- Posted
- July 12, 2024
Graphic of the week: National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month and Ohio data shows that Black and Hispanic Ohioans experience more mental distress than the state overall and are also more likely to face challenges in obtaining needed mental health care.
According to 2021 data from the Ohio Medicaid Assessment Survey (OMAS), 12.3% of Hispanic adults in Ohio and 10.7% of Black adults in Ohio reported feeling mentally distressed for 14 or more days over the past month, compared to the overall state rate of 8.2%, as illustrated above. That equals more than 110,000 Black Ohioans and more than 35,000 Hispanic Ohioans reporting frequent mental distress.
Although a large number of Ohioans of color face mental health challenges, many are not getting the care they need. According to OMAS, 11.7% of Hispanic Ohioans (more than 31,000) and 10.2% of Black Ohioans (more than 98,000) had an unmet mental health need in the past 12 months, compared to the state overall (7.5%).
According to the equity profiles included in HPIO’s 2024 Health Value Dashboard, “racism is a primary driver of poor outcomes” experienced by both Black and Latino Ohioans.
The Dashboard found that “Increasing trust and engagement between policymakers and members of Black and Latino communities, increasing provider diversity and cultural humility skill development and providing equitable access to financing and employment opportunities can close gaps in outcomes” for Black and Latino Ohioans.