Underserved Cultural Communities (UsCC)

Group of diverse people

One of the cornerstones of the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) is to empower underrepresented ethnic/cultural groups and to give them a voice in the stakeholder process. The term Underserved Cultural Communities (UsCC) refers to communities historically unserved, underserved and inappropriately served, in terms of mental health services. As a result of MHSA, UsCC subcommittees have been developed by LACDMH to address the needs of targeted ethnic/cultural communities.

The UsCC subcommittees are an important part of the YourDMH community stakeholder engagement process. The UsCC subcommittees work closely with community partners and consumers in order to increase the capacity of the public mental health system and to develop culturally competent recovery-oriented policies and services specific to the UsCC communities. As a part of the YourDMH community stakeholder engagement process, the UsCC subcommittees have been allotted funding to develop capacity building projects that provide a unique opportunity to draw on the collective wisdom and experience of community members to determine the greatest needs and priorities related to mental health in their communities.

The goals of the UsCC Capacity Building Projects include increasing knowledge about mental illness, increasing access to mental health resources, and decreasing stigma related to mental illness in the targeted UsCC community. These projects are not intended for the delivery of mental health services but to increase access to care by unserved, underserved, and inappropriately served populations who are uninsured/uninsurable and across age groups (children, transitional aged youth/TAY, adult, and older adult) consistent with the language and cultural needs and demographics of those communities. The UsCC capacity building projects should be community-based and include culturally effective outreach, engagement, and education and respond to historical and geographic disparities and barriers to services.

UsCC meetings are open to the public and community members are encouraged to attend. To learn more about upcoming meetings, visit our website’s event calendar.

 

Last updated: 2/24/2023