Expanding Mental Health Care in the Black Community
“Only about 5% of practicing psychologists are Black, and that number is even lower when it comes to those who specialize in pediatric care,” notes The Columbus Dispatch, in exploring the many reasons why some Black people both do not receive and do not seek out mental health care.
This story features Whitney Raglin Bignall, PhD, a psychologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, who works in the hospital’s Linden Primary Care Center, where 75% of patients are Black and 12% are Latino.
“I do understand the mistrust that families of color have in the medical system. The historical evidence for that distrust is clear. But when people in our community see me or other doctors and counselors who look like me, we become a bridge.”