7.10.24 – July 2024: Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

July 2024: Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

Wednesday, July 10, 2024

Approximately 20% of the US population lives with a mental health condition and approximately 70% of those with a mental health condition belong to the Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) community. While this hotline contains services that all of us can and should use, it will primarily focus on the obstacles faced by our minority members and tools to provide additional support.

Every minority group has its own beliefs and practices regarding mental healthcare. But each group faces the same challenges. Below are some common misconceptions about minority health care that can be heard amongst various minority communities.

Mental Health is a journey, and some moments will be harder than others. But you must never stop advocating for yourself. The mental health field is changing to become more culturally inclusive with space for everyone. Below are some additional resources that can assist you in beginning or maintaining your mental health journey.

Additional Resources:

• APFA EAP: EAP is a great starting point for any flight attendant’s mental health journey. EAP connects you to specially trained, volunteer flight attendants that are available for immediate assistance.  Not only can EAP assist you with immediate mental health concerns, but our EAP benefits through Aetna, also provides 4 therapy sessions at no charge to you. EAP can be reached at 1-833-214-2002 or [email protected].
• Health Insurance: Currently, our insurance at American Airlines, covers various degrees and formats of therapy. For the Core and the Standard option, in-network therapy is covered free of charge. For the Plus and High Value option the applicable co-pay will apply to in-network providers. This includes both telehealth visits as well as office visits. If you seek assistance finding an in-network provider, please reach out to Accolade at 833-346-3929. They also have an online search option within the Accolade app. Please be sure to ask the provider during the scheduling of your session if they are in-network for your insurance carrier, as network guidelines may change.
• Asianmhc.org: The Asian Mental Health Collective specializes in assisting members of the Asian community in locating health care providers. This database allows you to search via insurance, pronouns, location, language, and more.
• Therapyforblackmen.org: With the motto of Strength Still Needs Support, this website attempts to break the stigma of black men/women and therapy. This database allows you to search via insurance, location, and specialties.
• Oneskycenter.org and IHS.gov: With over 574 federally recognized tribal nations and approximately 200 Indigenous languages, these two websites offer databases that are searched by location and tribal affiliation.

In Support and Solidarity,

Jamie Marshall
Ondrea Wallace
Anya Washington
APFA Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee Representatives
[email protected]