Mistrust lingers in Black communities amid 988 launch

By MICHAEL GOLDBERG
Associated Press/Report for America

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Health officials are grappling with how people staffing the new national 988 crisis hotlines will contend with suspicion of the medical establishment in Black communities.  The U.S. Justice Department ordered Mississippi last year to revamp its mental health system after federal regulators found that mentally ill people were being improperly detained. That contributes to what some experts say is an underutilization of mental health services within communities of color. Some local leaders are guiding people to mental health treatment through the Black churches that are pillars of their communities.