NJAMHAA-FY23-Annual-Report

SDOH 38 Breaking Barriers in Behavioral Health Care Efforts Continue to Create a Center of Excellence and Explore More Opportunities NJMHI’s Past Initiatives and their Impact Since its inception, NJMHI has focused on breaking barriers to care with its inaugural initiative, the Changing Minds, Advancing Mental Health for Hispanics project, which aimed to enhance resources for New Jersey’s Hispanic communities and the healthcare professionals who are uniquely able to serve them most effectively. The success of this project led to NJMHI’s expanded focus on other minority populations, including Black Americans, Southeast Asians and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) community. To further efforts to eradicate roadblocks to care, NJMHI continued developing the structure for a Center of Excellence (COE) on Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) and Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders (SUD), focused on achieving health equity for all with an emphasis on communities and people of color. The COE’s purpose will be to assist providers in working with their clients to address SDoH, which account for 80 percent of individuals’ health, and achieve health equity in all communities. SDoH include unstable, inadequate and lack of housing; insufficient food and other necessities; and lack of health care, transportation, education and employment. The vision for the COE is to improve health, including mental and behavioral health; increase education, employment and socialization; improve health literacy; and foster the adoption of behaviors that reduce health risks and reduce or eliminate behaviors associated with poor health for vulnerable and marginalized populations. Goals to achieve this vision have been identified in four areas: education and training; supports, resources and technical assistance; networking and partnerships; and policy development. NJMHI is exploring funding opportunities to establish the COE. education & training networking & partnerships policy development supports, resources & technical assistance Goals to achieve COE’s vision to address SDOH Education Health and Health Care Neighborhood and Built Environment Social and Community Context Economic Stability