A conversation with Black Mental Health Alliance
Cencora is committed to expanding access to healthcare around the world, and we work with many organizations that are focused on addressing the unique needs of underserved groups. Through partnership and support, we’re able to make a difference in communities where barriers to care are more prevalent.
This important work sits at the intersection of several teams at Cencora, including Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG); the Cencora Impact Foundation; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI); and our employee resource groups (ERGs). We all work together to leverage our global scale and expertise so we can empower our partners to do more for the people they serve, which in turn helps us pursue our purpose to create healthier futures.
An outstanding example of this is our relationship with the Black Mental Health Alliance (BMHA) , an organization dedicated to supporting the health and well-being of Black people and their communities. To dive deeper into how our purpose aligns with the mission of BMHA, we invited Amber Huff, a member of our BOND ERG (Black Organization for Networking & Development), to interview a representative from the organization. Keep reading to learn more about BMHA and how we’re working together to ensure Black people have access to culturally competent mental health services.
BMHA: BMHA was originally founded in 1983 (yes, we just turned 40!) by two seasoned mental health professionals and social visionaries who devoted their careers to the mental health needs of communities of color.
The founders — Maxie T. Collier, M.D., a private practice psychiatrist and Baltimore’s first Black Health Commissioner from 1987 to 1990, and Fikre Workneh, MSW, a social worker originally from Ethiopia who worked with Veterans — were frustrated by the entrenched, life-threatening health disparities among Black residents of Baltimore City, including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, violence, and suicide.
Dr. Collier and Mr. Workneh were [then] joined by Senator Shirley Nathan-Pulliam, RN. They observed widespread misdiagnoses by practitioners and a lingering stigma towards mental health treatment in the Black community that kept individuals with mental illness from seeking care.
They concluded that culturally competent mental health providers were scarce, and that increased training would help grow this pool. Originally, the focus was educating Baltimore City practitioners and impacted communities. Interest quickly grew and BMHA expanded its reach to Washington, D.C. and Virginia. To date, BMHA has expanded its reach outside of Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia, and it has provided training and hosted community conversations and healing circles throughout the U.S. and other countries in communities of color [through video conferencing].
Through BMHA’s expansive database of culturally and patient-centered licensed mental health professionals, we are able to offer confidential referrals for those seeking mental health services and provide culturally specific training.
BMHA’s resource and referral has provided support to individuals in Lagos Island, Lagos, Kampala, Uganda, Neckarsulm, Germany, Cambridge, Ontario, and France. BMHA has received thousands of referrals over the last years, [which is] significant is because BMHA has been intentional in our efforts to provide meaningful, engaging, and empowering monthly programming educating Black people — and to do so unapologetically.
BMHA: Trying to balance awareness and action is often difficult since many mental health issues associated with Black people stem from systemic racism and ongoing trauma. We believe we have a responsibility to the global Black community to share the root of black trauma. After the Baltimore Uprising in 2015 (Freddie Gray), BMHA reignited its commitment to community healing. Since then, BMHA has been purposeful in bringing the community together to re-examine and reaffirm, as well as provide parents, caregivers, educators, community leaders, and mental health providers with life-giving, life-saving resilience and healing adaptation practices and rituals that will promote the optimal valuing of Black children and young adults.
BMHA: The Cencora Impact Foundation’s generous donation allows BMHA to continue hosting critical community rap sessions [called] SAWUBONA Circles. SAWUBONA is a Swahili greeting [meaning], “I see you.”
The sessions are an attempt to introduce and elevate the meaning of SAWUBONA, as well as [provide education about] how this concept can provide an open healing circle for people to discuss and reflect on important matters. Often, the circumstances of our lives, particularly that of Black people and other people of color, have the ability to leave us feeling ignored, less than, overlooked, and often pathologized. However, there is truly a counter-narrative to these circumstances — a counter-narrative that honors folks' humanity. Before we honor peoples’ humanity, we must "see them" and all the many dimensions of their lives. This includes who they descend from and who descends from them, such as their children. The donation helps us amplify the counter-narrative.
By embracing SAWUBONA, we see the humanity of the people [affected by those circumstances] and we journey together towards healing — not just during the actual session, but beyond that. It is our ultimate goal to provide this space in which people learn the concepts of SAWUBONA, are able to activate their voice and choice, and are able to fill in the blanks for themselves using the strengths that are already within.
BMHA: For 40 years, the mission of the Black Mental Health Alliance has been to develop, promote, and sponsor trusted culturally relevant educational forums, trainings, and referral services that support the health and well-being of Black people and vulnerable communities. Today, we remain committed to our mission.
Formerly known as the AmerisourceBergen Foundation, the Cencora Impact Foundation is an independent, not-for-profit charitable giving organization, with a mission to improve the health and well-being of patient populations – both human and animal. Through partnerships, projects, and grants, we work together with nonprofit organizations to advance access to healthcare around the world.
This important work sits at the intersection of several teams at Cencora, including Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG); the Cencora Impact Foundation; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI); and our employee resource groups (ERGs). We all work together to leverage our global scale and expertise so we can empower our partners to do more for the people they serve, which in turn helps us pursue our purpose to create healthier futures.
An outstanding example of this is our relationship with the Black Mental Health Alliance (BMHA) , an organization dedicated to supporting the health and well-being of Black people and their communities. To dive deeper into how our purpose aligns with the mission of BMHA, we invited Amber Huff, a member of our BOND ERG (Black Organization for Networking & Development), to interview a representative from the organization. Keep reading to learn more about BMHA and how we’re working together to ensure Black people have access to culturally competent mental health services.
AH: What is BMHA's reach and footprint in our communities, and how were those created?
BMHA: BMHA was originally founded in 1983 (yes, we just turned 40!) by two seasoned mental health professionals and social visionaries who devoted their careers to the mental health needs of communities of color.
The founders — Maxie T. Collier, M.D., a private practice psychiatrist and Baltimore’s first Black Health Commissioner from 1987 to 1990, and Fikre Workneh, MSW, a social worker originally from Ethiopia who worked with Veterans — were frustrated by the entrenched, life-threatening health disparities among Black residents of Baltimore City, including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, violence, and suicide.
Dr. Collier and Mr. Workneh were [then] joined by Senator Shirley Nathan-Pulliam, RN. They observed widespread misdiagnoses by practitioners and a lingering stigma towards mental health treatment in the Black community that kept individuals with mental illness from seeking care.
They concluded that culturally competent mental health providers were scarce, and that increased training would help grow this pool. Originally, the focus was educating Baltimore City practitioners and impacted communities. Interest quickly grew and BMHA expanded its reach to Washington, D.C. and Virginia. To date, BMHA has expanded its reach outside of Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia, and it has provided training and hosted community conversations and healing circles throughout the U.S. and other countries in communities of color [through video conferencing].
Through BMHA’s expansive database of culturally and patient-centered licensed mental health professionals, we are able to offer confidential referrals for those seeking mental health services and provide culturally specific training.
BMHA’s resource and referral has provided support to individuals in Lagos Island, Lagos, Kampala, Uganda, Neckarsulm, Germany, Cambridge, Ontario, and France. BMHA has received thousands of referrals over the last years, [which is] significant is because BMHA has been intentional in our efforts to provide meaningful, engaging, and empowering monthly programming educating Black people — and to do so unapologetically.
AH: How does BMHA balance awareness and action?
BMHA: Trying to balance awareness and action is often difficult since many mental health issues associated with Black people stem from systemic racism and ongoing trauma. We believe we have a responsibility to the global Black community to share the root of black trauma. After the Baltimore Uprising in 2015 (Freddie Gray), BMHA reignited its commitment to community healing. Since then, BMHA has been purposeful in bringing the community together to re-examine and reaffirm, as well as provide parents, caregivers, educators, community leaders, and mental health providers with life-giving, life-saving resilience and healing adaptation practices and rituals that will promote the optimal valuing of Black children and young adults.
AH: What does recognition and support from Cencora Impact Foundation mean to you and your organization?
BMHA: The Cencora Impact Foundation’s generous donation allows BMHA to continue hosting critical community rap sessions [called] SAWUBONA Circles. SAWUBONA is a Swahili greeting [meaning], “I see you.”
The sessions are an attempt to introduce and elevate the meaning of SAWUBONA, as well as [provide education about] how this concept can provide an open healing circle for people to discuss and reflect on important matters. Often, the circumstances of our lives, particularly that of Black people and other people of color, have the ability to leave us feeling ignored, less than, overlooked, and often pathologized. However, there is truly a counter-narrative to these circumstances — a counter-narrative that honors folks' humanity. Before we honor peoples’ humanity, we must "see them" and all the many dimensions of their lives. This includes who they descend from and who descends from them, such as their children. The donation helps us amplify the counter-narrative.
By embracing SAWUBONA, we see the humanity of the people [affected by those circumstances] and we journey together towards healing — not just during the actual session, but beyond that. It is our ultimate goal to provide this space in which people learn the concepts of SAWUBONA, are able to activate their voice and choice, and are able to fill in the blanks for themselves using the strengths that are already within.
AH: If there is only one thing you could tell BOND members about your organization, what would it be?
BMHA: For 40 years, the mission of the Black Mental Health Alliance has been to develop, promote, and sponsor trusted culturally relevant educational forums, trainings, and referral services that support the health and well-being of Black people and vulnerable communities. Today, we remain committed to our mission.
Formerly known as the AmerisourceBergen Foundation, the Cencora Impact Foundation is an independent, not-for-profit charitable giving organization, with a mission to improve the health and well-being of patient populations – both human and animal. Through partnerships, projects, and grants, we work together with nonprofit organizations to advance access to healthcare around the world.
