The city of Atlanta recently announced a partnership with nonprofit Silence the Shame, Inc. to address the mental health disparities in marginalized communities.
Announced on Feb. 18, the partnership will yield a variety of events, including community conversations, self-care activities and wellness seminars, to help reduce stigma around treating mental issues and improve literacy surrounding mental health. The partnership will also help provide increased care.
The latest affiliation is part of Mayor Andre Dickens’ Year of the Youth project. The initiative works to make Atlanta a better place with more equality, particularly for the younger generations.
Silence the Shame will also be one of the first nonprofits to receive the Youth Development Grant Awards this year, a federal award awarded to Atlanta by the U.S. Department of Treasury that funds support for the youth.
“Silence the Shame has already made significant strides in destigmatizing mental health and our Administration is proud to expand this years-long partnership” said Mayor Dickens per a press release. “Together, we will continue our work to ensure Atlanta is a city where mental health resources are accessible to everyone, furthering our mission to build healthy and thriving communities.”
The latest partnership comes as the state continues to suffer from a lack of mental health care. In a report released last year, Forbes Advisor ranked Georgia as the second worst state for mental health care. Per Forbes, approximately 34% of adults diagnosed with a mental health illness could not receive care because of the cost. Approximately 17% are also uninsured while nearly 67% of youth struggling with depression were unable to get medicated.
Georgia also has some of the least centers for mental health treatment, housing only about 10.05 mental health care facilities per every 10,000 businesses.
There are further significant disparities in access to care for Black Georgians, even as they mark higher rates of mental health distress. Overall, they are 20% more likely to suffer from serious mental health issues when compared to other racial and ethnic groups. Issues include depression, anxiety and PTSD in all age groups, including the youth as suicide rates amongst Black children and young adults aged 10 to 24 increased from 22.9% to 36.6% from 2018 and 2021.
The latest partnership will seek to address these higher rates.
“We are thrilled to partner with the City of Atlanta to bring much needed awareness to the 988 Crisis Lifeline in our community,” said the CEO and Founder of Silence The Shame, Shanti Das, per a press release. “Mental health is a vital part of overall well-being, and everyone in the City of Atlanta deserves access to the resources they need to thrive.”
