Celebrating BIPOC Mental Health Month with Navos changemakers

Part one: A brief history and Navos’ prioritization of equity, diversity and inclusion

“Once my loved ones accepted the diagnosis, healing began for the entire family, but it took too long. It took years. Can’t we, as a nation, begin to speed up that process? We need a national campaign to destigmatize mental illness, especially one targeted toward African Americans . . . It’s not shameful to have a mental illness. Get treatment. Recovery is possible.”
—Bebe Moore Campbell

Celebrated author and activist Bebe Moore Campbell co-founded the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Urban Los Angeles chapter and brought awareness to mental health challenges among BIPOC communities. (BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous and people of color.)

In May 2008, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution recognizing July as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month — known today as BIPOC Mental Health Month — in honor of her commitment to championing effective treatment and open access to services.

At Navos, powered by community support through the MultiCare Behavioral Health Foundation, the values of Bebe and others like her live on in the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee and Navos’ passionate staff.

A committee dedicated to cultural competency

In 2020, Navos’ EDI Committee was reimagined to create a safe space for staff and clients to share and advocate.

“We have facilitated workshops on microaggressions (everyday, often unintentional, interactions that express a prejudiced attitude) and race and had workgroups that focused on updating policies and procedures, (including) best practices for equitable hiring,” says current member Stephanie Bixby, Information Services Clinical Analyst II.

Having a committee that’s focused on advancing cultural competency affords Navos therapists and other mental health professionals the ability to build a safer, more inclusive environment for individuals from diverse backgrounds. What’s more, the committee’s support, education and resources can empower staff to overcome discrepancies in quality of and access to care for BIPOC clients.

Cutting-edge programs and diverse staff

Ravenna Candy, LMHC, MHP, developmental disabilities specialist, has been at Navos for 18 years. She directs several programs — including the Program of Assertive Community Treatment, the Intensive Community Support and Recovery Program, the Older Adult Services and Information System program, the Behavior Support Team and Midway Residential program — and credits King County with furthering EDI work.

“In my experience, if you have a contract with King County, you’re lucky because King County tends to be on the cutting edge of new initiatives and emerging trends,” she explains.

“That’s been wonderful because they provide the trainings for my teams. They also do an internal audit on how well we’re attending to clients’ needs in equity, diversity and inclusion. And they provide a lot of resources and referrals for us to make sure we’re asking the right questions and we’re linking our populations up to exactly what they need.”

Ensuring diversity within her teams is important, as well.

“I have extremely diverse teams, and they’re able to bring their specific, unique strengths to the table,” Ravenna says. “By honoring the diversity of the teams, it helps the teams honor the diversity they have in the client population.”

Read more about the incredible individuals serving King County residents with mental illnesses or Substance Use Disorders in part two.

You can support Navos’ forward-thinking programs with a gift to the MultiCare Behavioral Health Foundation. Your generosity helps ensure everyone has effective treatment and open access to behavioral health services when and where they need them.