In February 2021, the Kern County Public Health Department and First 5 Kern, formed the Black Infant and Maternal Health Initiative (BIMHI). The goal of BIMHI is to address the health gaps seen in the County’s Black mothers, babies, and children. BIMHI is made up of local government organizations, community-based groups, non-profits, and community members. Over the course of 2021 and 2022, BIMHI made a 3-year plan to learn, inform, and make an impact on the health of Kern County’s Black mothers and children.
As part of that work, our subgroup will conduct four focus groups to learn about barriers to finding and/or using mental health services. The focus will be on stories from black mothers, their partners, other family members, and mental health experts. Results from the focus groups will be shared with BIMHI’s Steering Committee. The goal is to use these local stories to drive goals in future plans.
The focus groups will be meeting on June 23 and 24, 2023.
Light snacks will be served. At this time, BIMHI cannot provide childcare and transportation to the focus groups. If you would like to take part in the focus groups, please fill out our poll below. Focus groups will have no more than 15 participants and will be chosen on a first-come basis. We thank you for your time and input.