A Mental Health Moment
When Help Exists but People Still Cannot Get Help
By Bernadette Joy Graham, MA, LPCC (OH), Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor
The Truth Contributor
Toledo needs a more candid conversation about Black mental health—one that extends beyond providing a crisis telephone number. Public messages, billboards and awareness campaigns repeatedly assure residents that help is available; however, availability does not guarantee access. A Black mother experiencing depression may contact several providers only to learn that they are not accepting new patients or her insurance. A Black father may avoid treatment because prior experiences have undermined his trust in the healthcare system.
A parent whose teenager says, “I do not want to be here anymore,” may be directed from one agency to another without receiving an immediate assessment. A Black veteran experiencing trauma, depression or homelessness may face extensive paperwork, eligibility requirements, transportation barriers or a lengthy waiting list. In each case, another telephone number, referral, application or delayed appointment may deepen frustration rather than provide timely care.
As a licensed clinical mental health therapist as well as a Black female veteran, I have spent my career not just providing therapy and counseling but also mental health advocacy. I strongly believe in counseling and mental health treatment. I also recognize an important distinction: resources may exist without being truly accessible. A resource is not truly accessible if people do not know it exists, cannot reach it, cannot afford it, cannot qualify for it, cannot get an appointment or cannot remain connected to care long enough to become stable.
This current year of 2026 requires us to ask a different question. The problem is not that Toledo has no plans. In fact, there are significant plans. The Lucas County Community Health Improvement Plan for 2024–2027 identifies mental health and addiction as a priority outcome and explicitly incorporates the Toledo Black Agenda into its strategy for addressing community conditions.
The plan’s Toledo Black Agenda strategy calls for increasing awareness of, and addressing, racism and the lack of health equity. It specifically calls for supporting and aligning with recommendations of the Toledo Black Agenda, incorporating a “Health in All Policies” approach, and engaging Black residents in developing programs intended to serve the Black community.
It also identifies measures involving experiences of racial discrimination and whether residents believe their healthcare experience was worse because of race. That is meaningful. It means racial health equity is not simply being discussed informally. It has been incorporated into a formal county health-improvement strategy. But we also need to understand what that means—and what it does not mean.
A plan is not an outcome. Cultural-competency training is not automatically culturally competent care. A community meeting is not treatment. A billboard is not an appointment. And a referral is not the same thing as receiving help. The real measure of success should ultimately be what happens to the person who needs care.
Take a mental health moment to reflect on and discuss a persistent challenge in Toledo, within the Black community, and throughout society: mental health is an essential component of overall health and must be treated as an integral part of every person’s healthcare. Although public awareness has reduced some stigma, individuals, families, and children still face serious risks created by visible and unseen pressures, including grief, trauma, housing instability, financial strain, discrimination, social isolation and untreated illness.
Consider a person experiencing severe depression who gathers the courage to seek help, calls several advertised telephone numbers, reaches disconnected lines, outdated programs, or agencies that no longer provide the service described. Another person may complete an intake, disclose painful personal information, and then learn that the first available appointment is months away, that the provider does not accept the person’s insurance, or that transportation and work obligations make attendance impossible.
A parent seeking urgent help for a child may be transferred repeatedly, told to complete additional forms or advised to call another agency without receiving a timely assessment or a clear safety plan. A person in crisis may then interpret these repeated barriers as evidence that meaningful help is unavailable. The resulting exhaustion, disappointment, and distrust are not stigma; they are understandable responses to a system that has failed to provide timely, consistent, and accessible care. During a crisis, that frustration can intensify distress and contribute to harmful thoughts, emotions, and behaviors related to seeking mental healthcare.
People’s lives are at stake, as are communities in Toledo. Maybe a better plan is for organizations to become more cognizant of the outcomes they seek and then devise solutions and plans that are available realistically… not just on paper, not just for a board meeting but for people suffering in real time. It’s time; it has been time, and we owe people more than an ad, a billboard, a phone number that says to leave a message after 5pm, or a considerable waitlist.
If you or a loved one is in crisis, please do call 988 or go to the nearest hospital. Do not give up. Help is available. Stay persistent.
Bernadette Joy Graham has been working and advocating within mental healthcare for over 20 years. She provides individual therapy to adults and specializes in grief and bereavement. She diagnoses and treats many mental health challenges. Bernadette provides mental health advocacy through speaking engagements, writing, and educating the public on mental health. She is an active-duty Air Force Veteran. For appointments, please call 419.866.8232. You may contact her for advocacy or questions at: graham.bernadette@gmail.com