The west side community outreach pilot project: A mental health outreach initiative in urban communities of color

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn 2017, The Kennedy Forum Illinois partnered with the City of Chicago and community partners to launch the West Side Community Outreach Pilot Project, an initiative designed to bring free mental health trainings to underserved communities on Chicago’s west side. Participants self-selected from one of two broad training categories: an eight-hour Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training or a shorter Mental Health Awareness (MHA) training. Trainings were enhanced with a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) awareness component, which aimed to inform the public of the availability of specially trained law enforcement officers. A combined total of 488 training participants consented to evaluation at baseline (MHA n = 316; MHFA n = 172). For those who reported race and ethnicity, 64% (n = 275) identified as African American, while nearly 20% (n = 92) identified their ethnicity as Latinx. Analyses revealed significant within-subjects improvements for each group in reducing mental health stigma and increasing CIT knowledge. MHFA participants also demonstrated significant improvements in mental health knowledge, self-confidence, and decreased perceptions of difficulties providing aid. These findings highlight the initiative’s ability to engage participants from targeted communities and the potential effectiveness of mental health trainings with racially diverse participants.