The Charleston Job Corps Center (CJCC) operating under Horizons Youth Services (HYS) recognized National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, Monday, July 20, 2015 during weekly business meeting to bring awareness, decrease stigma, and improve quality of life for students and staff. Guest speaker, James “Jim” Strawn, Director of Marketing and Community Education, Highland Hospital shared 12 attitude muscles of mental health with students and staff. Information and resources were available after the presentation.

According to its website, www.highlandhosp.com, Highland Hospital in Charleston, West Virginia provides intensive psychiatric/mental health inpatient services for adults, adolescents, and children. Services provided are guided by a master treatment plan guided by an interdisciplinary team of mental health professionals.

In 2008, the U.S. House of Representatives named July “Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month” with the goal is to increase awareness and improve access to mental health treatment for multicultural communities. African-Americans, Latinos, Asian-Americans, and Native Americans still face significant roadblocks to mental health services, says the American Psychological Association, such as cost, stigma and poor quality of care.