Behavioral Health Equity

Behavioral Health Equity

Featured News

SAMHSA Releases Top Health Issues for LGBT Populations Information and Resource Kit. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has just released the Top Health Issues for LGBT Populations Information & Resource Kit. This publication demonstrates SAMHSA's commitment to creating awareness of the needs, experiences, and health status of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans and to addressing behavioral health disparities. The Top Health Issues for LGBT Population Information & Resource Kit is written to inform healthcare providers and prevention specialists about the health experiences of LGBT populations. Download the Top Health Issues for LGBT Populations Information & Resource Kit.

Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU) Students and Presidents Participate in Behavioral Health Institute. In collaboration with the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), SAMHSA's Office of Behavioral Health Equity (OBHE) hosted the Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU) Behavioral Health Institute in Rapid City, SD from March 22-23, 2012. The event focused on the impact of behavioral health on student retention and workforce development. The approach, modeled after SAMHSA's work with the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), engaged TCU presidents and student leaders to develop strategies for expanding campus capacity for behavioral health services and creating and promoting the behavioral health career pipeline for tribal students.

NNEDLearn 2012 Launches 6 New Communities of Practice Based on Community-Selected Interventions. SAMHSA and the National Latino Behavioral Health Association (NLBHA) hosted the National Network to Eliminate Disparities in Behavioral Health's (the NNED's) second annual NNEDLearn on-site training for diverse racial, ethnic, cultural and sexual minority communities and organizations to build skills in evidence-supported and culturally appropriate clinical, consumer, and organizational practices in Santa Ana Pueblo, NM in March 2012. The training model includes 6 months of follow-up coaching to facilitate uptake of the new practices in the community organizations. Read more…

SAMHSA Welcomes New Cohort of Pacific Islander Master Trainer Candidates. In March, SAMHSA and the Pacific Behavioral Health Collaborating Council (PBHCC) launched the Master Trainer Development Program for the Pacific Jurisdictions. This one year training and skill building effort is designed to develop the expertise of a set of Pacific Islander Master Trainer candidates to provide behavioral health training to their Pacific colleagues. Read more…

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Populations of Focus

To find information on behavioral health issues related to selected populations of focus, please follow the links below.



U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities

Outlines goals and actions HHS will take to reduce health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) National Stakeholder Strategy for Achieving Health Equity

Provides a common set of goals and objectives for public and private sector initiatives and partnerships to help racial and ethnic minorities -- and other underserved groups -- reach their full health potential.

The National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities (NPA)

A public-private initiative that seeks to mobilize a nationwide, comprehensive, community-driven, and sustained approach to combating health disparities and to move the nation toward achieving health equity. SAMHSA's Office of Behavioral Health Equity supports the NPA as a member of the Federal Interagency Health Equity Team (FIHET).

  • Federal Interagency Health Equity Team (FIHET) is comprised of Federal leadership for the NPA.
  • Regional Health Equity Councils (RHECs) represent the 10 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regions of the U.S. and provide leadership in addressing health disparity elimination and the social determinants of health.
  • NPA Partners are community and faith-based organizations, professional societies, government agencies, national non-profit organizations, advocacy groups, foundations, corporations, businesses of all sizes, industry groups, colleges and universities from all over the country that seek to raise awareness around heath disparities and promote health equity through supporting the NPA goals.

More about Federal policies, initiatives and executive orders

Last Updated: 04/02/2012