The Massachusetts Mental Health Disparities Model for
Young Adults
Ann Capoccia, MSWCoordinator of Interagency Activities
Massachusetts Department of Mental HealthJune 17, 2010
A. An Infrastructure Design for Young Adults in Massachusetts DMH
State Mental Health Planning Council Youth Development Committee Statewide Youth Coordinator Position Statewide Youth Advisory Council Local Youth Councils
B. Disparities in Young Adult Services & Supports MA Young Adult Population “Young Adult Portraits of Culture, Diagnosis &
Mental Health Recovery” documentary (funded by SAMHSA Campaign for Mental Health Recovery grant)
Peer Mentoring• Employment Partnerships• Participatory Research Interns• PhotoVoice Developers• YouTube creations• Speakers Bureau Participants• Cable TV presenters
MA Young Adult Population
Race/Ethnicity Young Adults receiving DMH
Services (3,000)
Total Young Adults in
State of MA (904,466)
African-American 14% 6%
Hispanic/Latino 10% 9%
Asian-American Pacific Islander 3% 5%
Two or More Races 2% 3%
White 68% 71%
Other 4% 6%
C. Young Adult Policy Team – Mission Statement
Photo printed with permission
“We are young adults acting on the opportunity to have our voices heard. As members of the Young Adult Policy Team, we have lived experience of mental health recovery & share our recovery stories. We aim to provide support to each other by building relationships so that we may gain in strength & insight through our different perspectives. We do this so we can advocate for effective systems changes that:
•Hire peer workers throughout the mental health system
•Promote awareness of & access to culturally sensitive services for all young adults & children in MA, and
•Ask people what they want and whether services are providing it.”
Young Adult Policy Participation Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative (Executive
Advisory Council & 7 subcommittees - www.mass.gov/masshealth/childbehavioralhealth )
Young Children’s Council - Executive Office of Health & Human Services (EOHHS)
Council on Recovery & Empowerment (DMH)
Building Bridges Initiative (SAMHSA CMHS)
State Mental Health Planning Council
Next Steps (hopefully...)
“Speaking of Hope: Peers from Multicultural & Young Adult Communities Tell their Recovery Stories”• Grant submitted to SAMHSA’s Campaign for Mental
Health Recovery
• Promote recovery related to mental health, addiction & trauma & change stigmatizing beliefs
• Outreach to multiple ethnic communities of young adults in MA
• Includes peer support & coaching on how to share a recovery story
D. Research, Evaluation, Advocacy & Training Partners Transition to Adulthood – Hewitt B. Clark, PhD & Maryann Davis, PhD
• http://nnyt.fmhi.usf.edu/default.cfm• http://tip.fmhi.usf.edu• http://www.umassmed.edu/cmhsr/TransitionsRTC.aspx
Consumer Quality Initiatives, Inc – Jonathan Delman, JD, MPH, PhD (cand.)• http://www.cqi-mass.org/
The Transformation Center – Deborah Delman• www.transformation-center.org• http://www.transformation-center.org/communities/youth/index.shtml
Peer Mentoring – Kim Bisset, Ed.D., CPRP
Young Adult Parents – Chip Wilder, LICSW
Motivational Interviewing – Steven Andrews, LCSW, LADC, CCS• http://www.hetimaine.org
DMH, Office of Multicultural Affairs – Ed Wang, PsyD• http://www.mass.gov/Eeohhs2/docs/dmh/p_cultural_action_plan.doc