Mental Health America Annual Conference Benefits San Diego Refugee Populations

Nile Sisters Development Initiative ( NSDI ) staff participated in the Mental Health America ( MHA ) 2017 Annual Conference» in Washington, DC, from June 14 through June 16, 2017.

Traditionally, California has been the state with the largest refugee resettlement rate, and the County of San Diego boasts the largest refugee population in California. In 2016, NSDI conducted a mental-health roundtable discussion and two successive community dialogues with refugee and ethnic service providers in San Diego County. Since then, various stakeholders at local, state, and national levels have received the subsequent cumulative report, Advancing Equity».

Participating in the Mental Health America conference afforded NSDI the opportunity to share the Advancing Equity report with a wider national audience in an effort to increase awareness of refugee mental health. Additionally, the conference allowed NSDI to network with a diverse body of stakeholders and to build capacity to address mental and behavioral health concerns in San Diego County. In the near future, NSDI will share best practices learned from the conference with the Refugee Mental Health Coalition» in San Diego County.