African Heritage Learning Community

Co-Facilitators:
Regenia Hicks (TA Partnership): rhicks@air.org
Luc Nya (Maine): luc.nya@maine.gov
Larry Brown (Houston, Texas): Larry.Brown@cps.hctx.net

CCAT Liaisons:
Nadia Cayce (TA Partnership): ncayce@ffcmh.org, 609-625-2711
Karen Francis (TA Partnership): kfrancis@air.org, 202-403-5164  

Schedule of Learning Community Calls/Meetings:

These calls take place from 3:00-4:30 EDT, unless otherwise noted.

• May 14, 2008
  Download the notes from this call
• July 16, 2008 (On-site meeting in Nashville at Training Institutes)
  Download the notes from this meeting
• September 17, 2008
• November 19, 2008

Mission Statement:

The African Heritage Learning Community (AHLC) is organized to support the provision of culturally and linguistically competent (CLC) services including evidence based and best practices, along with the opportunity for networking and peer support. The overarching goal is to reduce disparities and contribute to improving outcomes for children, youth, and families within Systems of Care.

Hot Topics:

CNN Special Report: Black in America
This groundbreaking three-part Special Report by Soledad O'Brien investigates the King assassination, the state of black men in America, and the varied experiences of black women and families. The series explores several controversial topics including single parenthood; racial disparities in educational, career, and financial achievement; rates of black male incarceration; and the toll of HIV/AIDS. The CNN Web site features articles, videos, and other resources on all of these topics. This series is not to be missed, so if you were not able to watch the original broadcast, see the rebroadcasting schedule.

Resources:

Evidence-Based Practices and Multicultural Mental Health (PDF)
This resource from NAMI discusses the challenges of using evidence-based practices (EBPs) with diverse populations, describes promising cultural adaptations to EBPs that are being made, explains practice-based evidence (PBE), and offers policy recommendations.

NAMI African American Faith-Based Initiative
The NAMI Multicultural Action Center is currently developing a faith-based African American mental health education program to function as an outreach tool for targeting African American families. Details on this initiative and opportunities to provide input are available on the Web site.

Eliminating Mental Health Disparities
The Eliminating Mental Health Disparities project's mission is to ensure that mental health services and supports are culturally and linguistically competent, and fully accessible by culturally, racially, and ethnically diverse populations. The African Heritage Learning Community is listed as one of their Promising Programs.

2008 JMATE African Heritage Track
The Joint Meeting on Adolescent Treatment Effectiveness (JMATE) is an annual conference with a focus on co-occurring disorders (substance abuse and mental health). The 2008 conference was held March 25-27, 2008 at the Grand Hyatt Washington, Washington, DC. The JMATE theme for this year was Addressing Diversity.  The Technical Assistance Partnership, SAMHSA/CMHS, and the National Alliance of Multi-Ethnic Behavioral Health Associations (NAMBHA) sponsored a track entitled Understanding the Past, Changing the Future: Improving Outcomes for Children Youth and Families of African Descent.  Slide presentations from several sessions, as well as summaries of all sessions from this track, are now available.