Culturally Specific Mental Health Services

About the Program

Category: Human Services (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

National and local research has demonstrated that in most communities across the nation, inequities have persisted over time across racial and ethnic groups in both access to behavioral health supports and behavioral health outcomes. In Minnesota, communities of color consistently access supports at lower rates than their White counterparts, and consequentially, communities of color experience mental health challenges at disproportionately higher rates and for longer periods of time. At the root of these disparities, behavioral health systems have historically prioritized funding for, and centered policy design around, westernized approaches to care. More equitable behavioral health systems require both flexible definitions of mental health and integrated, culturally specific models of care. Towards this end, Hennepin County partnered with more than 20 culturally specific mental health providers serving 15 cultural groups across the county in 2022. Nearly all of these providers accessed County funding for the first time through this initiative. As of December 2022, 1,400 residents have newly accessed culturally specific mental health supports through this initiative and more than 19,000 residents have been engaged. Through low-barrier contracting and flexible service designs, new models of care have been seeded and existing culturally specific models have expanded to reach more county residents.