By Jennifer Torres San Joaquin County’s mental health office is seeking help from a community organization to build trust among Muslim and Middle Eastern residents, who traditionally have been underserved in mental health programs. The effort is part of a wider county plan to improve mental health among Middle Eastern and Muslim, Laotian, Hmong, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Latino, American Indian and black communities and also people who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. The county will work with community agencies representing each of those groups to provide education, strengthen relationships and ultimately improve access to mental health care, Deputy Director Becky Gould said.
