Report 1: An Overview of Opportunities
This report, the first of four, highlights the need for more comprehensive behavioral health data describing the experiences of marginalized racial and ethnic groups. These groups, generally, have worse outcomes in terms of behavioral health than the White population. However, the existing data are not detailed enough to fully address the disparities. This report provides an overview including:
- Data that are needed and currently are not available to better understand issues related to behavioral health in marginalized communities.
- Recommendations to inform initiatives directed at improving systems, policy, and practice that work toward equity in behavioral health in Ohio.
Four partner organizations coalesced in 2022 to conduct this research, including Central State University, the Mental Health & Addiction Advocacy Coalition, Multiethnic Advocates for Cultural Competence, Inc., and Ohio University.
Report 2: Opportunities for the Workforce
This report, the second of four, focuses on Ohio's behavioral health workforce. More specifically, this report analyzes the data that demonstrates that the current behavioral health workforce does not reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of Ohio's population.
The research partners interpreted the findings from their data analysis and reviewed information from a variety of stakeholders to develop a list of recommendations. Increasing racial and ethnic diversity and expanding training around cultural competency for all providers will improve Ohio’s behavioral health outcomes.