# Navigating Resource-Constrained Systems and Communities to Promote the Behavioral Health of Black Youth

> **NIH NIH R01** · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $749,387

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Black youth living in poverty-impacted communities are disproportionately burdened by behavioral health
challenges, notably serious disruptive behavioral difficulties (DBDs). Without access to care, children with
DBDs frequently suffer serious impairment. This study is based on the premise that if care navigation models
are going to succeed in eliminating racial disparities in child mental health care, then the preparation and
support for child behavioral health navigators (cbhNs) needs to include: 1) training to deliver evidence-based
family engagement, psychoeducation and support interventions; 2) ongoing coaching and supervision focused
on building collaborative relationships between families and provider partners and; 3) skills to enhance
community/system buy-in, as well as to analyze and interrupt multi-level structural influences on disparities and
system gaps.
involves
individuals
STL.
integrates
education,
The proposed study (in response to PAR 18-428) will be conducted in 2 phases. Phase 1
the r ecruitment and training of a new cohort of cbhNs (n=15), intentionally involving committed
of color from an existing community-based network of outh service system partners, HomeGrown
CbhNs will be prepared to collaborate with youth/families via an interactive training protocol which
existing vidence-based approaches, including engagement interventions 19 , family support and
adapted care navigation models and empirically supported implementation strategies to address
y
e
barriers. Phase 2 is a mixed methods, hybrid effectiveness implementation experimental study, enrolling 390
early adolescent youth (10 to 14 years) of African descent and their families living in geographically defined St.
Louis north city and county neighborhoods (racially segregated areas with high poverty concentration). The
study aims to simultaneously examine multi-level factors that enhance or impede cbhN interaction and
youth/family outcomes. In
stakeholders,
addition, the study explores the response to cbhNs by key network and system
as well as of the cbhNs.This study is being conducted by a transdisciplinary network of
scientists at Washington University in St. Louis and New York University in collaboration with St. Louis service
organizations, policy officials and the HomeGrown STL Advisory Board. This application aligns with NIH's
priorities to address underlying health disparities, as well as to enhance public health impact of mental health
focused research studies.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10475697
- **Project number:** 5R01MH116895-04
- **Recipient organization:** WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Mary McKernan McKay
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $749,387
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-08-01 → 2024-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10475697

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10475697, Navigating Resource-Constrained Systems and Communities to Promote the Behavioral Health of Black Youth (5R01MH116895-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10475697. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*