Statement on Racism and Commitment for Action

Throughout history, Black, Indigenous and people of color have been repeatedly traumatized by racism and racist structures. Research indicates that racism and discrimination adversely affect both physical and mental health. At Touchstone, we believe that recovery from mental illness requires a focus on whole-person wellness, not simply treating mental illness in isolation.

We are committed to helping people recover from mental illness and develop the skills they need to live well in their communities. We are working toward a future that is equitable and safe for everyone. And we are actively working to identify and dismantle bias in the mental health system. Here is how we’re taking action:

• We commit to continuing our work in our community to improve access to mental health services and reporting on our impact.
• We commit to working with our partners in the cities and counties in our community to improve the response to mental and behavioral health crises and reducing our reliance on 911 for a police response.
• We commit to on-going diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) training for our staff and board of directors and reporting on this initiative. This education will cover topics such as systemic racism and other forms of bias and culturally responsive care.
• We commit to examine, implement, and report on human resources practices that focus on improving the recruitment and retention of individuals that are Black, Indigenous or people of color.
• We commit to continue to diversify our leadership staff and board of directors and reporting on our progress in our annual report.

Read our full Statement on Systemic Racism and Mental Health Disparities and Commitment for Action

Land Acknowledgment Statement

We recognize that our programs exist on traditional Dakota land. We have posted a land acknowledgement statement and Dakota land map at each of our programs.

Read our Land Acknowledgement Statement