NYAPRS Note: NYAPRS is very pleased to learn that Dr. Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, Department of Health and Human Services has a very strong personal and professional commitment in promoting culturally competence and culturally responsive services.
See the following:
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Dr. Delphin-Rittmon currently serves as Connecticut’s Commissioner of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services where she has been “committed to promoting recovery oriented, integrated, and culturally responsive services and systems that foster dignity, respect, and meaningful community inclusion.”
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She previously held the positions of the Department’s Deputy Commissioner, Senior Policy Advisor and Director of the Office of Multicultural Health Equity.
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Dr. Delphin-Rittmon has also served as Director of Cultural Competence and Health Disparities Research and Consultation at Yale’s Program for Recovery and Community Health.
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In May of 2012, she was a co-author of the attached study entitled “Seven Essential Strategies for Promoting and Sustaining Systemic Cultural Competence” along with Raquel Andres-Hyman, Elizabeth H. Flanagan and noted recovery and peer support researcher Larry Davidson, who wrote me a few days ago: ““Miriam has been a staunch advocate for over 20 years for recovery-oriented practice, peer support, and the identification and rectifying of health care disparities in access, quality, and outcomes based on race, ethnicity, and culture.”
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In a past research summary, she wrote that “I am particularly interested in research, training and consulting in areas related provider, organizational, and systems level cultural competence with the ultimate goals of both eliminating behavioral health disparities and creating systems of care that are more person centered and recovery oriented. Some of my specific interests include:
• Conducting technology transfer work with community organizations in areas related to program design and evaluation,
• Designing agency tailored cultural competency training for direct care and administrative staff, and
• Consulting with agencies in the design and implementation of strategic plans focused on the elimination of behavioral health disparities.
Some of my additional research interests include exploring ethnic differences in coping and help seeking behavior, and assessing the impact of race and stereotyping biases on the clinical judgment process.”
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From a 2011 article on the occasion of her appointment to head DMHAS Office of Multicultural Affairs:
“Prior to her appointment as director of the DMHAS Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA), Dr. Delphin-Rittmon worked closely with the office as a consultant on its Health Disparities Initiative and as a member of the DMHAS Multicultural Advisory Council (MCAC).
Dr. Delphin-Rittmon’s interest in multicultural mental health issues is rooted in her personal story. Her family is a reflection of the ever-present force of culture. “My parents were immigrants from Haiti. Branches of my family tree extend through that country as well as Venezuela, Spain, and the United States.” She describes family functions as “a fusion of cultures as represented by food, music, language, and the way we interact with each other.”
An experience during Delphin-Rittmon’s early adulthood—her doctor made assumptions which led to a misdiagnosis—opened her eyes to the impact of biases held by caregivers. “Health care providers are not immune to cultural filters and stereotypes,” she said. “Reflexive decisions can have a negative impact on quality of care and health outcomes.” The belief that the best care considers all aspects of a patient, including that patient’s culture, continues to drive her professional and research interests.”