In 2018 that only 8.7% of Black Americans received mental health services as compared to 18.6% of white Americans. There are many reasons for this: • Socioeconomic challenges can make treatment less accessible. In 2018, 11.5% of Black adults in the U.S. had no form of health insurance. If people are paying out of pocket, that’s costly. Lack of transportation may also be a barrier to accessing care. • Stigma certainly plays a role in the mental health care gap. Mental health stigma is still pervasive in our community. One study showed that 63% of African Americans believe that a mental health condition is a personal sign of weakness. • Finding a provider to provide culturally competent care is certainly an additional challenge. In the US, only 6.2% of psychologists, 5.6% of advancedpractice psychiatric nurses, 12.6% of social workers and 21.3% of psychiatrists identify as people of color. When seeking mental health care, it is very important for a person to feel their provider shares some level of their identity - race, religion, socio-economic status - in order to receive the best possible support and care. Conscious or unconscious bias from providers and lack of cultural competence can result in misdiagnosis, poor treatment and mistrust of mental health professionals. Broadlawns Medical Center is proud to be working to fill these mental health care gaps in care in our community by partnering with Urban Dreams to make affordable, culturally competent mental health care more accessible. Broadlawns is now offering professional mental health services for all ages at Urban Dreams, located at 601 Forest Ave. All forms of insurance are accepted. The URBAN EXPERIENCE | 2020 25 To learn more or schedule an appointment, visit broadlawns.org or call (515) 288-4742. We invite you to see us. We are here to help. About Rochean Cofield, LMSW Rochean Cofield, a native of Philadelphia, PA, earned an Associate’s Degree from DMACC, a Bachelor’s in Human Services from Grand View University, and a Master of Social Work (MSW) from the University of Iowa. She completed her field learning at Creative Visions where she focused on mentoring youth who struggled in school, as well as community members seeking assistance with basic food needs, utility assistance, and programming assistance. Additionally, Rochean has experience working with the elderly and aging as well as individuals with physical and mental limitations. Rochean has a strong understanding of the needs of Des Moines’ most vulnerable populations. Rochean sees patients at Urban Dreams’ office, located at 601 Forest Avenue. She provides a full range of services including: assessments; individual therapy for all ages; group therapy; marriage and family therapy. Her clinical interests include: empowering women who have experienced incarceration and/or the termination of parental rights; marriage and family reunification; community collaborations; juvenile delinquency and gang violence; intellectual disabilities; Dementia/Alzheimer’s; grief and loss; Veteran Affairs; PTSD; surviving domestic violence and sexual assault.
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