Olympia promotes minority mental health awareness this month

The Olympia City Council on Tuesday signed a proclamation designating July 2023 as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month.

Olympia joined the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to amplify the "You are not alone" message through its proclamation, focusing on prioritizing mental health and acknowledging the healing value of accepting that "it is okay not to be okay."

Bebe Moore Campbell was an accomplished African-American author, journalist, advocate, NAMI Urban Los Angeles co-founder, and national spokesperson for mental health education and support for individuals with mental illness and their families. Her efforts revolutionized the approach toward mental health and care in underserved communities.

"She recognized and understood the detrimental consequences of silence rooted in stigma. One of the reasons for the lack of mental health care and treatment within communities of color," said Eliana Stockwell-Ferber, Youth and Young Adult Program manager of NAMI Thurston-Mason.

Discrimination, public health crisis

At the Olympia City Council meeting on Tuesday, July 11, 2023, Eliana Stockwell-Ferber, Youth and Young Adult Program manager of NAMI Thurston-Mason …

Stockwell-Ferber said they are aware of the disproportionate impact of mental health conditions on minority populations and are less likely to receive the timely, humane, and effective health care they need.

 "NAMI's statement on racism emphasizes that the effect of discrimination, including racial trauma, on mental health is real and serious," Stockwell-Ferber said.

While anyone can experience the challenges of mental illness, Stockwell-Ferber noted that experiencing discrimination can significantly worsen the symptoms.

"In addition, background and identity can make access to mental health treatment much more difficult for various reasons,” Stockwell-Ferber said. “Racism and discrimination of minorities is public health crisis everywhere, including here, and we stand with all the families, friends, and communities who have experienced trauma."

According to the proclamation, other factors affecting access to treatment by members of the minority groups may include lack of insurance or underinsurance, lack of diverse mental health care providers, the stigma of mental health, language barriers, and distrust of the health care system.

Empowerment and intervention strategies

"Our vision here for NAMI Thurston-Mason, is that we envision a community where all persons affected by mental illness, including substance abuse, receive timely services that they need and that they deserve empowering them and everyone in our community because we are all connected to enjoy a healthy and meaningful life," Stockwell-Ferber said.

Mayor Pro Tem Clark Gilman expressed hope that Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month would provide an opportunity to consider multiple intervention strategies in dealing with a person in a mental health crisis.

"Too often, the way that we try to intervene as a city to gain compliance ends with really negative consequences for the person in crisis,” commented Gilman.

While recognizing the city's ongoing efforts to Reimagine Public Safety, Gilman appealed for an immediate alternative approach so that no people with mental health issues die in the hands of the first responders while Olympia is developing new solutions.