MIND

Purpose and Philosophy

MIND ( Matters Involving Neuro-Disorders ) is a community-driven, cross-sector consortium, seeking to address mental and behavioral health issues, as well as socioeconomic disparities afflicting refugee and ethnic communities. Utilizing collective impact strategies, MIND pioneers new practices at the nexus of community participation and stakeholder engagement.

Focus Population

The term refugee applies to all eligible groups resettling in the San Diego region and in California, in general. These groups include, but are not limited to, primary refugees, secondary refugees, asylees / asylum seekers, Cuban / Haitian entrants, Amerasians, survivors of torture, certified victims of human trafficking, and Afghan and Iraqi special immigrant visa ( SIV ) recipients.

Translation

MIND offers visitors the convenience of Google Translate to convert language automatically across this web page. The Translate menu appears at the top right corner of this and every page in the Nile Sisters Development Initiative website. Details»

History

MIND evolved organically from an October 2016 roundtable mental health discussion, convened by Nile Sisters Development Initiative ( NSDI ), to discuss the status of mental and behavioral health and socioeconomic disparities of refugee and ethnic populations.

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The initial roundtable comprised community- and faith-based leaders, mental and behavioral health service providers, and public health practitioners and immediately led to a series of collaborative community dialogues among stakeholders from community, academic, and government sectors. These groups helped to define challenges within the primary populations, as well as to identify potential solutions to the key findings. Highlights of these efforts appear in a comprehensive report entitled Advancing Equity: Refugee and Ethnic Mental Health».

In March 2017, NSDI surveyed the contributors to establish next steps toward forming a new coalescing entity, later named MIND. The collective contributors agreed unanimously to meet on a regular basis to generate awareness and discussion of pressing mental and behavioral health disparities, as well as to define potential solutions. In June 2017, NSDI convened the first MIND quarterly meeting. Two months later, in August 2017, NSDI organized a special strategic planning meeting to establish the framework of MIND.

NSDI convenes MIND meetings. Community members / leaders, as well as local, regional, state, and national contributors provide support.

Core Values

Rooted in equitable and inclusive practices, MIND encourages

Collective impact
Community empowerment
Meaningful engagement
Open dialogue
Respect

Mission

MIND seeks to ensure that refugee and ethnic populations have access to equitable and culturally and linguistically proficient mental and behavioral health resources.

Vision

MIND strives to make San Diego a thriving and culturally and linguistically proficient region for all residents.

Strategic Goals

Advocate for policies that promote mental wellness and self-sufficiency in refugee and ethnic communities
Develop and implement training and capacity building programs for impacted communities and service providers / stakeholders
Establish a clearinghouse of culturally and linguistically relevant best practices and evidence-based resources for regional and statewide entities that support refugee and ethnic populations
Increase awareness of and reduce mental and behavioral health and socioeconomic disparities afflicting refugee and ethnic communities
Increase provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate resources for underserved and hard-to-reach populations

Media Coverage

Date	2017 October
Publication	KPBS
Headline	Helping San Diego-Resettled Refugees Overcome Trauma
Location	Read the story.»

Downloadable Documents

Advancing Equity: Refugee and Ethnic Mental Health»
MIND Overview»
MIND Toolkit»
MIND Inquiry Form»

Contributors

As of September 2017, MIND includes 57 individuals, representing 29 cross-sector entities / organizations, spanning eight sectors.

African and Caribbean Refugees’ Association
American Bar Association, Immigrant Justice Project»
Bridge Organization, The»
Community Research Foundation Psychological Emergency Response Team ( PERT )»
County of San Diego Behavioral Health Services ( BHS )»
County of San Diego Community Action Partnership»
County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency ( HHSA ), Central Region»
Family Health Centers of San Diego»
Haitian Bridge Alliance»
Health Quality Partners of Southern California»
International Rescue Committee ( IRC )»
La Maestra Community Health Centers»
Mental Health America of San Diego County»
National Alliance on Mental Illness ( NAMI ) San Diego»
Neighborhood House Association»
New Neighbor Relief»
Nile Sisters Development Initiative»
San Diego Police Department»
San Diego State University Behavioral Health Education & Training Academy ( BHETA )»
San Diego State University Social Policy Institute»
San Diego Unified School District»
Social Advocates for Youth ( SAY ) San Diego»
Somali Bantu Association of America»
Southern Caregiver Resource Center»
Survivors of Torture, International»
Tabernacle African Caribbean Refugee Association
Union of Pan Asian Communities ( UPAC )»
United Women of East Africa Support Team ( UWEAST )»
University of California, San Diego ( UCSD ) Center for Community Health»

Speak Your MIND

MIND welcomes all community-member and stakeholder feedback concerning the content of this web page. A brief, three-question online form will collect and forward all feedback to the MIND refugee mental and behavioral health advocacy collective for review.
Access Feedback Form»

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