MWCC's Weekly e-newsletter

Friday, January 14, 2004

HARVARD MEDICAL PROFESSOR OFFERS WAYS TO IMPROVE MINORITY MENTAL HEALTH CARE

By Lea Ann Erickson

	Dr. Margarita Alegria talks about different ways to focus on causes of mental disease.

Harvard Medical School Psychology Professor and Director of the Center for Multicultural Mental Health Research Dr. Margarita Alegria told a group of more than 50 community and educational leaders that there are great disparities in mental health care for minority populations and also suggested possible solutions at a lecture at Mount Wachusett Community College, Tuesday, Jan 11. The presentation was part of the college’s What’s Next Speaker Series and co-sponsored by the Twin Cities Latino Coalition.

“Latinos have less access to mental health services, have a higher risk of being misdiagnosed, are less likely to receive care and are more likely to receive poor quality care when they are served,” stated Alegria.

There are many cultural reasons. According to Alegria, young Latino men do not think they have a mental health problem until the problem is very serious, and their strong sense of self-reliance is a strong barrier to seeking care. In addition, Latino and African American parents are less likely than white parents to label their children’s behavior as a mental health problem. “There is some evidence that the threshold for what is considered dysfunctional may vary across cultures,” she said.

Alegria and her team of researchers identified an extensive list of contributing factors. Poor housing and poverty are among the greatest contributors for poor mental health in minority populations. Because of the many causes of poor mental health, she urges creative approaches to solving the problem.

	Dr. Margarita Alegria

Her research shows that social factors play a huge role in mental health. “Where you are—your social position—determines your health,” said Alegria. According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), life expectancy has increased 35 years over the past century. But only five years of that increase are due to health care. “It is education, housing and opportunity that lead people to better health,” she said.

She urges public policy makers interested in improving health to move outside of the health care system to get results. She suggests supporting policies that promote affordable housing and economic opportunity to improve health.

In 1998, 69 percent of residents in public housings were minorities. Her research shows that living conditions are tied to suicide, decreased safety, violence, decreased earning opportunities and depletion of jobs. She points to Section 8 Housing as one area of public policy that is showing promise. Sixty-nine percent of whites and 68 percent of minorities were able to relocate out of bad neighborhoods. However, minority families eligible under Section 8 are less likely to relocate to a non-poor community than suburban white participants.

Over the last 30 years, lifetime earning inequality and earning instability has increased for minorities. While only 4 percent of the labor force is classified as working poor, 10 percent of Latinos and 8.7 percent of African Americans fall in this category. Immigrants account for 30 percent of U.S. workers concentrated in low-wage jobs. Latinos are 1.5 times more likely to undergo involuntary unemployment than the workforce as a whole. Alegria points out that Latinos are particularly vulnerable to industrial restructuring and its impact, as low-skilled jobs move to the suburbs.

She also suggests teaching patients to become more engaged in their health care treatment. She points to the pilot program “The Right Question Project” as a model. This project is designed to help individuals “ask the right question,” during the limited time they have with a care provided. Evidence shows that increased patient involvement leads to higher retention, more satisfaction and better outcomes.

Alegria concluded that an “ecological approach” is what is needed to address the problem. “Community alliances are the only way to go. This is not a government program. Civic action will get us there,” she concluded.

MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino agreed. “Alliances will make a difference. We truly are better together,” he said. He stressed the need for educational institutions like the college to lead the effort. “An educated citizenry is an involved citizenry,” he added.

The next lecture in the What’s Next series features Boston Community Building Network Director Charlotte Kahn, Friday, Jan. 21 at the Four Points by Sheraton in Leominster.

Alegria’s presentation is available at http://whatsnext.mwcc.edu.

MWCC TO BEGIN CAMPAIGN TO HELP WITH TSUNAMI RELIEF

By Kimberly B. Caisse

MWCC is launching a fund-raising campaign for the Indian Ocean tsunami crisis when it welcomes back students for the spring semester Wednesday, Jan. 19.

As part of the Decade of Civic Engagement initiative, the college is partnering with the Red Cross of North Central Massachusetts to raise money for the organization’s disaster relief efforts in the affected countries. All proceeds will benefit the Red Cross International Response Fund. The campaign will end Friday, Jan. 28.

Information on the Red Cross’ tsunami relief efforts and its various local programs will be available at a table near the Student Life office. Students and the general public can make donations and learn more about the Red Cross.

Student clubs also expect to coordinate their own fund-raising events to benefit the tsunami response. Those efforts will get underway once classes begin Thursday, Jan. 20.

A 9.0 earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, triggered large tsunamis, a Japanese word for harbor wave, that hit the shores of 11 countries, including the crowded beaches of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and southern India. About 160,000 people are confirmed dead, thousands are still missing and many are injured. More than 1 million people are homeless. Homes and businesses were destroyed.

The Red Cross has estimated it will need $400 million for its relief effort, a dual-phased approach. The first phase has a $134 million target. It not only addresses immediate emergency needs, but will lay the foundation—through the identification of service delivery networks and implementation of monitoring and accountability systems—for the second stage. For more information on the Red Cross of North Central Massachusetts and ways to get involved locally, visit www.redcrossncm.org.

About MWCC’s Decade of Civic Engagement:
Since the fall of 2002, MWCC has strived to foster a greater sense of civic responsibility among its students, faculty, staff and greater community. With civic engagement and service learning in the curriculum, students gain practical experience that sets them apart in a competitive job market, their communities benefit and classroom learning is reinforced. They also become more knowledgeable, self-confident, active and engaged citizens with effective community engagement and critical thinking skills. For more information, visit www.mwcc.edu/civic.

Campus Events:

• On display in Mount Wachusett Community College’s East Wing Gallery, outside the Theatre at the Mount, until Wednesday, Jan. 19 are works produced by MWCC students Andy Argon, Corinne Goodrich, Marsha Hersey and Alaina Youngsma. For more information, call Professor John Pacheco at (978) 630-9184.

• Room still is available in the Fitness & Wellness Center at MWCC’s upcoming baseball clinics. The age-appropriate baseball clinics will run on Sundays Jan. 16, Jan. 30, Feb. 27, March 6 and March 13 from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. The cost is $45 per player. There also is room in the pitching clinic for children 13 and up that will be held on Sundays March 20 and March 27 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. The cost is $25 per player. For more information, call the center at (978) 630-9212.

• The Mount Wachusett Community College Winchendon Skills Program, funded by a grant from Robinson Broadhurst Foundation, is offering free GED prep classes at the Community Action Center at 273 Central St., Winchendon, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Enrollment is ongoing. For more information, call Janet Brown at (978) 297-1667 or Tim Robinson at (978) 630-9259.

• Register now for the Fitness & Wellness Center’s annual golf lessons, which begin the week of Monday, Feb. 28. Directed by PGA Professional Mike Egan, the lessons include individual instruction and video analysis. Participants can bring their own clubs or use the center’s. Beginner lessons will be held Mondays and Thursdays at 7:15 p.m. Intermediate classes will meet Tuesdays at 7:15 and 8:15 p.m. and Thursdays at 8:15 p.m. Advanced lessons will be held on Mondays at 8:15 p.m. The cost is $85 per session; fitness center members are eligible for a 10 percent discount. For more information, call the center at (978) 630-9212.

• Theatre at the Mount will hold auditions for the children’s musical “Honk! Jr.” by appointment only on Monday, Jan. 17 at 10 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. Director Sharon Asher, music director Bill Asher and choreographer Nicole Couture are looking for a large cast of children and teens (age 8 to 18) with singing, dancing and acting ability. “Honk! Jr.” is a contemporary re-telling of Hans Christian Anderson’s classic story, “The Ugly Duckling.” To schedule an appointment, call the Theatre at the Mount box office at (978) 632-2403, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., or e-mail your appointment request to box-office@mwcc.mass.edu. Auditions—consist of singing, dance/movement and cold readings from the script—will be held in room 182 at MWCC. Performances of “Honk! Jr.” are Thursday, March 31, Friday, April 1, Wednesday, April 6, Thursday, April 7 and Friday, April 8 at 9:30 a.m.; April 1, 6, 7 and 8 at noon; and Saturday, April 9 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tentative rehearsal schedule is Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings. For more information, contact Professor Gail Steele at (978) 630-9162 or visit the Theatre at the Mount website at http://theatre.mwcc.edu.

• MWCC’s What’s Next Speaker Series will continue with a free presentation by Charlotte Kahn, director of the Boston Community Building Network at the Boston Foundation and coordinator of the award-winning Boston Indicators Project, on Friday, Jan. 21 from 12 to 2 p.m. at the Four Points by Sheraton in Leominster. Kahn’s appearance is co-sponsored by the college, Twin Cities Latino Coalition and United Way of North Central Massachusetts. The project has identified 10 indicators of systematic change: civic health, cultural life and the arts, economy, education, environment, housing, public health, public safety, technology and transportation. In her presentation, Kahn will explain the initiative’s purpose to area decision makers and citizens. To learn more, contact Lea Ann Erickson at (978) 630-9322 or Kim Caisse at (978) 630-9547.

• The Greater Gardner Community Choir will hold sign-up and first rehearsal for the spring semester on Monday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. Under the direction of Diane Cushing and Associate Director Mary Chapin Durling, the choir meets Monday evenings from 7 to 8:30pm in room 182 at Mount Wachusett Community College. The choir is open to all adults who love to sing—no experience required. A $20 music purchase fee is the only cost associated with joining. For more information contact Professor Gail Steele at (978) 632-6600, ext. 162 or by e-mail at g_steele@mwcc.mass.edu.

• The Forest & Wood Products Institute at MWCC will host a free presentation by members of the United Kingdom Forestry Commission on Tuesday, Jan. 26 from 2:30 to 5 p.m. They will share the obstacles, hurdles, success stories and opportunities they have encountered in the UK. Area forest management and biomass professionals are invited to attend. To register, contact Mary Petersen at mpetersen@mwcc.mass.edu or (978) 630-9334.

• MWCC’s Entrepreneurial Resource Center, 100 Jackson Road, Devens, will host its next Entrepreneur Speaker Series presentation, “Human Resource Basics: Top Five Pitfalls to Avoid” by Kathleen Mills, founder of HR Off Site Resources in Leominster, on Thursday, Jan. 27 from 12 to 1:30 p.m. Mills will review all the areas human resources covers, the importance of being in compliance and common pitfalls. Participants also will take a mini-audit to help them understand how prepared they are. The cost is only $15, and includes lunch. To register, call (978) 630-9569.

• In Celebration of Black History Month, MWCC will host a black inventions exhibit on Friday, Feb. 11 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the commons area. This exhibit highlights the accomplishments of African Americans in the fields of science, aerospace communication, health care, agriculture, transportation and engineering. The golf tee, automatic traffic light, cellular phone and the world’s fastest computer—peaking at 3.1 billion calculations per second—were created by African Americans. The exhibit is sponsored by the Office for Student Life. For more information, call (978) 630-9322 or (978) 630-9547.

• The Entrepreneurial Resource Center will host the Entrepreneur Speaker Series presentation “Taking the Mystery Out of Bulk Mailing” by management consultant Paul Lambert on Thursday, Feb. 17 from 12 to 1:30 p.m. Direct mail can be an effective marketing tool. Lambert will review such issues as determining when direct mail is cost effective, purchasing mailing lists versus creating your own and direct-mail software options. The cost is only $15, and includes lunch. To register, call (978) 630-9569.

• The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive at MWCC on Wednesday, Feb. 16 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the commons area. It is open to the public and walk-ins are welcome. Call Marianne Stoy or Diane King at (978) 630-9136 to register.

Lea Ann Erickson
Director of Community Relations
Mount Wachusett Community College
Phone: (978) 630-9322
Fax: (978) 630-9561
cell: (508) 517-5202
l_erickson@mwcc.mass.edu

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