Education and Training to Address Behavioral Health Disparities-Presentation and Q&A

Video Transcription

Video Summary

Dr. Zui Nguyen, the director of SAMHSA's Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, has presented on education and training to address behavioral health disparities. He discussed the Minority Fellowship Program (MFP), which has been in existence for over 45 years and aims to increase the representation of racial and ethnic minority professionals in the behavioral health workforce. The MFP provides training, stipends, and mentoring to fellows pursuing master's and doctoral degrees in behavioral health fields. Dr. Nguyen emphasized the importance of representation and shared experience in the workforce, as well as the need for diversity within faculties and student bodies. He also discussed the challenges of increasing wages for social workers and other behavioral health providers, highlighting the need for federal and state advocacy and changes to reimbursement rates. Dr. Nguyen stressed the importance of community partnerships and collaboration in addressing behavioral health disparities, and called for a shift towards a values-based system that honors the lived experiences of individuals from underrepresented backgrounds. The presentation also addressed the decline in African-Americans pursuing social work degrees and the efforts being made to understand the factors contributing to this decline. Overall, Dr. Nguyen emphasized the need to increase the diversity of the behavioral health workforce, expand access to education and training, and address the social determinants of health to better serve underserved communities.

Keywords

Dr. Zui Nguyen

SAMHSA

Minority Fellowship Program

behavioral health disparities

diversity

education and training

social workers

reimbursement rates

community partnerships

underrepresented backgrounds

social determinants of health