Initiative to Address Minority Health in Mahoning County

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Mahoning County Mental Health and Recovery Board has partnered with the Youngstown City Health District’s Office on Minority Health to address social determinants of health throughout Mahoning County.

The new initiative, Take That Step, aims to remove barriers to physical and mental health care for minority populations throughout the county.

It’s funded by the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

A community launch is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 30 at the Community Literacy Workforce and Cultural Center in Campbell. The free event will include a community resource fair, health screenings, flu shots, fitness classes and cultural celebrations. The culmination of the event will be a symbolic Take That Step walk around the track.

Take That Step will act as a bridge to minority communities and connect them with the resources they need to live better lives, while raising the awareness of the need for people to attend to their physical and mental health.

“The goal of Take That Step is to remind people that even the smallest steps toward your physical and mental health can have a tremendous impact,” said Valerie Burney of the Mahoning County Mental Health and Recovery Board. “It’s really about just taking that first step and modeling that behavior for others in the community.”

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.