Impact of racism project: OnTrackNY provider perspectives

June 2022

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Amplify OnTrackNY project summaries provide an accessible overview of projects led by Amplify OnTrackNY, including the goals, actions taken, learnings, and next steps. 

Project overview

What is the goal of this project?

The main goal of this project is to understand how racism and discrimination impact the lives of OnTrackNY participants and family members. We also wanted to learn how people coped with these experiences, how OnTrackNY providers currently support participants, and what suggestions they have for how OnTrackNY can better address their needs. We offered both individual interviews as well as group discussions.

What has happened so far?

The Amplify OnTrackNY team interviewed 26 OnTrackNY participants, graduates, and family members of color about their experiences with racism and discrimination. In addition, they interviewed 10 OnTrackNY providers on various teams about how issues of racism and discrimination come up in care.

What's next for the project?

Amplify OnTrackNY is sharing what they have learned, including these themes and specific suggestions, with different groups like the OnTrackNY councils (Participant/Graduate, Family, and Provider Councils) and the OnTrackNY Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) workgroup. 

How will this make a difference?

From these interviews, it is clear that OnTrackNY participants and families have regular experiences with racism and discrimination, and want support from their teams. The feedback and suggestions we received will be used to help improve OnTrackNY in the future.

Exploring OnTrackNY provider perspectives

Who was interviewed?

The Amplify OnTrackNY team interviewed 10 OnTrackNY providers representing all roles in OnTrackNY, about issues of racism and discrimination in routine care. 60% of providers who participated were Black, Hispanic, or Asian, and all but one work in New York City. Below are some common themes that came up during the interviews:

Theme #1: Current team practices

Providers described how they support participants and families who experience racism and discrimination. Some examples of this includes:

• providing a space for participants to talk about their experiences with racism using their own experiences with racism or shared cultural background to connect with participants
• asking about participants’ identity and culture
• asking about how experiences with racism and discrimination may impact treatment and responding to crisis (e.g., concerns about being prescribed certain medications, fears of calling 911 and police response)
   

Theme #2: Provider needs for support

Providers also shared how they sought support for their own experiences of racism and discrimination as well as how they learn to better help participants and families: 

• talking about racism at team meetings, supervision, and informal staff check-ins
• seeking guidance from other staff, especially when helping participants and families to deal with experiences the provider has not personally had
• some had their own support systems outside of OnTrackNY to help them cope (e.g, talking about racism with friends or family members, having a therapist who is also a person of color)
   

Theme #3: Recommendations for OnTrackNY

Providers shared suggestions for how OnTrackNY can enhance services to address racism and discrimination: 

Training: Providers recommended more training to better understand the history, context, and impact of racism and discrimination and how to better support participants. 

Conversations: Providers wanted more guidance on how to talk with participants and families about identify and race, and about experiences of racism & discrimination in care. 

Representation: Providers recommend increasing the racial and ethnic diversity of team members across all roles.

Resources: They also expressed a desire for new resources, including guides on how to ask about racism and discrimination, more OnTrackNY informational materials in other languages, and consultation from experts.

To learn more about this project, email amplify.otny@nyspi.columbia.edu

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