More Reflections

Health Equity Reflection

You have undoubtedly heard the term The Great Resignation, referring to those who have left or are considering leaving their current employer. However, while the stress is high due to the demand that far surpasses the supply, we have an opportunity to think differently about our workplace cultures. Is it the Great Resignation or the Great Re-Evaluation?  We know the issues in community mental health: low wages, high productivity standards, challenging clients, and historically high turnover. While people re-evaluate what it means to work and what works means to them, organizations need to consider how they align their mission and values with how their employees are treated and not just those seeking services. Health equity isn’t realized through poor organizational culture. As behavioral health leaders, let us help the continuum of care re-evaluate how we create a supportive and inclusive workplace culture.

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Monday was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day and for some it is difficult to see beyond their own struggles and experiences of oppression. As we reflect on Dr. King’s advocacy for equality for Black Americans, other’s may feel left out or want to remind others of their own oppression whether that is based on sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, or socioeconomic status. Health equity, diversity, and inclusion means all are valued and belong, however it is important that at times we do focus on certain segments of the population and reflect on the institutionalized injustices that have contributed to health inequities. Focusing on one group’s experience is neither bad nor invalidating of another group’s struggle. Some may feel like that work you are doing is “only for those people”, sometimes we must narrow our focus to make progress. This is a marathon, not a sprint.   

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Finding a solution to any social problem starts with identifying the problem. It can be tempting to decontextualize the problem so much that it becomes separated from the human experience. We can talk about the health inequities in marginalized communities while never taking the time to realize that each community is made up of individual people—human beings with hopes, dreams and unique, lived experiences. An underlying value in a Recovery-Oriented System of Care is a person-centered approach that centers services and supports around the needs, preferences, and strengths of the individual. Once we fully realize our work is about the quality of existence – of every individual – we will find a renewed sense of urgency and motivation to advance health equity. 

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Stop and reflect for a moment—what is the point of language? It is a vehicle to facilitate communication and develop shared understanding. Yet, we often use language to oppress. I am not talking about words that are outright oppressive, but the collective tendency to not be as accepting or welcoming of non-Standard forms of communication. In Teaching to Transgress, the author frames English as the language of oppressors that wiped out native tongue and is continually used to silence marginalized voices. Individuals tend to be judged when they are not using proper English and are often thought to be unintelligent or not having value to add. Think of the time when someone sent an email with the incorrect tense, used a colloquialism, or spoke up in a meeting and used a more casual tone or non-Standard English. Did you have the same level of respect or engagement as when someone uses English that follows standard tone, diction, and grammar? We understand that language is a vehicle to facilitate communication, but when someone’s written or spoken English is not up to our, individual standard their communication may be viewed as less than even though there is shared understanding. Fighting oppression requires us to challenge ourselves to shift our focus to what people are trying to say rather than how they are communicating. 

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This Friday we host the Crisis Academy: Crisis Response for LGBTQ+ Populations and what a timely subject matter given the situation in Texas and other states moving towards LGBTQ discriminatory policies. If you are not aware of what is happening in Texas, you can read about it here. Governmental policies, whether they be overtly discriminatory or not, have potential to have significant effects on the mental health and physical safety for the most vulnerable in society. We live in a global society; LGBTQ youth are seeing what is going on in parts of the country and around the world. The 2021 National Survey on LGBT Youth Mental Health found that 42% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth, 75% of those surveyed reported that they had experienced discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity at least once in their lifetime while half of all LGBTQ youth of color reported discrimination based on their race/ethnicity in the past year. As behavioral health leaders we must continue to learn about the marginalized and center those experiences to inform our policies and practices, but more importantly let us not forget youth in our work – especially those who are most vulnerable – so we can ensure quality and equitable access to care for all Ohioans. If you are not able to join us for tomorrow’s crisis academy, don’t worry – it’s being recorded for later viewing.