July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness about the challenges ethnic and racial minorities face when it comes to mental health care.

The Food and Drug Administration says barriers include a lack of health insurance and less access to treatment.

Lisa Pion-Berlin, president and CEO of Parents Anonymous, which runs both the California and National Parent and Youth Helplines, said society must fight to eliminate the stigma around mental health.

"We don't talk about those things in their families, which may be tied to your cultural values," Pion-Berlin observed. "The history of oppression, where people say, 'If I express a problem, I'm seen as weak and as incapable.'"

She said 80% of callers to the California helpline are people of color. People can call or text the free helpline at 855-427-2736 to be connected with a trained counselor. Or you can live-chat through the websites, CAParentYouthHelpline.org or NationalParentYouthHelpline.org, 24/7. Parents Anonymous also offers free weekly support groups in California.

Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., has called on the feds to finalize a rule proposed last year, requiring insurance companies nationwide to cover mental health and substance use disorders the same way they cover physical health.

Pion-Berlin argued many health plans are woefully inadequate, covering only a few therapy sessions. She added it can be hard to find a therapist who takes insurance because of extremely low reimbursement rates.

"They're saying two-thirds of the people actually experiencing mental health problems are not receiving any treatment, even though insurance companies claim that they have mental health coverage," Pion-Berlin noted.

Federal data show as of 2020, fewer than 50% of African American adults got care for mental health. And in 2018, Asian Americans were 60% less likely to receive mental health treatment than non-Hispanic whites.

Between 2016 and 2023, more than 14,000 Missourians died from drug overdoses, making it the leading cause of death for adults aged 18-44 in the state.

Many drug-abuse prevention organizations across Missouri concur syringe service programs reduce the devastating effect abuse has on the community by providing clean, sterile needles to people who inject drugs, in exchange for used ones.

Marietta Hagan, substance abuse initiative project coordinator for CoxHealth, has worked in substance abuse prevention for eight years, primarily in Stone and Taney counties. She is a strong advocate for the syringe programs in Missouri and talked about the roadblock organizations such as hers face.

"Syringe access programs are not allowed and that is because Missouri drug-paraphernalia laws include sterile syringes as drug paraphernalia," Hagan explained. "Organizations are not allowed to hand them out to people and people who use drugs are not allowed to have them on them."

Studies showed the programs can decrease the incidence of hepatitis C and HIV infections by up to 50% among those who participate.

Research also found syringe service programs are economically beneficial, saving more than $75 million in lifetime HIV treatment costs with an annual investment of just $10 million. Hagan pointed out beyond providing sterile syringes, the programs offer vital resources, including safe drug use information and connections to treatment services for people who need help.

"What they found in global research studies is that people who utilize the syringe access programs, they are five times more likely to enter treatment and three times more likely to stop using drugs altogether," Hagan reported.

A legislative task force meets monthly at the Missouri state Capitol to discuss ways to reduce substance abuse in the state.


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The Coach Beyond program, started by Ohio State University's Life Sports, is making waves across Ohio by helping coaches address more than just the athletic performance of their players.

This week, an upcoming Youth Sports Summit will highlight the importance of the program in fostering mental health and positive team environments.

Samantha Bates, Director of Research for LiFEsports at Ohio State, emphasized how the initiative is equipping coaches with essential skills.

"Coach Beyond has trained 20,000 coaches in the state of Ohio, first on mental health and second, really sport-based positive youth development," Bates outlined. "Things like how to foster a positive team environment, how to develop yourself as a leader, how to ask for support, working with coaches to help make sport a place for kids to kind of go beyond."

The program aims to reshape the role of coaches, encouraging them to take an active part in the emotional and psychological well-being of their players. This holistic approach is particularly relevant in today's competitive sports environment, where athletes often face intense pressure.

Bates noted a grant from the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services has allowed the training to be available for free for coaches in any youth sport system in Ohio such as through Parks and Rec, YMCA and other clubs.

Joe Roberts, athletic director for Princeton City Schools in Cincinnati, shared his firsthand experience with the program's effect on student athletes, recounting a specific instance where Coach Beyond brought new perspectives into his school, leading to meaningful changes in its athletic culture.

"Listening to how our student athletes want more connection and less pressure meant so much to me," Roberts explained. "Because it brought back the essence of what high school sports are about."

Randy Tevepaugh, athletic administrator and coach at Streetsboro High School who has gone through the program, noted how the training sessions have provided him with new tools to create a more supportive environment for his team. He said the significant role the strategies play in developing not only better athletes but better people.

"I learned about some things that I didn't know about the coaches, some things that they had gone through with kids that thought about suicide and had some emotional things going on, that our coaches handled," Tevepaugh recounted. "From our student athlete perspective, when they're doing some of the interaction part of the program, it made a big difference."

As the upcoming event approaches, the Coach Beyond program continues to gain traction, with more schools across Ohio taking part. The initiative may mark a shift in how sports programs address the mental health needs of young athletes. As more coaches are trained to look beyond the game, the long-term effect on student athletes could redefine the landscape of high school sports across the state.

As the school year begins, experts are advising schools on how to preserve students' mental health but politics in states such as Wyoming limit policies that could help.

The youth suicide rate in Wyoming is increasing and has led the national rate for at least the past decade, according to Wyoming Department of Health data. Experts said K-12 schools can be good points of contact for student mental health but there are barriers for schools.

Rep. Dan Zwonitzer, R-Cheyenne, is on the state's Mental Health Task Force and said suicide prevention and mental health treatment can be challenging in rural areas.

"Just due to our lack of population and the rural nature, it's really tough to recruit and find individuals in this space to come in and work with the kids in many of our areas," Zwonitzer pointed out.

He and other members of the state Legislature tried to change it this year with House Bill 119, which would have made funding available for school districts to supply additional mental health providers for students. In a break from typical practice for interim session bills, it was voted down for introduction to the House.

Gov. Mark Gordon has prioritized the expansion of mental health services while in office. But Zwonitzer pointed out there is a lot of ideological diversity across the state.

"There's just a large segment of Wyoming, at least in their legislative representatives, don't believe that we need to be spending more money for the schools to deal with mental health challenges; that should be in the churches or nonprofits or within the family," Zwonitzer explained.

Zwonitzer and experts agreed schools are a critical place to identify student mental health problems or patterns.

A school checklist from the mental health advocacy organization Inseparable includes age-appropriate mental health education for students, engagement with families and community partners and a recommended professional ratio of one social worker and one counselor for every 250 students.

Caitlin Hochul, vice president of public policy for Inseparable, said schools provide the best opportunity to reach students in need of help.

"When we talk about access issues, we know that most kids are not receiving the care that they need. Schools are such a critical component to improving youth mental health because that is where students spend most of their time."