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Behavioral Health Equity
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Behavioral health equity is the right of all individuals, regardless of race, age, ethnicity, gender, disability, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, or geographical location, to access high-quality and affordable healthcare services and support.
Behavioral Health Equity Challenge
Behavioral Health Equity Challenge
This challenge allows participants to share their innovative strategies to help underserved racial and ethnic communities access behavioral health service (mental health promotion, substance misuse prevention, and treatments and supports that foster recovery).
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Advancing behavioral health equity means working to ensure that every individual has the opportunity to be as healthy as possible. In conjunction with access to quality services, this involves addressing social determinants of health—such as employment and housing stability, insurance status, proximity to services, and culturally responsive care—all of which have an impact on behavioral health outcomes.
Populations of Focus
Drivers of Behavioral Health Inequities
The conditions in the environment where people are born, live, work, play, worship, age, and thrive affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.
SDOH are grouped into five domains:
- economic stability
- education access and quality
- healthcare access and quality
- neighborhood and built environment
- social and community context.
The SDOH framework recognizes that cross-sectoral systems help advance equity through a lifespan perspective (adapted from Social Determinants of Health: Know What Affects Health, CDC).
The social determinants of health (SDOH) are non-biological factors that influence one’s health status. SDOH contributes to health disparities seen between communities based on race, class, geography, education, healthcare access, and more. It is important to address SDOH as we work to advance behavioral health equity. Learn more about the Healthy People 2030 Framework for SDOH.
Disparities are a particular type of difference that is closely linked to social determinants of health and/or other characteristics historically linked to systemic barriers. Racial and ethnic disparities are difference in health outcomes and access to behavioral health care based on racial background or ethnic heritage.
Equitable access to quality behavioral health services is essential for minimizing behavioral health disparities. It is also important for behavioral health services to be equitable as members of underserved populations walk through the door. Barriers to services are linked to social determinants of health, and include being in an under-resourced geographic area, being uninsured or underinsured, and lacking culturally relevant care.
While English is the primary language of the United States, it is a secondary language for many communities throughout the nation. Limited language access within behavioral health services creates barriers for people and communities with limited English proficiency. In response to language access barriers, OBHE is developing a language access protocol in accordance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VI.
Minority Health Offices in HHS
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Minority Health (OMH)
- Behavioral Health Equity- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
- Health Equity- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Minority Health and Health Equity- U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Office of Extramural Research, Education, and Priority Populations (OEREP)
- Office of Health Equity (OHE)- Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA)
- Office of Minority Health- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
- National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
- Office for Disparities Research and Workforce Diversity (ODWD) - National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)