The Greenville County Medical Association has a new president this year. Although records of its leadership are not preserved back to his founding in 1891, it is believed that Dr. Frank Clark was the first black physician to serve as president. Mr. Clark is an outpatient psychiatrist at Prisma Health's Greer Psychiatric Center and a clinical associate professor at the University of South Carolina Greenville School of Medicine. “The first thing I bring to the table is lived experience. As an African American man who has experienced depression himself, I want people in my community to see me as someone who walks the walk and not just talks the talk.” I feel that's important,” Clark said. Recent studies have shown that black communities have higher levels of mental health incidents, but not necessarily higher levels. Of care. “In communities of color, there's often still a stigma around mental health. I want to break down that stigma. One of the ways I can do that is through my own lived experiences and stories.” “It's about sharing,” Clark said. He said. “I want to be a beacon of hope and light, not just for the Black community, but for all communities. When people see me in this position as the current president, I want them to know that their worn-out identities are I want them to see me as someone who has helped them thrive.'' Mr. Clark said it was important to him to embody the traits of a good leader: honesty, transparency, and vulnerability. Mental health affects all ages, whether it's young children, adults, or the elderly. We work with different individuals and different stakeholders in the community to raise awareness of mental health conditions and substance abuse disorders and help them understand that we are not immune to mental health conditions. I hope so. “Depression is no different than high blood pressure,” Clark said. Clark encourages anyone who thinks they may be suffering from a mental health condition to seek treatment. “It's important not to be silent. Often people worry that they'll be seen as crazy or crazy, but that's not the case. Everyone is hurting in some way. ,” Clark said. Mr. Clark recommended the use of 988. A hotline for people struggling with mental health issues or seeking help in the faith community if they are not comfortable in a traditional clinic setting. Clark had a message for anyone considering entering the field of psychiatry. “We need you. We need more psychiatrists. We're seeing changes on many fronts as psychiatrists in their 50s and 60s retire. We need more people to meet the needs of a diverse population,” Clark said. “As a Black psychiatrist, I make up 2% of the psychiatric workforce, and that has to change. We need more psychiatrists who are representative of the communities they serve. Clark is also a published poet, author of two children's books, and a dedicated writer. to his daughter.
The Greenville County Medical Association has a new president this year, and although records of its leadership are not preserved dating back to its founding in 1891, Dr. Frank Clark is believed to be the first black physician to serve as president. There is.
Clark is an outpatient psychiatrist at Prisma Health's Greer Psychiatric Center and a clinical associate professor at the University of South Carolina Greenville School of Medicine.
“The first thing I bring to the table is lived experience. As an African-American man who has experienced depression myself, I want people in my community to see me as someone who not only talks the talk, but walks the walk.” I feel it’s important to receive,” Clark said.
Recent the study It shows that black communities have higher levels of mental health incidents, but not necessarily higher levels of care.
“In communities of color, there is often still a stigma around mental health. I want to break down that stigma, and one of the ways I can do that is by sharing my lived experiences and stories. “That's what we do,” Clark said. He said. “I want to be a beacon of hope and light, not just for the Black community, but for all communities. When people see me in this position as the current president, I want them to know that their worn-out identities are I want them to see me as someone who helped them prosper, but I also had my struggles.”
Clark said it's important to embody the traits of a good leader: honesty, transparency and vulnerability.
“Mental health extends to all ages, whether young children, adults, or the elderly. My hope is to work with different individuals and different stakeholders in the community to help address mental health conditions and substance abuse disorders. “We need to make sure we understand that we are not immune to mental health conditions. Depression is no different than diabetes. Depression The disease is no different than high blood pressure,” Clark said.
Clark encourages anyone who believes they may be suffering from a mental health condition to seek care. “It's important not to be silent. Often people worry that they will be seen or thought to be crazy, but that is not the case. Everyone is hurt in some way. “There are,” Clark said.
Mr Clark encouraged those with mental health concerns or seeking help in faith communities if they are uncomfortable in a traditional clinic setting to use the 988 hotline. .
Mr. Clark had a message for those considering entering the field of psychiatry. “We need you. We need more psychiatrists. We're seeing change on many fronts as psychiatrists in their 50s and 60s are retiring. We need a new brand. . We need more people to meet the needs of a diverse population,” Clark said. “As a Black psychiatrist, I make up 2% of the psychiatrist workforce and this has to change. We need more psychiatrists who are representative of our communities. I am.”
Clark is also a published poet and has written two children's books dedicated to her daughter.
