Introduction
I recently came to know how California and other states have been able to improve the situation of the region’s mental health for children and adolescents through implementing behavioral health equity programs. This policy seeks to ensure that all people have high-quality and affordable healthcare regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, geographical location, or sexual orientation (“Behavioral health equity,” 2023). I was excited to learn about the effectiveness of the policy facilitated by its non-discriminatory nature. Young persons living in this state are given full access to mental support despite the level of income of their families, age, ethnicity, and a person’s place of residence. I recommend implementing the program in Illinois since it addresses the root causes of mental health issues and social determinants of health among young children and adolescents.
Policy Recommendations
Many states have adopted the behavioral health equity approach to help in curbing mental health disparities affecting children and adolescents in the United States. California serves as a great example of the benefit a state can get if it applies the principles of behavioral health equity. Through the California Mental Health Service Act, low-income adults and youth get high-quality mental health care. However, Illinois has been slow to implement such policies, and based on the current problems facing the area, I recommend that immediate actions be taken to solve the problem.
Behavioral mental health policy will seek to serve all children living within the boundaries of Illinois without discriminating based on diverse social backgrounds. The objective of the policy will be to guarantee that the condition of mental health is upgraded since there will be affordable and non-discriminatory care for all individuals. The policy shall be implemented in each county in Illinois.
It will be essential since it shall help eliminate mental health discrepancies in the community. For instance, studies have shown that people of color are more likely to experience mental health problems due to the quality of mental care available to them (Budhwani & De, 2019). The program will be beneficial since it shall help in addressing such disparities. It shall be implemented by creating a special mental services act like the one in California and other states. In addition to the bill, I believe the community can facilitate the policy by creating awareness of mental health challenges and supporting responsible organizations.
Benefits of Implementing the Program
Implementing the proposed behavioral equity program to deal with mental health problems will result in various benefits. The solution will help vulnerable populations, especially adolescents and young children who live in poor neighborhood areas where mental healthcare is not common. Executing the policy has proved to yield positive outcomes before, as a study in California showed that realizing the behavioral equity program results in better mental health outcomes in the State (Castillo et al., 2019). The program seeks to provide preventive care and thus will lead to reduced healthcare costs, freeing mental healthcare providers from the need to provide emergency care. I am sure the policy will have other benefits, which include reduced stigma, increased access to mental healthcare, and culturally competent treatment options by the providers.
Conclusion
The increasing mental healthcare complications among low-income people in our community can be addressed by implementing behavioral equity policies similar to those integrated into the California Mental Health Service Act. The policy helps guide stakeholders into establishing non-discriminatory care, thus resulting in improved healthcare procedures. Executing the program in Illinois will have an immediate impact on the mental state of many low-income individuals who have been neglected for a long time. If this policy recommendation is integrated into mental healthcare, the existing gaps will be bridged, thus better treatment outcomes. I know that realizing this policy will be costly, but the potential benefits far outweigh the costs.
References
Behavioral health equity. (2023). SAMHSA. Web.
Budhwani, H., & De, P. (2019). Perceived stigma in health care settings and the physical and mental health of people of color in the United States. Health Equity, 3(1), 73-80. Web.
Castillo, E. G., Ijadi-Maghsoodi, R., Shadravan, S., Moore, E., Mensah, M. O., Docherty, M., Aguilera Nunez, M. G., Barcelo, N., Goodsmith, N., Halpin, L.E., Morton, I., Mango, J., Montero, A. E., Koushkaki, S. R., Bromley, E., Chung, B., Jones, F., Gabrielian, S., & Wells, K. B. (2019). Community interventions to promote mental health and social equity. Current Psychiatry Reports, 21, 1–14. Web.