americans are less likely to:

• Receive mental health care. When they do, the quality of care is often lower.
• Have health insurance. Even when insured, the coverage is often substandard.

With the holidays upon us, many people experience pressures that can lead to sadness and mental health challenges. At Black Men In America.com, we are committed to educating the Black community about the risks of depression, various cancers, and other health conditions that disproportionately impact our community. To support this mission, we rely on a wide range of information from the health and medical fields, including peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources. Please feel free to use this information and share it with anyone who might benefit from it. Together, we can make a difference.

Gary Johnson – Publisher, Black Men In America.com

Please note that Black Men In America.com is not responsible for the content or services provided by any linked resources. The health, fitness, and nutritional information shared on our platform is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, we encourage you to consult a qualified physician or healthcare professional. Do not disregard, avoid, or delay seeking medical advice based on information you’ve read here. Any use of the information provided is at your own risk.

Health and Mental Health Resources

National Alliance on Mental Health

Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective (BEAM)
Group aimed at removing the barriers that Black people experience getting access to or staying connected with emotional health care and healing through education, training, advocacy and the creative arts.

Black Men Heal
Limited and selective free mental health service opportunities for Black men.

Black Mental Health Alliance — (410) 338-2642
Provides information, resources and a “Find a Therapist” locator to connect with a culturally competent mental health professional.

Black Mental Wellness
Provides access to evidence-based information and resources about mental health and behavioral health topics from a Black perspective, as well as training opportunities for students and professionals.

Black Women’s Health Imperative
Organization advancing health equity and social justice for Black women through policy, advocacy, education, research and leadership development.

Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation
BLHF has launched the COVID-19 Free Virtual Therapy Support Campaign to raise money for mental health services provided by licensed clinicians in our network. Individuals with life-changing stressors and anxiety related to the coronavirus will have the cost for up to five (5) individual sessions defrayed on a first come, first serve basis until all funds are committed or exhausted.

Brother You’re on My Mind  
An initiative launched by Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. and NIMHD to raise awareness of the mental health challenges associated with depression and stress that affect Black men and families. Website offers an online toolkit that provides Omega Psi Phi Fraternity chapters with the materials needed to educate fellow fraternity brothers and community members on depression and stress in Black men.

Ebony’s Mental Health Resources by State
List of Black-owned and focused mental health resources by state as compiled by Ebony magazine.

Melanin and Mental Health
Connects individuals with culturally competent clinicians committed to serving the mental health needs of Black & Latinx/Hispanic communities. Promotes the growth and healing of diverse communities through its website, online directory and events.

Mocha Health
Online community for Black women to seek support.

Ourselves Black
Provides information on promoting mental health and developing positive coping mechanisms through a podcast, online magazine and online discussion groups.

POC Online Classroom
Contains readings on the importance of self care, mental health care, and healing for people of color and within activist movements.

Sista Afya
Organization that provides mental wellness education, resource connection and community support for Black women.

Therapy for Black Girls
Online space dedicated to encouraging the mental wellness of Black women and girls. Offers listing of mental health professionals across the country who provide high quality, culturally competent services to Black women and girls, an informational podcast and an online support community.

The SIWE Project
Non-profit dedicated to promoting mental health awareness throughout the global Black community.

The Steve Fund
Organization focused on supporting the mental health and emotional well-being of young people of color.

Self-Care for People of Color

We recognize that many mental health conditions are being triggered as a result of the coronavirus, the economic crisis and repeated racist incidents and death.

Learn more about mental health conditions including anxiety disorders, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

• Coping with anticipatory grief
• Coping with traumatic stress
• Read about Racial Battle Fatigue

Treatment Directories

• Association of Black Psychologists Directory
• Inclusive Therapists
• Innopsych
• LGBTQ Psychotherapists of Color Directory
• National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network
• Psychology Today Directory of African American Therapists
• Therapy for Black Men

Educational Resources on Racism And Inequality

Understanding the context of racism and recent events

• Video on understanding racism and the reactions to the death of George Floyd and many others
• Video on understanding the perspectives of your colleagues of color
• Article on “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”
• List of Anti-Racism resources

Understanding the context of racial inequality that impacts mental health

• APA Best Practices on working with Black patients
• APA Mental Health Facts for Black Americans (2017)

Understanding and addressing the social determinants of health that impact mental health

• Article on improving the health of Black Americans and the overdue opportunity for social justice
• Video on understanding the social determinants of health and toxic stress
• Video on the social determinants of toxic stress, specifically race and ethnic toxic stress
• APA Stress & Trauma Toolkit for treating Black Americans in a changing political and social environment
• The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Page on Achieving Health Equity — Information about why health equity matters and what you can do to help give everyone a fair shot at being as healthy as they can be.

Ways to Take Action as An Ally or Champion for People of Color

• Article on being a white ally through word, actions and power
• Article on being a white ally for racial justice
• Community based organizations to partner with: Color of Change, Black Lives Matter, Campaign Zero, Innocence Project

Books to Read

• Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Dr. Brittney Cooper
• Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad
• So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
• How To Be An Antiracist by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi
• The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
• The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
• The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century by Grace Lee Boggs
• The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
• White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo, PhD
• When Affirmative Action Was White: An Untold History of Racial Inequality in Twentieth-Century America by Ira Katznelson

Source:  National Alliance on Mental Illness

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