Behavioral health and the black community: Why culturally competent care matters

Throughout Black History Month, employers across the U.S. recognized their Black employees and celebrated Black Americans’ historical contributions. Companies hosted guest speakers and facilitate workshops to have meaningful discussions on race, civil rights, and other important topics surrounding Black identity.

Related: BOSS up! Paving the way for future excellence in Black leadership

As employers continue to demonstrate their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the year, it is critical they explore the behavioral health challenges facing Black Americans today – including their employees – and focus on how they can reduce health inequities among their workforces.

COVID, mental health and the Black community

Black Americans experience racial disparities that contribute to unequal access to health, educational, social, and financial resources. The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the deep-rooted health disparities among the Black community. While the pandemic’s impact today may not be as detrimental for Black Americans as its early stages, it continues to disproportionately affect them in terms of the number of cases, deaths, and likelihood of death.

At the same time, we continue to read or hear reports on how devastating the pandemic has been on everyone’s mental health, including Black Americans. In 2021, 16% of Black Americans reported struggling with mental health issues over the past year.

Access to behavioral health care services, like other resources, remains out of reach for many Black Americans and, according to SAMHSA, they often end treatment too soon or don’t receive culturally competent care. However, despite all of this, Black Americans have retained “higher levels of resilience – more optimism and better mental health” in the face of the pandemic, according to the Brookings Institute.

Prevalence of mental health issues and barriers to care

Simply being a member of the Black community can affect a person’s mental health and contribute to behavioral health challenges. Distressing and often traumatizing events, such as inequality, discrimination, systemic racism, violence, and more are commonly experienced and can significantly impact a person’s psychological wellbeing. It can also lead to higher stress levels, increasing the risk of serious medical conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Financial stress and hardship also negatively impacts mental health and, according to Verywell Mind, “increase the chances that an individual will experience serious psychological distress.” Financial insecurity can lead to poor health decisions and behaviors, as people with limited financial resources may be sacrificing nutrient-rich foods, medications, doctor’s visits, and more to stretch their budgets.

These factors, along with the stigma around getting help and not wanting to appear weak, contribute to Black adults not seeking or attaining proper care and treatment for mental health, with only one in three getting the care they need.

The ongoing fight against systemic and individual racism and a history of oppression and violence against the Black community also breeds distrust in the health system, creating even more of a barrier to receiving the needed behavioral health care. The underrepresentation of Black health care professionals compounds the belief that care providers do not have the knowledge, understanding, and overall cultural sensitivity to treat their unique needs and can lead to poorer treatment and health outcomes.

Why does this matter to employers?

The necessity of culturally competent wellbeing programs in the workplace has never been more prevalent, especially for Black employees who might be lacking the support and professional care needed to address these challenges. By implementing culturally competent care and addressing racial disparities impacting employees’ lives and overall wellbeing, employers can lead the U.S. toward more equitable health outcomes.

Behavioral health encompasses how our daily actions, habits, and behaviors are connected and impact our overall wellbeing – including our mental and physical health. Employers have an opportunity and an obligation to not only foster a positive and inclusive workplace culture but to ensure that all people in their workforce – including the benefit-eligible and non-benefit eligible – receive culturally competent behavioral health solutions.

Addressing these issues will not only help your employees but will also produce far-reaching benefits for your organization. According to the Centers for Disease Control, “maintaining a healthier workforce can lower direct costs such as insurance premiums and workers’ compensation claims. It will also positively impact many indirect costs such as absenteeism and worker productivity.”

Equitable behavioral health solutions for employers

Employers can start by identifying and addressing the biological, psychological, and social challenges their employees face that create barriers to achieving total wellbeing. Take the time to measure specific disparities across your workforce and understand your workforce’s unique backgrounds and health needs.

Employers must also promote and communicate the availability of, and how to access, your health plan’s behavioral health and EAP benefits to lessen the stigma of behavioral health disorders. Additionally, you should obtain feedback from employees to make sure the current benefit structure meets the specific needs of your unique employee population, including underrepresented employee groups.

You want to ensure availability to access in-network providers who share the same culture, speak the same language, and are in areas convenient to employees. Tele-behavioral health should also be considered to address network access and availability, as needed. Your health plan’s broader provider network should reflect the diversity of your workforce and the community where they live. Research shows that better outcomes are delivered, in many cases, by this cultural congruence between patient and provider.

Some additional specific behavioral health practices employers can implement right now to help create a culture of wellbeing include encouraging employees to be open and honest about how they’re feeling – and not to be afraid to ask for help. You should also advocate for employees to take breaks and incorporate some movement and activity into the day. Encouraging employees to take a break from watching, reading, or listening to the news and social media can help reduce stress levels and contribute to better mental health.