Cultivating Strong, Mutually Beneficial Academic and Community Partnerships to Facilitate Equity in Access to Mental Health Services Among Traditionally Underserved Populations

Depressive disorders are common, particularly among those who are unemployed, with less education and income and public or no insurance. Black and Hispanic adults are 40-60% less likely than Whites to receive treatment and less likely to receive adequate treatment. Black and Hispanic adults are more likely than Whites to receive depression treatment in primary care settings, where antidepressants are the most common form of treatment. However, Black and Hispanic adults are less likely than Whites to be adherent to antidepressants and more likely to hold negative beliefs about antidepressants. It is critical that depression treatments are acceptable among the target population and delivered in an accessible setting by providers that patients trust. Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) are safety net providers of primary, preventive and specialty outpatient healthcare, including mental health/substance abuse, to low-income individuals in underserved communities. Depression treatment integrated into FQHCs facilitates greater access to care and reduces the systemic and psychological barriers that contribute to the treatment disparity among socio-economically disadvantaged, racial/ethnic minority adults. Northwestern University partnered with the Near North Health Services Corporation, a group of eight FQHCs in Chicago, to adapt and pilot test a mindfulness based intervention for underserved adults with depressive symptoms. Northwestern collaborated with Near North, to establish that the mindfulness intervention fit within the healthcare system’s priorities and was feasible for delivery in coordination with the healthcare system. We regularly met to discuss system level mental health needs, gaps in existing services and mutual self-interests. We routinely visited the health centers to learn the organizational and cultural norms of the health centers, develop rapport with the patients and staff and share information on the progress of the research study to the staff via presentations at staff meetings. We developed open communication channels and maintained a flexible and iterative approach to conducting research whereby information was shared to improve the process of conducting research and promote positive clinical outcomes. We worked with the executive leadership team to identify staff appropriate for the M-Body training, trained them and piloted their delivery of the intervention. We additionally solicited feedback from participants individually and in focus groups and invited one participant to serve as a patient advisor. This poster will review the partnership strategies that were employed to explore implementation of a mindfulness intervention within a Chicago health system.