A Community-Led Partnership to Develop a Mental Health Promotion Curriculum with Minority Health Agencies.

Background : Community-based mental health promotion programs for healthy people of color, without a diagnosed mental health condition are rare in public health literature. Objectives : A statewide minority health agency led a 4-year partnership in Indiana with researchers, community-based minority health affiliates, and people of color to design, pilot, and evaluate a mental health promotion program. Methods : A participatory process was utilized to develop and test a group health promotion program designed with and for communities of color to improve knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors for handling life stresses in a healthy way. Activities included capacity building, two implementation cycles, and mixed-methods evaluation. Results : The partnership revealed challenges and lessons learned such as recruiting skilled facilitators, effective communication about goals for cultural and linguistic appropriateness, maintaining fidelity, and realigning funding approaches for affiliates. Conclusions : Next steps include revisions based on lessons learned, additional cultural and linguistic tailoring of the program, and offering statewide access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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