The Family and Social Services Administration Division of Mental Health & Addiction has awarded a $100,000 grant to Affiliated Service Providers of Indiana Inc.
The funding will increase mental health awareness within the Black, Indigenous, People of Color and Latino-Hispanic communities to help overcome barriers in seeking mental health services, according to a news release from ASPIN.
This will enable ASPIN to enroll 25 members of the community in the agency’s Core Community Health Worker Training Program to increase the number of certified community health workers that will directly serve these populations, reducing stigma and bringing awareness to mental health in a culturally appropriate and relatable way.
ASPIN will focus on recruiting participants from Allen, Cass, Clinton, Elkhart, Jackson, Lake and Marion counties, as these counties currently have a larger population of individuals who are Latinx and/or African American.
Keny Chapman, bilingual program coordinator for ASPIN, said the funding will provide the free community health worker training and certification.
“By training individuals from BIPOC and Hispanic communities, we will help remove the stigma associated with mental health, ultimately increasing access to care by establishing authentic and trusting relationships for and by people that have been historically underserved,” Chapman said.
The funds also will allow ASPIN to develop a five-part webinar series utilizing national speakers focusing on addressing and removing stigma for members of Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino/a/x, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities.
Participants will learn to identify and analyze barriers of cultural stigma in mental health treatment through activities and self-assessments facilitated by a certified trainer.
The purpose is to remove the barriers surrounding mental health treatment through education. The target audience for these webinars is primarily those providing services; however, the content would be of value to anyone with an interest in this topic.
ASPIN is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit behavioral health provider and education network. Incorporated in November 1995, it offers access to clinical providers in more than 50 locations throughout Indiana.
Its mission is to provide innovative educational programs, resource management, program development and network management in collaboration with all health care entities to address health disparities and whole health management.
The workforce development program aligns with ASPIN’s strategic initiatives and performance improvement projects through outreach and education efforts so health care access can be possible for all Hoosiers, including Indiana’s most vulnerable communities.