State Legislative Approaches to Reducing Behavioral Health Disparities 

Join us today, April 10th at 3pm, for the second webinar of National Minority Health month. We’re highlighting state policy approaches to reducing behavioral health disparities.

Behavioral health disparities affect populations such as racial and ethnic minorities who may face greater challenges in accessing care and receiving services that are culturally appropriate. Such disparities in behavioral health care can lead to significant human and financial costs.

State legislatures have adopted various policies aimed at reducing barriers to obtaining behavioral health services and at improving mental and emotional health disparities across population groups. These approaches vary across states and can focus on developing the behavioral health workforce, as well as improving coverage, service availability, affordability, and quality. 

To understand how state legislators address behavioral health challenges and disparities in their states,The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) conducted an analysis of legislation introduced in 2017 related to behavioral health disparities, with guidance and support from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH). The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) is the national bipartisan membership organization dedicated to serving the legislatures of all states, commonwealths, and territories. 

This webinar focuses on the results of the analysis, which were recently published in a policy brief. 

Register for the Webinar

National Minority Health Month Activities

• April 25, 2:00-3:00 pm - #Partner4HealthEquity Twitter Chat 
• April 26, 2:00-3:00 pm - Strategies for Building and Strengthening the Community Health Worker Effort in Your Area: A Case Study from Utah
• April 30, 12:00-1:00 pm - Making the Invisible, Visible: Lessons learned from a Hispanic/Latino Migrant and Seasonal Farm Workers Audience Needs Assessment

Learn More Here