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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RECOGNIZING NATIONAL MINORITY MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH IN COOK COUNTY
WHEREAS, the month of July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, a month-long initiative to bring awareness to the unique mental health struggles of all racial and ethnic minorities across the country; and
WHEREAS, National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month was brought before Congress, to be formally recognized on June 2, 2008, in honor of Bebe Moore Campbell with the goal of bringing forth solutions to the unique mental health struggles of racial and ethnic minorities; and
WHEREAS, in Mental Health America's 2022 state ranking report, Illinois ranked 12th overall which indicates lower prevalence of mental illness and higher rates of access to care; and
WHEREAS, despite Illinois's high overall ranking, according to an article published in BMC Public Health, many minority groups in Illinois have disproportionate differences in access to health care which affects their health-related quality of life; and
WHEREAS, despite experiencing mental health issues at a similar rate to white Americans, only about 1 in 3 Black and Hispanic Americans receive mental health care; and
WHEREAS, poverty level impacts mental health status and improving a person's economic situation reduces their risk of anxiety and depression, as evidenced by Black and Hispanic Americans living below poverty level being twice as likely to report serious psychological distress than Black and Hispanic Americans living over twice the poverty level; and
WHEREAS, Black and Hispanic Americans are overrepresented in poverty compared to population percentage due to inequitable historical practices; and
WHEREAS, according to a systemic review and meta-analysis published in BMC Public Health, racial minorities experienced more stigma than racial majorities for common mental disorders and according to an article published in The Commonwealth Fund, 70% of Black Americans say they hav...
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