Why Angel Encourages You to Review Work 2 Be Well by Providence Health

My community involvement really shows what I'm passionate about.

I'm a local advocate for the LGBTQ community working on fundraising and mentoring local youth. I also do a lot with our local All Nations Health Center Indigenous groups at the U of M and our public schools. I'm also a strong advocate for women's rights, and work with our local YWCA to spread awareness of racial, gender, ethnic and other forms of bias experienced by women and people of color in our community.

And the No. 1 thing I feel the strongest about is spreading awareness about our Transgender community, educating people and encouraging acceptance.

At the end of the day, I really just want everyone to treat each other with respect and be kind, but I know that some of these populations are more vulnerable to mental health issues or to not receiving treatment for mental health issues.

We have a great resource in our community called Work 2 Be Well by Providence Health. According to Work 2 Be Well:

• A survey of LGBTQ youth revealed that 68 percent of them said "they have experienced depression, anxiety or suicidal thoughts in the last year."
• Racial and ethnic minorities are almost 35 percent less likely to seek the mental health care they need — perhaps because of "language barriers, cultural beliefs, access to care or diversity of care providers."
• You might not hear as much now about eating disorders as you did years ago, but they are still very common in the United States.

Work 2 Be Well by Providence Health is passionate about providing help to everyone in our community, from members of minority groups to people trying to cope with depression or anxiety in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. To learn how you can #work2bewell, visit work2bewell.org/wellnessresources.