The Institute of Medicine has identified that racial and ethnic minority youth experience significant barriers tc behavioral health treatment and receive lower quality services than their nonminority counterparts in the United States [1]. Data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health highlight that black and Hispanic adolescents are less likely than white adolescents to receive treatment for substance use disorders (SUDs) [2], the vast majority of which involve marijuana and alcohol misuse [3]. Myriad economic, social, environmental, and individual factors contribute to this access gap. Minority youth are less likely to have health insurance, to be identified and referred for SUD, and to have close geographic proximity to SUD treatment facilities; they may also be more mistrustful of providers and experience competing life stressors [4].
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