TCWH Promotes Services During Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

July is Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, an opportunity to highlight the need for inclusive and culturally responsive mental health services, while addressing gaps in minorities receiving those services. Bebe Moore Campbell was a renowned author and mental health advocate, who was instrumental in raising awareness about mental health issues in minority communities. The National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month is named after Bebe to honor her legacy and contributions to the field. 

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act, and helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Racial and ethnic minorities experience numerous mental health disparities, including higher rates of attempted suicide in adolescents and lower treatment rates for mental disorders like depression in adults.  

Intersecting social determinants of health (SDOH) factors can have a profound impact on the mental health of racial and ethnic minorities. Living through a natural disaster; experiencing financial hardship; limited access to culturally and linguistically appropriate services; and stigma surrounding mental health care are all examples of SDOH factors that can lead to poor mental health outcomes for racial and ethnic minorities. 

To meet the diverse needs of our community, Tompkins County Whole Health (TCWH) provides mental health services in a variety of ways and locations. Services are available remotely or in-person at our offices located at 201 E. Green Street (downtown Ithaca) or 55 Brown Road (northeast Ithaca). Our licensed clinical therapists provide individual and group counseling services for adults, children and youth, as well as family counseling. Our school-based services help to provide accessible services to children and youth during the school day. TCWH has nurses and psychiatrists who provide medication-assisted therapy services as well as an on-site pharmacy operated by Genoa Healthcare. TCWH staff are culturally responsive and trauma-informed and are trained to utilize LanguageLine for clients with limited English. 

TCWH’s C.A.R.E. Team (Crisis Alternative Response and Engagement) provides comprehensive mental health services to persons in mental, behavioral, or emotional crisis, diverting community members from the criminal justice system when mental/behavioral health issues are the driving force of their actions. Over 1,000 calls have been responded to since the C.A.R.E. Team launched in August 2023 with the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Department. The City of Ithaca Police Department also launched a C.A.R.E. Team with TCWH in 2025. 

TCWH’s Personalized Recovery Oriented Services (PROS) provides individual therapy and group-based services for adults age 18+ with severe and persistent mental illness. The main goal of the program is to help people work on all aspects of their life — social, work, education, housing, finding purpose — when mental health or substance use creates barriers. Often the outcome of participating in PROS includes an improvement in overall quality of life, a decrease in hospitalizations, and movement towards goals. 

Additionally, TCWH’s Community Health Worker (CHW) program can support individuals in connecting to services, including mental health needs, to improve their health and wellbeing. To find out more about the CHW Program, go to our website or call 607-274-6604. 

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