Wellpoint Care Network to Host Second Black Mental Health Professionals Panel
MILWAUKEE — July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. Wellpoint Care Network, a community-facing human services organization based in Milwaukee, is excited to announce that to recognize the month, we will be hosting a Black Mental Health Professionals Panel.
It will be held on our Campus — 8901 W. Capitol Drive — on Friday, July 14, 2023, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
“There’s cultural relevance and significance in this panel as we tackle and dispel stereotypes, break down stigmas and connect across demographics,” said Alex Williams, Director of Community Engagement at Wellpoint Care Network. “We’re hoping to be very intentional about the space we create for ourselves and for each other. The catering is minority-owned, the film crew is a minority-owned business.”
This is Wellpoint Care Network’s second installment in the series of Black Mental Health.
“It’s so important for Wellpoint Care Network to continue the conversation around mental health in the Black community, because learning can never be finished,” added Williams. “As long as there is a need for mental health services in the community, this conversation is critical to the progress and the process of finding culturally relevant and responsible solutions. We will continue the series, because we’ve only scratched the surface of the potential this has for transformative and innovative change and health in Milwaukee and the surrounding areas.”
Several Milwaukee-area therapists will take part in the Black Mental Health Professionals panel on July 14, including Laprece Armour of Wellpoint Care Network, Patrice McBeath of McBeath Consulting LLC, Tanszar Veal of Afiya Counseling Services, Hilton L. Morris of Stillwater Counseling Center, Lawanda Chambers of Lifting Individuals Forward Everyday LLC, Kenneth Ginlack of Serenity Inns Inc. and Dr. Ramel “Kweku” Smith of University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Members of the community are welcome to attend.
“Our first panel talked about the importance of caregiver capacity or self-care,” said Williams. “Multiple panelists talked about recognizing a Wellness Wednesday where they take off work, take a break and reset themselves for the rest of the week. This July panel is our mid-year mental health reset as we get ready for the rest of the year. I would love to check back in with the community at the end of the year to see how we can improve this series and this work for the future.”
