PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. — Leaders in Prince George's County say resources are limited and so is funding, but two women are on a mission to highlight the importance of mental health in the black community after struggling with suicidal thoughts themselves.
Five years ago Jordan Scott and T-Kea Blackman were complete strangers when they met inside a Prince George’s County hospital.
"I think it was my last day and her first day. We just always had a connection, you know, our struggles with our mental health," said Scott.
Scott was there after having suicidal thoughts. Blackman was there for attempting to take her own life.
"I lost my 13-year-old cousin to suicide and I am a suicide attempt survivor," shared Blackman.
The two turned their pain into passion and launched the podcast and non profit “Black People Die by Suicide Too” normalizing the conversation about suicide in the black community.
"I feel like oftentimes for African Americans, there's a thought that suicide doesn't happen to us...that is an issue that only affects white people...but that isn't true," said Scott.
"I was scared. You know, I didn't want to be labeled as crazy or in the black community. You're supposed to be strong. You know, we overcame slavery and we're not slaves anymore...like why are you struggling," added Blackman.
The pair says resources are key when treating someone dealing with mental health challenges.
"I actually worked as a peer support specialist in one of our county hospitals," said Scott.
Scott says she struggled finding the right programs within the county for her patients.
"I would often have to send people out to Anne Arundel or St. Mary's...a lot of times Baltimore city. I feel like there definitely is room for growth with behavioral health services here in the county," said Scott.
Luminus Health in Lanham offers behavioral health services, but Prince George’s county council vice-chair Wala Blegay says the county needs more facilities.
“The answer really is increasing mental health services. We have a lot of people suffering from mental health, with really nowhere to go," said Blegay.
According to the US Census Bureau just under one million people live in Prince George’s county, and 64% are African American. A 2018 study found that while the suicide rate of Black children between the ages of 5 and 12 is low, it’s nearly twice that of white children in the same age group.
According to the Prince George’s County Health Departmen,t there are only two designated psychiatric observation beds available for minors, both located at the University of Maryland Capital Region Hospital in Largo. Councilmember Blegay says the goal is to increase services, especially for children in the county but with budget cuts looming , she’s unsure how realistic that goal is.
"The money is not there, and so we have to come up with ways to try to see what we can do, we maybe we can repurpose what's already there," said Blegay.
When WUSA9 reached out to the Prince George's County Health Department regarding the amount of beds available for children experiencing mental health crises, a spokesperson sent us the following statement:
During a recent mental health town hall meeting, Dr. Levy highlighted the limited availability of inpatient beds for minors experiencing mental health crises in the county. The county currently has only two designated psychiatric observation beds available in its emergency department, both located at the University of Maryland Capital Region Hospital in Largo, Maryland. However, the Prince George’s County Health Department is actively working to address this issue by expanding the number of available behavioral health services for county youth. One way is with the Hazel teletherapy program, a telehealth mental health service provided in Prince George’s County Public Schools. The Health Department will be allocating 1.8 million to cover the cost of telehealth care for the entire year to all students in Prince George's County. This will allow county students to access remote care from a licensed mental health professional. Furthermore, this year, the Prince George’s County Health Department received two grant awards from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) - the Healthy Transitions grant and the System of Care grant. These grants will provide a total of $7.75 million over five years to support the behavioral health needs of children, youth, young adults, and their families to improve their outcomes.
In the meantime Scott and Blackman are hoping their stories will save lives through their podcast and non-profit.
"I really want to do more, not just in the community, but also on the policy level, as well. I submitted my application for PHD program to study black youth suicide prevention," said Blackman.
"There are a lot of people that that didn't make it through this and I don't take it for granted," said Scott.
If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255). You can also text a crisis counselor by messaging the Crisis Text Line at 741741. It is free, available 24/7, and confidential.