Behavioral health provider Hurdle Health and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota will launch a teletherapy program geared toward providing mental healthcare to communities of color by the end of 2022.
"Trauma and systemic racism threaten the well-being of individuals and communities and have a direct impact on the health inequities we see in Minnesota," Bukata Hayes, vice president of Racial and Health Equity at Blue Cross, said in a July 20 blog post from the company.
The mental health service will be available to residents in Brooklyn Center, Minn., the state's second-most racially divided city, according to the post. Treatment costs for patients who are uninsured or otherwise cannot afford therapy will be covered by Blue Cross Blue Shield, according to the initiative's website.
"Through our collaboration with Hurdle Health, we are helping to eliminate long-standing barriers to mental healthcare and ensuring that community members receive culturally responsive care rooted in dignity and trust," Mr. Hayes said.