National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month – July 2022
Dr. Keevia Porter

July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. My guest this week is a colleague, Dr. Keevia Porter who is a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. Join us as we discuss minority mental health issues. While mental health and well-being are important for all it is especially important to our communities of color as access issues tend to have a greater impact. Stigma is associated with mental health in all communities and communities of color are no exception. Dr. Porter describes some strategies and provides recommendations that we call all implement to help reduce the stigma associated with mental health.

More About Dr. Porter:
Dr. Keevia Porter is an assistant professor of nursing at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, TN. She is board certified as a family and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. Dr. Porter has a BSN from the University of Memphis, an MSN in Nursing Administration from Union University, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice in Public Health Nursing from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Today, Dr. Porter treats medical and mental health illnesses in adults and children. She practices at a free clinic providing primary and mental health care and at a community-based mental health agency. Her areas of interest include serving underserved populations, decreasing mental health stigmas, and exploring social determinants of health. Dr. Porter is an active board member of the Tennessee Nurses Association. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, American Psychiatric Nurses Association, Association of Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners, American Nursing Association, and The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Memphis chapter. She was past executive vice-chair and is now an inactive member of the board for the YWCA, Greater Memphis. Dr. Porter is an author within nursing journals and textbooks, as well as a public speaker advocating for mental health care.

Websites:

https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/minority-mental-health/

https://www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov/nmhm/assets/pdf/NMHM%202022_Toolkit%20OnePager_Final_Eng[69].pdf

https://www.psychiatry.org/File%20Library/Psychiatrists/Cultural-Competency/Mental-Health-Disparities/Mental-Health-Facts-for-Diverse-Populations.pdf