NAMI Announces Expanded Initiative: The Community Health Equity Alliance

Feb 22, 2023

The Community Health Equity Alliance (CHEA) is a mental health equity initiative that joins community-based organizations and thought leaders as collaborators under the shared mission to improve serious mental illness (SMI) care for Black/African Ancestry adults. Established in 2021 by 19 collaborating organizations and Janssen Neuroscience, four coalitions in North Carolina, Texas, Georgia, and California formed to provide tailored programs and resources to improve access to equitable and culturally responsive mental health care for Black/African Ancestry adults living with SMI.

¹ https://www.psychiatry.org/File%20Library/Psychiatrists/Cultural-Competency/Mental-Health-Disparities/Mental-Health-Facts-for-African-Americans.pdf

² https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2020-nsduh-detailed-tables

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) will spearhead CHEA moving forward, supported by a sponsorship from Janssen Neuroscience. We will continue to focus on critical areas, including improving care navigation, elevating crisis mitigation solutions, including 988, and increasing SMI education for Black/African Ancestry adults. These initiatives will be integrated into NAMI’s programs like Sharing Hope and FaithNet.

“NAMI is grateful for the opportunity to advance the importance of equitable mental health care and the sponsorship of Janssen Neuroscience to embrace this important work,” said NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison Jr. “We are committed to eliminating health inequities, ensuring that Black/African Ancestry adults living with serious mental illness have access to timely and effective treatment and care when and where they need it. This work is integral to our overall goal to deliver impact and make a real difference in achieving and sustaining care and improving outcomes for those with serious mental illness.”

“Collaboration by going to community tables has been at the heart of all our efforts in mental health equity, and collectively, we have made meaningful progress in helping to advance solutions to care for Black/African Ancestry adults living with serious mental illness,” said Courtney Billington, Head, Johnson & Johnson Government Affairs, North America. “Yet with that progress, disparities persist and there is so much more work to be done. We are very excited and committed to continue supporting NAMI as they take leadership for the Alliance. They are uniquely positioned to advancing equitable mental healthcare through key initiatives in care navigation, crisis mitigation, and serious mental illness education to help people experiencing mental health issues in need.”

You can learn more about this important work on our CHEA landing page. As this initiative develops, we will add resources and materials. We look forward to serving this community.

Janssen Neuroscience is a proud sponsor of the Community Health Equity Alliance.