BGH Minds Matter D.C.

Black Girl Health Foundations Minds Matter D.C. is a program in partnership with the Washington, D.C. Public Library System designed to reach out to 92 of color in the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area collectively known as DMV and educate them about mental health and mental health resources. Black Girl Health BGH has already hosted a very successful iteration of Minds Matter in Harrrisburg, PA with the support of the Dauphin County Library System, and we have Minds Matter - NOLA scheduled to take place October 10th, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Although Minds Matter is typically held as an in-person event in partnership with a citys regional library system, BGH is hosting Minds Matter D.C. as an online event. In the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic, a lack of certainty about the end or extension of quarantining and social distancing requirements, and civil unrest, offering digital health literacy regarding mental health couldnt be more timely and crucial. To transition all in-person workshops originally scheduled to be held at the Washington, D.C. Public Library into digital workshops, a video/streaming event will air live on social media via a special Minds Matter D.C. Facebook Group, and a recorded version will be hosted on the Washington, D.C. Public Library website. Both BGH College Ambassadors assisting with the program and workshop participants will learn how the NLM resource MedlinePlus is a powerful tool for learning about and managing mental health. While the campaign and workshops increase access to mental health information, the evaluations obtained at the close of workshops may provide valuable biomedical information pertaining to the mental health beliefs and concerns of a historically underserved demographic.