Racial Equity Impact Analysis (REIA)
The Racial Equity Impact Analysis helps the City consider racial equity outcomes when shaping policies, practices, programs and budgets.
Contract for service between Special School District No. 1 and the Health Department for mental health services - REIA
Section 1: Background
| Public Safety | No |
| Housing | No |
| Economic Development | No |
| Public Services | No |
| Environmental Justice | No |
| Built Environment & Transportation | No |
| Public Health | Yes |
| Arts & Culture | No |
| Workforce | No |
| Spending | No |
| Data | No |
| Community Engagement | Yes |
The desired outcome for receiving this funding is to close health disparities that persist among youth in Minneapolis who are Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) through increasing mental health care services in the Minneapolis School Based Clinics.
Our long-term vision is that all youth in Minneapolis have the opportunity to thrive, advocate for their wellbeing and attain optimal health. We are a successful model for integrating mental health care within a school setting.
Our long-term vision is that all youth in Minneapolis have the opportunity to thrive, advocate for their wellbeing and attain optimal health. We are a successful model for integrating mental health care within a school setting.
Barbara Kyle School Based Clinic ( SBC )Manager
Section 2: Data
School Based Clinic Mental health services are available for students who attend the following high schools – Henry, Roosevelt, South, Southwest and Washburn High Schools. These schools are racially and ethnically diverse and representative of the Minneapolis Public Schools as a whole. The demographics of the Minneapolis Public Schools as a whole are as follows, according to 2021 data: 35% White, 35% Black or African American, 17% Hispanic or Latino American, 5% Asian American, 3.8% Two or more races, and 3% American Indian or Alaska Native. The students who attend these high schools live in various neighborhoods throughout Minneapolis, including areas beyond the immediate neighborhoods where the schools are located.
Multiple studies have reported that at least one in five adolescents experience a clinical mental health disorder and approximately 70% of children and adolescents with a diagnosable mental health disorder do not receive effective treatment. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in 15-24 year olds and one half of all serious adult psychiatric disorders start by age 14.
In 2018, six percent of parents reported that their child ages 4–17 displayed serious difficulties with emotions, concentration, behavior, or getting along with other people. 5% of special education students have a severe emotional disturbance.13% of students in public schools are in special education. BIPOC communities
There are significant challenges that people living in poverty in Minneapolis face, and many of those challenges are systemic, historic, institutional, and ongoing. Racism and systems of oppression created conditions in which Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) are disproportionately impacted by poverty and health disparities. Segregation as a result of racial redlining in Minneapolis created high poverty neighborhoods with substandard housing and an inequitable public education system. The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened these conditions. Our adolescent students are experiencing a great deal of stress, isolation, and racialized trauma as a result of the pandemic, the murder of George Floyd, prolonged school closures and the recent Minneapolis teachers strike, impacting their overall health and wellness. Recent data from the CDC Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey (ABES) validated that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a “seismic effect” on young people and in particular their mental health and increased experiences of racism among youth of color.
In 2018, six percent of parents reported that their child ages 4–17 displayed serious difficulties with emotions, concentration, behavior, or getting along with other people. 5% of special education students have a severe emotional disturbance.13% of students in public schools are in special education. BIPOC communities
There are significant challenges that people living in poverty in Minneapolis face, and many of those challenges are systemic, historic, institutional, and ongoing. Racism and systems of oppression created conditions in which Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) are disproportionately impacted by poverty and health disparities. Segregation as a result of racial redlining in Minneapolis created high poverty neighborhoods with substandard housing and an inequitable public education system. The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened these conditions. Our adolescent students are experiencing a great deal of stress, isolation, and racialized trauma as a result of the pandemic, the murder of George Floyd, prolonged school closures and the recent Minneapolis teachers strike, impacting their overall health and wellness. Recent data from the CDC Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey (ABES) validated that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a “seismic effect” on young people and in particular their mental health and increased experiences of racism among youth of color.
We need to continue to collect client outcome data and also get updated and current data on childern’s mental health and related social determinents of health that are specific to Minneapolis. We need to work within the reporting systems part of the Hennepin County Children’s Mental Health Collaborative and MN DHS children’s Mental Health division .
The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a brief questionnaire given to parents and/or teachers every 90 days during treatment to assess the student in several areas. Over 70% of our clients showed improvement in at least one area over six months of treatment.
Along with other School Based Mental Health Providers we provide our data with the Minnesota Kids Database (MKD)is a collaborative project to collect a common set of data related to clinical services provided in schools with the goal of better understanding the potential benefits of school-based mental health services and identifying strategies for enhancing programming.
Section 3: Community Engagement
| Inform | No |
| Consult | No |
| Involve | No |
| Collaborate | Yes |
| Empower | No |
We continually ask for feedback on the work we are doing by directly connecting with teens in our schools. We regularly collect anonymous surveys from program participants to get input from them on what aspects of our programs are working and what could be improved. We also survey clinic patients overall on a semi-annual basis to ensure our services are meeting their needs and being delivered in a culturally affirming, supportive manner. We have a Teen Health Empowerment Council for the School Based Clinics, which is composed of student representatives from all of our main high school locations. They meet on an ongoing basis throughout the school year and provide feedback, solicit ideas from peers and bring back suggestions on health topics of greatest importance to them and their communities.
Section 4: Analysis
The primary outcomes of this programming are to reduce disparities in Minneapolis, with a focus on reaching our BIPOC communities who are disproportionately impacted. We want to ensure that the resources provided through this programming are as accessible as possible, so we will continue to provide them in the school setting, at no cost for those without insurance or on public health plan, and as flexibly as possible to be able to meet young people wherever they are at. The School Based Clinics welcome all students, regardless of insurance status, documentation status, or other barriers that may otherwise prevent young people from seeking health care, including health education. This will support the City in achieving racial equity, by assuring that mental health is a right for all young people, with a particular priority on reaching our BIPOC communities.
Section 5: Evaluation
Impacts will be measured in several ways. We will be collecting multiple measures through our electronic health records including, # school support team meetings, successful referrals, # of clients , # visits, CASI , SDQs , client and family surveys to evaluate client engagement with therapy, improvement and satisfaction with care.
We will share our outcomes with members of our Hennepin County Childs Mental Health Collaborative thru Wilder MN KIDS Database. and get their input and insights on what has been working from these efforts, as well as what can be changed or improved. We will also share information via multiple reports periodically to obtain input for service improvements.