A public health advocate is set to release an app aimed at improving access for black men to mental health services.
Kevin Dedner, a public health advocate, plans to release the Henry Health app in the Washington, D.C., metro area in September, according to a report by Black Enterprise.
The application would allow black men to download and sign into the platform. From there, they’ll be asked to take an assessment. Paying subscribers will be paired with a therapist post-assessment, and all users will have access to self-care support.
In a Q&A with Black Enterprise, Dedner said black men have unique experiences living in America and it’s important for physicians to be culturally sensitive and competent when they treat black people. He also said daily experiences can be traumatic and have a negative impact on black men’s emotional well-being, physical health and life expectancy.
Dedner hopes the Henry Health app will help increase the life expectancy of black men by 10 years within the next 25 years, while shifting the conversation around accessing mental health services in the black community.
"It's naive to think that the experiences that black men have just on a normal day are good for our emotional and mental health,” Dedner said in the report. “From being accused of plagiarism in college because the professor couldn't imagine that I could write to being pulled over by the police multiple times as a teenager and an adult, these are examples of what every black man experiences in daily life."
Danielle covers Clinical Innovation & Technology as a senior news writer for TriMed Media. Previously, she worked as a news reporter in northeast Missouri and earned a journalism degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She's also a huge fan of the Chicago Cubs, Bears and Bulls.