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Healthline Media and BEAM Announce Black Trans Womens Wellness and Mental Health Grants OutBuro lgbtq professional entreprenuer networking online community gay lesbian transgender queer

Healthline Media and BEAM Announce Black Trans Women’s Wellness and Mental Health Grants

Applications are now open for a new program that will award grants to Black trans women-led projects that support Black trans women’s mental health

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Healthline Media in partnership with the Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective (BEAM) has today announced the Black Trans Women’s Wellness and Mental Health Grants. The new program will award three grants of up to $10,000 each to Black trans women-led projects that support Black trans women’s mental health.

Applications are now open, and winners will be announced in January 2022.

The grants are part of Healthline Media’s $100,000 investment in BEAM’s Black Wellness Innovation Fund, a series of innovative Black-led wellness programs designed to sustainably address unmet mental healthcare needs within Black communities and build a national movement dedicated to the healing, wellness, and liberation of marginalized communities.

“Over the last 10 years it’s become more evident to the general public that dominant mental health interventions were not built with Black people in mind. This fund fills that gap by supporting innovative culture-based mental health interventions that invite Black communities across the country to heal on our own terms,” said Yolo Akili Robinson, Founder and Executive Director of BEAM.

“At Healthline Media, we are passionate about addressing disparities in access to health and wellness,” said Laurie Dewan, VP of Brand Insights and Communications at Healthline Media. “Through our partnership with BEAM and the Black Trans Women’s Wellness and Mental Health Grants, we are furthering our vision of a stronger, healthier world by centering Black trans women innovators and making direct investments in the well-being of Black trans women.”

Prioritizing the mental health of Black trans women

Black trans women currently experience the highest levels of violence and distress of any group and correspondingly high levels of anxiety, depression, and suicidality. This project aims to address disparities in mental health resources by supporting Black trans women-led projects that support Black trans women’s mental health through innovative approaches to healing and disability justice.

Winners will be selected by a panel of accomplished leaders in the Black trans community, including:

  • Dominique Morgan, Executive Director, Black and Pink Inc.
  • Aaryn Lang, Writer, Public Speaker & Media Personality
  • Valerie Spencer, Capacity Building & Social Services Specialist
  • Aryah Lester, Deputy Director, Transgender Strategy Center

“Disparities in mental health outcomes in the Black trans community deserve our attention. We are honored to continue our close work with BEAM to improve mental health outcomes by supporting leaders and mental health advocates within the Black trans community,” said Faye McCray, editor-in-chief of Psych Central, a Healthline Media brand. “Health equity is a top priority for Healthline, which is why we will continue to invest in the mental health of historically excluded communities.”

About BEAM (Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective)

BEAM is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to remove the barriers that Black and marginalized communities experience when trying to access or stay connected to mental health care and wellness resources. Through healing justice-based organizing, education, training, grantmaking and advocacy, BEAM envisions a world where there are no barriers to Black healing.

About Healthline Media

Healthline Media is the leading digital health and wellness property, reaching the most people on their road to well-being. The company delivers expert insights with a clear, human voice through its content, communities, and services. Healthline Media connects its partners with more than 94 million people each month (ComScore, August 2021) across its brand portfolio (which includes Healthline.com, MedicalNewsToday.com, Greatist.com, and PsychCentral.com), and connects its audiences with solutions to help them live fuller, richer lives. The company publishes more than 1,500 pieces of content a month, created by more than 250 writers, and reviewed by more than 125 medical experts, doctors, and clinicians. Every program and piece of content is purpose-built to make an impact and make wellness attainable for people everywhere. Healthline Media uses its platform to advocate for a more inclusive and equitable approach to wellness. Throughout its history, Healthline Media’s mission and vision have stayed constant: to make a stronger, healthier world. Healthline Media is based in San Francisco and owned by Red Ventures.

Contacts

Stacey Grimsrud

Bospar Public Relations

415.271.1028

Stacey@bospar.com

Healthline Launches TRANSFORM: Health Equity

New online initiative will educate people about health inequities, amplify marginalized voices, and empower people to create real change in their own lives and communities

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Healthline Media has launched TRANSFORM: Health Equity, an ambitious initiative designed to educate people about inequities in the U.S. healthcare system, amplify marginalized voices, and empower people to take actions that create a world where all people can achieve their health and wellness goals.

The project was launched in partnership with sister site Psych Central, which was recently relaunched and will contribute content focused on equity in mental health. Psych Central is building health equity into its DNA from the start through its focus on the mental health of marginalized populations.

TRANSFORM: Health Equity is now live at transform.healthline.com.

“Quite a bit has changed in the 25 years since Psych Central launched,” said Faye McCray, Editor in Chief of Psych Central. “We know language matters in destigmatizing and examining mental health. We also know issues of mental health and wellness impact us all differently. In order to get it right, we must examine these issues through an awareness of intersectionality. I couldn’t be more thrilled to launch with our commitment to health equity leading our work.”

“At Healthline, our mission has always been to make the world a stronger and healthier place for everybody, but we can’t do that without acknowledging the very real barriers many people face in accessing basic care,” added Erin Petersen-Edge, Editor in Chief of Healthline. “I’m excited to work with our colleagues at Psych Central to amplify these important conversations and to inspire meaningful actions—both within our organization and beyond.”

Sparking change through education and conversation

An overwhelming majority of Americans (71%) agree that historically excluded communities in the U.S. face greater hardships when it comes to accessing healthcare according to a survey conducted by Healthline Media using a nationally representative sample in April, 2021. TRANSFORM: Health Equity was created to amplify the voices of those marginalized by today’s health system—whether by socioeconomics, racism, sexism, ableism, cissexism, or hetrosexism—and inspire others to take meaningful action.

The project is organized around four pillars:

  • Access to healthcare: Not everyone receives the quality of care they deserve due to a variety of reasons, including socioeconomic, geographical and cultural factors, including racism.
  • Conscious language: Words matter. It’s important to strive for inclusive language to give everyone a chance to represent themselves authentically—in their health journey and in society.
  • Equity of inputs: A closer look at the state of equity and representation within research and clinical trials and why it matters.
  • Impact of marginalization: Treating people as insignificant, unimportant or “other” affects their physical, mental and emotional health.

Visitors to the site will find personal stories, live events and innovative new tools for inspiring education, advocacy and action, along with resources they can use to advocate for themselves in healthcare settings. Readers will also find a search tool, powered by VolunteerMatch, they can use to find local volunteer opportunities to fight health inequities in their communities.

“We believe all people should have the opportunity to live their healthiest lives,” said Isabella De Soriano, Public Health Integrity Manager, Medical Affairs, Healthline Media. “Good health is about more than treating conditions. It’s about access to care, reducing stigma, using conscious language, addressing mental health, and acknowledging systemic inadequacies. That’s what we’re trying to do with TRANSFORM: Health Equity.”

About Healthline Media

San Francisco-based Healthline Media’s mission is to support the everyday journey to lifelong well-being through exceptional services that power healthy actions. The company is the world’s leading digital health publisher with its brands Healthline.com and MedicalNewsToday.com ranked #1 and #4 by Comscore, respectively, and Greatist.com and PsychCentral.com. Each month Healthline Media publishes more than 1,000 evidence-based, medically-accurate articles and videos produced by more than 120 writers and reviewed by more than 100 doctors, clinicians, dietitians, and other experts. The company’s repository contains more than 70,000 articles and videos, each updated with current protocols. More than 250 million people worldwide and 85 million people in the U.S. visit Healthline’s sites each month, according to data from Google Analytics and Comscore, respectively. Healthline Media is owned by Red Ventures.

Contacts

Stacey Grimsrud

Bospar Public Relations

415.271.1028

Stacey@bospar.com