×

Health and wellness require community

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first in a series of articles provided by Greater Nashua Mental Health in conjunction with Mental Health Awareness Month, May 1-31.

•••

There is no health and wellness without community, and, for NH’s deaf community, this is no exception. Research has shown that healthcare systems have numerous barriers for the deaf community. It is challenging to find providers who are familiar with accessibility laws under the Americans with Disabilities Act, thus challenging to find effective communication access amidst the overall complex, layered experience of being deaf in a hearing-centric world. Research has also shown that the deaf community faces lower health literacy rates and an increased risk for chronic health problems subsequently shortening life expectancy. Deaf adults have a higher rate of depression and anxiety related diagnoses, even at earlier onsets compared to the general population. Deafness does not directly cause these problems. Rather, the stressors of insidiously facing barriers and reduced incidental learning due to communication challenges within families and healthcare providers lead to an overall decrease in participation in preventive healthcare and poor understanding of one’s own health. GNMH feels that these risk factors are preventable and aims to break down these barriers. Effective communication access between patients and healthcare providers is critical.

GNMH is proud to celebrate growth of our Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services program, while also seeking to bring awareness to the mental health needs of our statewide community. Established in 1995, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services is comprised of a multi-disciplined team of mental health providers who are linguistically fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) and specialize in the socio-cultural needs of the deaf community. Currently GNMH employs six deaf and multiple hearing signing clinical providers who provide comprehensive, culturally and linguistically effective community-based care. GNMH is the only community mental health center to host a comprehensive Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services program, which serves not only the Greater Nashua area but deaf residents throughout the state of New Hampshire. Our program is one of the oldest statewide deaf mental health programs in the country. Generally, across the country, 88% of deaf individuals who need mental health services simply do not receive them. We can proudly say that is not the case here in New Hampshire.

Despite navigating the tumultuous nature of a global pandemic, the Deaf Services program has continued to break down barriers to strive for equitable standards of care. Led by Holly Rioux, a deaf Licensed Independent Clinical Social worker and alumna of University of New Hampshire-Manchester, the program has expanded its scope of services to ensure a more equitable standard of care and address critical service gaps.

Those receiving support from GNMH who are deaf are able to not only receive effective treatment in their preferred language and communication method, but they are also now able to receive targeted supports from specialty services offered at GNMH which have developed as a result of valuable collaboration among community stakeholders, GNMH leadership, and dedication from the staff within the Deaf Services team.

With the support of our Community Health Worker, DT Bruno who is also a deaf clinical social worker, our clients can receive accessible primary healthcare services at our InteGreat Health clinic at our facility. Our clients are also able to enroll into ProHealth, a research and incentive-based health and wellness initiative where clients can receive pertinent health information and community-based support as they navigate healthcare systems throughout the state. Research has shown that increased interaction with health-literate accessible peers can improve health outcomes for deaf individuals. Throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, our clients have had access to critical, life-saving information presented in American Sign Language and other visual modalities such as captioning, and the use of plain written language. GNMH, in collaboration with community stakeholders, has also supported multiple COVID-19 vaccine clinics targeting the deaf community and other linguistic minorities.

GNMH also recognizes the importance of employment as vital in living a full and satisfying lifestyle while in treatment for mental health conditions. Unfortunately, the deaf community is disproportionately unemployed. In 2019, National Deaf Center reported that only 42% of deaf Americans were employed and the rate has not changed significantly since 2008. Furthermore, deaf people of color and those who have additional disabilities, including mental illness, face even lower rates of employment. As we strive to overcome adversity in NH, GNMH Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services now offers Supported Employment services to clients who are enrolled at the agency for community-based treatment. Kat Cinibulk, our in-house ASL-fluent Supported Employment Specialist is able to provide our clients and local employers culturally and linguistically effective support towards obtaining and maintaining gainful employment.

As the state of New Hampshire implements 988 Services, GNMH Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services is actively gathering information and exploring solutions to ensure equitable access to culturally and linguistically effective crisis response support. A virtual listening session targeting the deaf community was held in March that collected community insights and feedback. It is worth repeating: there is no health and wellness without community.