On Saturday, July 10, APA will host the first annual Moore Equity in Mental Health 5K to raise funds for the APA Foundation’s Moore Equity in Mental Health Community Grants Initiative. The initiative provides education about the mental health needs of minority youth and supports individuals and organizations that develop and provide culturally sensitive mental health services. July is the Bebe Moore Campbell Minority Mental Health Awareness Month.
“There has been progress in mental health research, policy, and programs, but children, adolescents, and young adults continue to experience poor mental health outcomes, particularly minority and immigrant youth,” said Regina James, M.D., chief of APA’s Division of Diversity and Health Equity and APA deputy medical director. “Youth of color experience additional hurdles, such as lower rates of service utilization and fewer linguistically and culturally appropriate services, and their mental health needs are not adequately met.”
In an APA blog post released earlier this month, James and APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A., pointed out that nearly half of youth aged 13 to 18 will experience a mental disorder. “Joining the 5K is a good way to remind or educate your friends and neighbors about these facts and to help address these problems,” they wrote.
The Moore Equity in Mental Health Community Grants Initiative was established in 2021 by APA’s Division of Diversity and Health Equity in partnership with the APA Foundation. The initiative and the 5K event are named after Bebe Moore Campbell (1950-2006), a best-selling author, journalist, teacher, and mental health advocate whose daughter had mental illness. Moore Campbell worked to raise awareness of the mental health needs of the Black community and other underrepresented communities after navigating a health system that prevented her daughter from getting help and support.
On the day of the event, APA will host a virtual program starting at noon ET. The program will feature guest speakers, including NFL veteran and broadcaster Brandon Marshall, who will discuss the disparities in mental health care and substance use treatment experienced by minority youth. After the virtual program, participants are encouraged to show their support by completing a 5K in their communities.
This year’s inaugural 5K event is supported by donations from Janssen, Eisai, Menninger, Neurocrine Biosciences, Otsuka, Truist, and Austen Riggs Center.
For more information, including instructions on how to register and create an individual or team fundraising page, visit the Moore Equity in Mental Health 5K web page.
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