What is CHEA?
NAMI’s Community Health Equity Alliance (CHEA) envisions a future in which Black/African ancestry and other minoritized communities can easily access culturally responsive mental health support. CHEA empowers communities and individuals with mental health conditions to connect with equitable mental health support through education, partnership, and community-centered solutions. CHEA’s ultimate goals are to provide greater clarity on where to go, what steps to take, and who to contact for help.
Why is CHEA Important?
Mental illness can affect anyone regardless of gender, geography, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, religion, or other aspects of identity. Black/African ancestry adults with lived experience are likely to have less access to culturally responsive mental health support and are more likely to receive poorer quality care when treated, due to racism and systemic disparities.
Black adults are 20% more likely to report serious psychological distress than white adults. More than half (~57%) of U.S. adults with any mental illness do not receive treatment – this unmet need is greater for communities of color. Only 1 in 3 Black adults in need of mental health treatment receive it.
NAMI, in collaboration with CHEA partners, is expanding to new sites and communities and engaging strategic partners to educate, expand, convene, and connect.
Educate: Engage audiences with evidence-based and story-centered resources to promote understanding and provide access to tools for prevention, crisis response, and support.
Expand: Strengthen partnerships and broaden CHEA’s reach to serve as many minoritized and resource-limited communities as possible while maintaining quality and impact.
Convene: Bring together individuals with lived experience, families & caregivers, advocates, and experts to foster dialogue, build trust, and advance equitable mental health care.
Connect: Build on existing linkages to care within communities by amplifying care navigation and connecting people to culturally responsive providers, trusted resources, and timely support.
Resources
Crisis Can’t Wait
Help reduce mental health crises in communities around the country. Download key resources and share them in your churches, colleges, and other community events!
Podcasts and Webinars
Our podcasts and webinars bring community voices together to address barriers to culturally responsive mental health care. Join the conversation and help drive meaningful, community-informed solutions for Black/African ancestry and other minoritized communities.
Our Collaborators
The Community Health Equity Alliance brought together state and local mental health stakeholders in these sites:
NAMI North Carolina
NAMI Los Angeles (California)
NAMI Georgia
NAMI Greater Houston (Texas)
NAMI Illinois
NAMI Keystone Pennsylvania
NAMI Louisiana
NAMI Maryland
NAMI Greater Cleveland (Ohio)
NAMI Colorado
NAMI Connecticut
NAMI Southern Nevada
NAMI Northern Virginia
NAMI Tennessee
NAMI New Jersey
NAMI Indiana
NAMI Mid-Carolina (South Carolina)
NAMI Miami-Dade County (Florida)
Our Strategic Partners
