In an Effort to Reduce Stigma, Community Groups Partner with Colorado Access to Improve BIPOC Mental Health Access
AURORA, Colo. – Developing behavioral health provider communities that reflect the demographics of the communities they serve is essential to change the current mental health trends; it increases engagement with health care providers, addresses health disparities, and ensures equitable access. A 2023 report on mental health professional demographics and statistics in the United States showed that 80.9% of behavioral and mental health professionals identify as white. In addition, a recent Colorado Health Foundation report found that fewer Black and Hispanic Coloradans received support for behavioral health concerns when compared to white Coloradans.
To begin to address these issues, Colorado Access put a request for proposals out to behavioral health providers in early 2024 looking to expand the Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) workforce and increase mental health services to BIPOC communities in the Denver metropolitan area. Two of the four organizations that received funding to increase staff, conduct training, and otherwise expand services were Driven By Our Ambitions and Glow Up Counseling, which offer counseling and mental health services and are deeply rooted in the communities they serve.
Glow Up Counseling, founded by Sheila Hughes— who was born and raised in the Park Hill neighborhood— is focused on meeting the community where they are while eliminating the stigma around mental health. With support from Colorado Access, the counseling center has focused on expanding staff, specifically practitioners of color, and cultural competency training. In a span of six months, Hughes was able to grow her provider staff from one (herself) to six.
“Growing up in Park Hill, I saw firsthand the mistrust my community had towards the medical community,” said Hughes, “There was a perception that you should lean on your faith in times of need, not seek therapy. I’m glad that I can help community members and churchgoers see that faith and therapy can coexist, both can be a part of creating a healthy and supportive environment.”
Through her work in the community, Hughes was able to forge a partnership with the church she grew up in and one that is pivotal in the neighborhood. The church invited her to participate in a panel for members, which allowed them to voice issues they were struggling with and opened the door to further treatment.
“Seeing that the church wanted them to get help was a turning point for some community members,” said Hughes, “It was wonderful to have their support. To have the church where I had so many memories as a child contact me to do a panel, it was like coming full circle.”
Driven By Our Ambitions (DBOA) focuses on supporting inner-city youth and men of color while breaking the stigma associated with mental health services through innovative programs that engage children, teens, and adults of color in the area. In collaboration with the ABC Collective and with support from Colorado Access, DBOA is helping repurpose a space in the former Paris Elementary School in Aurora. The site features a music studio, gym, barbershop, boxing ring, and fashion studio, creating a vibrant community hub for creative expression and personal development.
“We’re reframing what mental health looks like, as well as who should receive it, where they receive it and how they receive it,” said Daniel Sampson, founder and CEO at DBOA.
Sampson stresses how important it is to make everyone involved feel more comfortable and open, and he thinks the best way to do that is to let people be their authentic selves in their authentic settings.
“Representation is important, so when you have someone culturally congruent with you, you may be willing to shed a tear and release some of those deep-rooted pains,” Sampson said. “If that’s in the back of the barbershop, in the weight room, or the music studio, we just add a professional into the fold, and it’s a more authentic, purposeful, and healing counseling session.”
Colorado Access has increased its focus in recent years on addressing the challenges faced by its members in finding culturally responsive behavioral health care. This has included putting funds toward full-time BIPOC clinicians, increasing reimbursement fees for network providers, and adding culturally responsive training to the provider network support, development curriculum and communications. The efforts already underway by DBOA and Glow Up Counseling align with those in place at Colorado Access and provide additional resources to Colorado Access members.
“Driven By Our Ambitions, Glow Up Counseling and other organizations were selected to receive funding because of their approach and commitment to their communities,” said Courtney Holmes, manager of behavioral health at Colorado Access, “These organizations are looking at ways to increase comfort in communities where behavioral health is often stigmatized. Their expertise and insight into how to serve these populations is invaluable and something we are proud to support.”
About Colorado Access
As the largest and most experienced public sector health plan in the state, Colorado Access is a nonprofit organization that works beyond just navigating health services. The company focuses on meeting members’ unique needs by partnering with providers and community organizations to provide better personalized care through measurable results. Their broad and deep view of regional and local systems allows them to stay focused on members’ care while collaborating on measurable and economically sustainable systems that serve them better. Learn more at http://coaccess.com.