Contracts have been awarded to different behavioral health clinicians by the Long Beach Health Department with the goal of providing access to mental health care and substance abuse counseling for Black residents who may be lacking adequate, or any, insurance coverage during the pandemic.
“Black residents in Long Beach and across the country have been one of the hardest-hit communities during this health and economic crisis,” Mayor Robert Garcia said in a press release. “I am glad to see these additional services will be provided to better support our residents and improve the quality of life for those most in need.”
Although only 12% of Long Beach’s population is Black, Black residents represent 14% of COVID-19 hospitalizations and 15% of deaths caused by complications from the virus.
The City selected the behavioral health clinicians to provide free culturally affirming care to uninsured and under-insured Black residents after putting out a call for proposals in October.
The following providers were chosen:
-APLA Health & Wellness
-Center for Best Living Inc.
-Compassionate Counseling
-Ginger Lavender Wilkerson
-Los Angeles Centers for Alcohol and Drug Abuse (L.A. CADA)
Each proposal applicant had to meet the following criteria:
-Offer treatment for persons experiencing anxiety, depression, bi-polar disorder, personality disorder, domestic violence, trauma, or substance abuse.
-Provide culturally affirming services to 10 or more unduplicated clients.
-Provide a series of 60-minute psychotherapy sessions (including initial assessment) per client.
-Ensure linkage to health insurance for uninsured or underinsured clients through a (warm) hand-off via direct referral to the Health Access /Medi-Cal Outreach hotline 562.570.7979.
More information about these programs can be found by calling the City’s Resource Line at 562.570.INFO (4636), option 5. Resource Line operators will help direct callers to the right program.
These free mental health care and substance abuse services are funded by Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, of which Long Beach received $40 million to assist with recovery and relief efforts.
Long Beach City Council decided to give $1,445,000 in CARES Act funding to non-profit community-based organizations and for-profit organizations that provide services and resources to communities effected by the coronavirus pandemic.
