DEIW – Mental Health Connecticut

DEIW (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Wellness)

Established in 1908, Mental Health Connecticut, Inc. (MHC) has a long standing history of combatting the stigma and discrimination associated with a mental health diagnosis, co-occurring conditions, and their associated symptoms. Founded by the “Grandfather of Mental Health Reform,” MHC embraces the necessity of change and evolution for society to learn, grow, and advance. As society continues to face stigma in all forms, MHC is committed to combat them both internally for the safety and wellness of our employees and participants as well as externally for that of our communities across the state of Connecticut.

MHC is a statewide, nonprofit organization with a mission to partner with individuals, families, and communities to create environments that support long-term health and wellness. In order to meet this mission, we promote and practice cultural humility, antiracism, and allyship. We meet people where they are in order to work together for a more just, welcoming, and safe community for everyone.

Cultural Competency, Humility, and Inclusion Plan
Last updated in 2022, MHC’s Cultural Competency, Humility, and Inclusion Plan outlines our organization wide commitment to DEIW. At MHC, we believe that competency is the mastering of a skillset of knowledge while humility is the acceptance of the unknown and the willingness to learn and grow. Both are necessary in this work and are incorporated into our plan for a more inclusive work environment. Trainings for general knowledge and understanding of other cultures are paired with open discussions and sharing sessions to promote an ongoing practice of learning, unlearning, and learning again. Current goals for the 2022 – 2025 plan include:

Create an environment that is inclusive and welcoming for all individuals
Increase opportunities for staff to practice Cultural Humility with fellow co-workers and ingrain this practice into MHC’s core values of Safety, Respect, Support, Accountability, and Trust
Diversify partnerships and Leadership Team
Increase Board involvement and education in DEI efforts
Promote DEI efforts to the public

Additional information outlined in MHC’s Cultural Competency, Humility, and Inclusion Plan are as follows:

MHC’s Antiracism Statement

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement
Mental Health Connecticut, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, age, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, religion, citizenship, national origin/ancestry, physical/mental disabilities, military status or any other basis prohibited by law.

Affirmative Action Policy (in summary)
It is the policy of Mental Health Connecticut (MHC) to provide Equal Employment Opportunity and Equal Volunteer Opportunity to all people without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, genetic information, past or present history of mental disorder, physical or intellectual developmental disability including blindness, pregnancy or any other physical characteristic protected by law and to promote the full realization of that policy through a positive and continuing Affirmative Action plan.

MHC is fully committed to assuring equal opportunity and equal consideration in personnel matters (including hiring, training, promotions, salaries, transfers, and layoffs or terminations) and in the operation of all its services and programs including the recruitment, training, assignment and recognition of volunteers.

Vendor Diversity Policy Statement (in summary)
Mental Health Connecticut, Inc. (“MHC”) acknowledges the purpose and need for affirmative action, intentional inclusion of historically under represented populations, and equal opportunity for the vendors it employs as immediate and necessary objectives of this agency.

MHC is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and we fully commit to make our best efforts to overcome all barriers in contracting with our vendors in order to achieve the full and fair participation of all protected groups under federal and state law, regardless of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, veteran status, disability or genetic information. Accordingly, for each protected class of persons subject to equal employment opportunity, the agency’s policies and objectives shall be in direct compliance with all federal and state constitutional provisions, laws, regulations, guidelines, and executive orders that prohibit or outlaw discrimination, and shall be considered to be part of this policy statement.

Therefore, all vendors will be evaluated and contracts structured when applicable to make sure they do not present artificial barriers to any protected group. MHC will make every effort to provide new vendor contract opportunities to individuals identifying in the following categories:

(1) Black or African American (a person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa)
(2) Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx (a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race)
(3) Asian (a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam)
(4) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands)
(5) Native American/American Indian/Indigenous” (a person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America) and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment.)
(6) LQBTQ+
(7) women
(8) veteran
(9) having a mental or physical disability

In keeping with this policy, we recognize the contracting difficulties experienced by individuals categorized above including older persons and we shall continue to place special emphasis on the elimination of such difficulties to assure the full and fair utilization of such persons in our contracting and purchasing policy.

MHC’s Investment in DEIW
In 2020, MHC made a commitment and investment to boost our Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity efforts at MHC. To name a of few of the many strides we’ve made in the last 2 years: the Equity, Social Justice & Antiracism (ESJA) Advisory Committee was founded, MHC publicly shared it’s Antiracism statement, MHC created the role of DEI & Engagement Coordinator, MHC partnered with ExecMommyGroup to conduct a DEI assessment and build upon our DEI strategy, and all MHC employees and Board members participated in an “Intro to DEI” training to ensure a common language and understanding of the importance of inclusion in the workplace.

Equity, Social Justice & Antiracism (ESJA) Advisory Committee:

Of note, this committee has established monthly educational offerings to staff which includes a series called the “ESJA Learning Collaborative.” This series is open to all staff, with the intention of not only educating employees on matters under the DEIW umbrella, but to open and encourage a productive dialogue among staff that allows for safe and brave spaces to be part of the MHC work environment. Each meeting is hosted virtually by a rotating member of the committee. The meeting consists of a 30 minute presentation and 30 minute open forum discussion to follow. Past sessions have included:

- - Discussing DEI in the Workplace
  - Knowing the Difference Between Bigotry and Oppression
  - White Supremacy Marginalized: Then and Now
  - Intergenerational Trauma: The Impact of Family History & Strategies to Cope
  - Road to Cultural Appreciation: Demystifying Cultural Appropriation and Misappropriation
  - Growing Up in an Immigrant Family
  - Debunking the Myths Behind Critical Race Theory
  - LGBTQ+ History, Health & Inclusion

The committee meets monthly to discuss and build recommendations to the Executive Team to improve MHC’s DEI efforts. The committee is responsible for the creation of MHC’s Antiracism Statement, the creation and distribution of an internal guidebook entitled, “Trigger Warning: A History of Unknowingly Offensive Words and Phrases,” a resource guide for LGBTQ+ community and support groups, health services, hotlines, legal and advocacy information, and educational resources across Connecticut, and a Language Resource for those interested in learning Spanish, ASL, French, or other languages. The committee is also tasked with working with the DEI & Engagement Coordinator on annual reviews of the organization’s Cultural Competency, Humility, and Inclusion Plan.

DEI & Engagement Coordinator: Jacquilyn Davis started at MHC in 2015 as the Executive Assistant to the President & CEO. Her background in event planning and fundraising for nonprofits soon transitioned her to work as Marketing & Development Coordinator. During her tenure, Jacquilyn showed a passion for education and social justice. Following the death of George Floyd, Jacquilyn shared her desire to incorporate her passion into her day to day work and make a positive impact for her team and community. With the unanimous support of the Executive Team, the ESJA Advisory Committee was born and Jacquilyn continues to act as Chair.

By 2021, the actions and progress of this committee as well as MHC’s increasing investment in DEIW created a need for a dedicated employee to focus on furthering these efforts. By June 2021, Jacquilyn was named DEI & Engagement Coordinator of MHC. Jacquilyn has since earned the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace Certificate from the University of South Florida, Muma College of Business, the Inclusive Workplace Culture Specialty Certificate from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Jacquilyn has presented to national audiences at the 2021 Mental Health America Annual Conference and as part of a panel discussion entitled, “Effective Business Practices in Workplace Mental Health” in 2022. In 2023, Jacquilyn was promoted to Director of Workplace Mental Health & DEI. As part of the Human Resource team at MHC, Jacquilyn works toward the advancement of MHC’s DEIW efforts for the betterment of MHC staff, participants, and the communities across Connecticut.