HHS Announces $3 Million to Promote Black Youth Mental Health

Healthcare Innovation

Grantees in eight states are beginning a new three-year project on Black youth mental health. Funding comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Mental Health (OMH) and totals $3 million in grants to eight organizations. The project will identify and evaluate policies that can support Black youth mental health in a variety of settings, such as schools, faith-based organizations, and health and community centers. In 2020, HHS produced a report for Congress that examined the disproportionate risk of suicide among Black youth. “Over the past decade, Black children under age 13 years are twice as likely to die by suicide compared to their white peers,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health Felicia Collins. “With this new initiative, we intend to identify specific policies that exhibit a meaningful impact on mental health for Black youth and to spread the word about these effective policy efforts.”

Spark Extra! Read African American Youth Suicide: Report to Congress.