Theme / Strategic Objective 3 : Increasing Services for Higher-risk Groups
Several community sub-groups are at a higher risk of behavioral health issues due to life stressors and / or access to care issues . While no one in any community is immune to behavioral health or substance misuse challenges , certain populations tend to be more susceptible or have a harder time accessing care .
According to the American Psychiatric Association , “ Racial / ethnic , gender , and sexual minorities often suffer from poor mental health outcomes due to multiple factors including inaccessibility of high quality mental health care services , cultural stigma surrounding mental health care , discrimination , and overall lack of awareness about mental health .” 17
Based on the research conducted for this project , we identified the following community groups deemed at higher risk :
• People experiencing homelessness
• At-risk youth
• First responders
• Individuals of lower socioeconomic status
• Senior citizens
• Migrants
• People of color
• People who identify as LGBTQ
• Incarcerated individuals Note that vulnerable populations cut across all of the communities listed above . 18
A deep dive on some of the more vulnerable populations in Polk County is included below . One item to note is that a group specifically addressing individuals with co-occurring disorders is not included , primarily due to the prevalence of co-occurring disorders . Nearly all participants indicated that this is the norm , rather than the exception , so this lens or assumption should be used to address all efforts moving forward .
17
American Psychiatric Association . Available at https :// www . psychiatry . org / psychiatrists / culturalcompetency / education / mental-health-facts
18
Vulnerable populations include the economically disadvantaged , racial and ethnic minorities , the uninsured , lowincome children , the elderly , the homeless , the HIV / AIDS community ( HIV ), and people with chronic health conditions . It may also include rural residents , who often encounter barriers to accessing healthcare services . Groups at higher-risk for attempted suicide ( e . g ., males over age 45 , Native Americans , youth , trauma survivors , veterans , LGBTQ ( especially individuals identifying as transgender ), people in financial or relationship crisis ). Source : AJMC . Available at
https :// www . ajmc . com / view / nov06-2390ps348-s352
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