BLKMHC: Office Hours Marquita LaGarde

ASD affects people of all races and ethnicities. Still, studies show that African-American and Latino children with autism are diagnosed at older ages than white children, giving them less of an opportunity for proper intervention and treatment. Dr. Marisol Marroquín of Rutgers University has made it her life's mission to make changes to the access, equity, and changes needed for the Latinx community.

Post COVID world for children has been difficult emotionally and schools providing social emotional learning set out to address those concerns. Many schools are now facing an ever changing political climate that has its sites set on K-12 education and SEL. Welcome Francesca Villarreal, MSW, MBA to the office hour as we discuss politics in academia, how to get involved as parents and exploring the views of the other side.

Transitioning and how to have those crucial conversations when the stakes are high. Crucial conversations occur in all aspects of our lives. Tonights Guest Nizhonlii Robinson former Marine, Founder of Spark: The Pop Up and current Customer Success Manager for BreakLine Education will share with us how to navigate life transitions and learning from the importance of having crucial conversations. Nizhonlii can be found on LinkedIn (Nizhonlii Robinson) and the book referenced is Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson.

Having a culturally sensitive discussion around food and food choices is important to growth and care of ourselves and our community. Today's episode is with a Registered Dietitian and Lactation Counselor Manyil Danshey, RD, where we discuss how food changes mood, ways professionals can have conversations about food changes that acknowledge the cultural implication of food in communities of color and how the dietitian profession can grow to be more inclusive and diverse. Black families are 3x's as likely to face hunger than white families and 20% of Black individuals live in food insecure households. There are currently only 13% of Black dietitians practicing today, without them we will continue to see health disparities (e.g., chronic disease, obesity, maternal and fetal mortality) that can be addressed through diet.

What is integrated health care and how can Black and Brown voices be elevated in these spaces to ensure adequate care is being provided? Yvette Beltran, LCSW and I talk about the beauty and pitfalls of integrated care, the intersection of race in the medical and behavioral health world and the effective role social workers play in bridging these two worlds together. 

This is Pt 1A of our conversation on what is happening in the social work profession and how the ASWB is utilizing the clinical exam to prevent Black and Brown people from accessing positions of power and equitable pay. Please go to the BLKMHC Instagram page to access the change.org petition. Also, email the BLKMHC page blkmhc@gmail.com and provide your feedback on what does change look like. 

More info and data: https://www.aswb.org/exam/contributing-to-the-conversation/