Promoting Behavioral Health Equity for African American Children and Families Living in Rural Communities

This webinar is the first in a four-part series of Webinars for 2011 discussing behavioral health issues for children and families in rural areas. The Rural Behavioral Health Webinar Series 2011 is sponsored by the Child, Adolescent and Family Branch, Center for Mental Health Services at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in collaboration with the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, the National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention, the National TA Center for Children's Mental Health at Georgetown University, and the Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health.

This webinar explores the factors that contribute to disparities for African American children and families living in rural communities. It focuses on the successes and challenges of providing behavioral health services and supports and achieving positive health outcomes. The presenters explore the intersection between disparities based on geography with disparities that exist by race and ethnicity. The framework of the 5 A’s – Availability, Accessibility, Affordability, Appropriateness, and Acceptability – is presented to shape a discussion about the various domains of disparities. The presenters discuss effective strategies to address disparities for African American children and families in rural communities. A Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation’s Elimination of Mental Health Disparities grantee from the Black Belt of Alabama shares their strategies to address significant disparities in this rural farming community.