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The need for mental health care does not discriminate, but racial and minority groups face different barriers to getting the care they need.Dr. Taft Parsons III is the Chief Psychiatric Officer from CVS Health. He says the baseline concern for the industry is the gap in demand for this help and the number of providers out there able to reach these patients. But he says there are additional hurdles different ethnicities and minority groups face when it comes to getting mental health care.“Some of them are cultural,” Parsons said. “Traditionally within the African American culture, mental health challenges have often been looked at as a spiritual weakness.”He says getting mental health help is also taboo in some Asian cultures. But he says progress was made through the pandemic as people were more comfortable seeking help and talking about struggles.Minority communities have also historically faced income inequality and a lack of adequate medical services where they live. Parsons says there’s also a lack of representation within the industry itself.“For example, in my community, the African American community, less than about 2% identify as African American,” he said.But data shows patients matched with someone who culturally understands where they’re from have a better experience and a better health outcome.Parsons says there is a need now for more therapists and psychiatrists, but the lead time to get people in the field is long. So, they’re now looking to utilize community health workers by giving them skills and resources to take the burden off licensed providers, as well as utilizing telehealth services to reach different areas.But some change can start with all of us, showing empathy to different experiences others face.“Approaching things from that standpoint gives that little bit of extra caring and tenderness that a lot of times people need as they go through their day,” Parsons said.He says CVS Health continues to try and reach people in need of these kinds of services through their Project Health initiative, with a mobile clinic that’s now offering screenings for depression driving into communities.You can find mental health support online through CVS Health or reach out to 211 Maine to find counseling services near you.
The need for mental health care does not discriminate, but racial and minority groups face different barriers to getting the care they need.
Dr. Taft Parsons III is the Chief Psychiatric Officer from CVS Health. He says the baseline concern for the industry is the gap in demand for this help and the number of providers out there able to reach these patients. But he says there are additional hurdles different ethnicities and minority groups face when it comes to getting mental health care.
“Some of them are cultural,” Parsons said. “Traditionally within the African American culture, mental health challenges have often been looked at as a spiritual weakness.”
He says getting mental health help is also taboo in some Asian cultures. But he says progress was made through the pandemic as people were more comfortable seeking help and talking about struggles.
Minority communities have also historically faced income inequality and a lack of adequate medical services where they live. Parsons says there’s also a lack of representation within the industry itself.
“For example, in my community, the African American community, less than about 2% identify as African American,” he said.
But data shows patients matched with someone who culturally understands where they’re from have a better experience and a better health outcome.
Parsons says there is a need now for more therapists and psychiatrists, but the lead time to get people in the field is long. So, they’re now looking to utilize community health workers by giving them skills and resources to take the burden off licensed providers, as well as utilizing telehealth services to reach different areas.
But some change can start with all of us, showing empathy to different experiences others face.
“Approaching things from that standpoint gives that little bit of extra caring and tenderness that a lot of times people need as they go through their day,” Parsons said.
He says CVS Health continues to try and reach people in need of these kinds of services through their Project Health initiative, with a mobile clinic that’s now offering screenings for depression driving into communities.
You can find mental health support online through CVS Health or reach out to 211 Maine to find counseling services near you.
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