How to find mental health care in underserved communities
Mental health advocates set aside July to call attention to the shortage of resources and support in minority and underserved communities. This observance has several names: National Minority Mental Health Month; BIPOC Mental Health Month (for Black, Indigenous and People of Color); and Bebe Moore Campbell Mental Health Month.
Campbell, who died of cancer in 2006, was the original impetus for the observance. With her books, “The 72-Hour Hold” and “Sometimes Mommy Gets Angry,” she shed light on her own mental health struggles and the stigma surrounding mental illness in Black and underserved communities, and she was an effective advocate for hope and healing.
Even if you have commercial insurance, finding care for common mental health challenges, such as depression and anxiety, or a mental health crisis isn’t easy, and people living in these communities typically experience longer wait times and a greater shortage of hospital beds.
Now, compound that problem with being unemployed or underemployed, living in a food desert or being housing- and food-insecure.
People of all races and backgrounds who live in underserved communities face common barriers in obtaining treatment for mental illness. As a result, the largest mental health facilities in Illinois are our jails. In other words, in order to get any treatment, some people might have to first be arrested.
Barriers include:
Stigma: There’s an unwillingness among some cultures to recognize mental illness as an illness. It’s often considered a weakness or personal failing, making some people unwilling to seek help.
Knowledge: Mental health treatment is covered under Affordable Care Act policies, but individuals have to know how to sign up for Medicaid. Unfortunately, this is becoming more difficult, and the future of federal Medicaid funding is at risk right now.
Transportation: If someone is lucky enough to find a therapist, do they have the ability to get there?
Time: There are long waiting lists for community-based mental health care in our area. Often, someone has to see a therapist at least three times before getting a referral to a psychiatrist.
Lack of providers: This is a barrier everyone faces. Illinois is trying to address this issue in underserved communities by changing the licensing requirements. Community-based mental health providers can hire graduates without licensure; after several thousand hours of supervised work, they can receive their licensure. This will hopefully open the door to more providers from underrepresented groups.
There are avenues for people in underserved communities to access mental health care and treatment. If you or someone you know is facing these challenges, here are some tips.
Go to a local hospital.
If the hospital doesn’t accept uninsured patients, they will send you to another hospital that has a bed. A good hospital will have a crisis worker to find you a bed and a social worker or finance person who can help start a Medicaid application. If they believe you are a danger to yourself or others, they can institute a 72-hour hold to get you stabilized. Most mental health problems, though, don’t need hospitalization — they need therapy and treatment.
Search for therapists who are employed by hospitals.
More and more health care providers are working for health systems rather than in private practice. If their hospital accepts Medicaid patients, it’s likely a therapist or psychiatrist will, too.
Explore community-based mental health care.
Some Chicago-area resources include:
● Josselyn (josselyn.org), which has suburban locations in Cook and Lake counties. It’s been in operation for 70 years, providing accessible mental health services.
● Thresholds (thresholds.org), which serves people with mental health and addiction disorders, as well as specific populations like veterans and the homeless
● Trilogy (trilogyinc.org), which has locations within the city of Chicago, from Rogers Park to the South Side. Their intake line is (773) 382-4060.
● Community Counseling Centers of Chicago, also called C4, (c4chicago.org), which has four locations across Chicagoland and has been in operation for more than 50 years. Their crisis line is (872) 235-0600.
“Living rooms” connected to these organizations offer drop-in times and are staffed with mental health professionals to get you to the resources you need, or just to give you a safe place to hang out and be supported.
Call 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Counselors are available 24/7 to help with mental health struggles, emotional distress and alcohol or drug use concerns, as well as those who just need someone to talk to.
Contact a Chicago-area “warm line.”
They’re not for crisis situations, but these helplines provide confidential support and information. The Chicago NAMI helpline is available 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends at 833-NAMI-CHI (833-626-4244). Illinois has a warm line at (866) 359-7953 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
There’s also a nationwide NAMI warm line, (800) 950-NAMI (6264), available weekdays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
How do we knock down those barriers? Through open communication and outreach. It takes work, but you can educate yourself about resources and learn how you can help loved ones.
• Bonnie Lane, M.S., is principal consultant with Family Support Services in Northbrook, specializing in supporting families whose loved ones suffer from severe mental illness or substance addiction. Daily Herald readers can contact her at (847) 651-1554 or bonnielane@thefamilysupportservices.com.