How Deloitte is Helping MHR Improve Health Equity
Mental Health Resources is one of Constellation’s current high-impact grantees, offering physical and mental support services for people affected by mental illness and substance use disorders. Each year, MHR serves more than 13,000 people across Minnesota, with an impressive 92% of clients reporting an improvement in wellbeing.
The Challenge: Understanding Healthcare Equity
MHR identified an important question that many successful nonprofits eventually face: As their services reach increasingly diverse populations, how can they ensure their impact is transformative for everyone? MHR wanted to examine patterns in visits among clients with serious and persistent mental illness, giving particular attention to any differences in healthcare access between white clients and clients of color.
Beyond Dollars was able to connect MHR with a team from Deloitte, one of the world’s leading professional services firms. Deloitte’s commitment to making “an impact that matters” aligned well with MHR’s mission and Constellation’s values.
Building on Strengths: What the Analysis Revealed
The project reinforced many strengths in MHR’s model. MHR showed a high benefit-cost ratio by improving both physical and mental health outcomes, maintained strong satisfaction ratings from both clients and case managers, and had achieved improved participation rates in their programming. MHR’s performance consistently exceeded benchmarks, with client satisfaction ratings in three of four key areas surpassing both Minnesota and national standards.
The Deloitte analysis also identified several opportunities that could help MHR extend their reach. Deloitte’s recommendations focused on enhancing health education programs specifically designed for communities of color, expanding partnerships with culturally responsive healthcare providers, and strengthening collaborative relationships with organizations to help address capacity challenges.
Rather than suggesting fundamental changes to MHR’s successful model, Deloitte’s recommendations were intentional and strategic, building upon existing strengths while creating new pathways to ensure MHR’s services reach people experiencing poverty with equity and effectiveness.
The Power of Beyond Dollars
This partnership illustrates exactly how Beyond Dollars enables Constellation’s bright stars, our remarkable grantees, to shine even brighter. Consulting resources can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, often out of reach for many poverty-fighting organizations like MHR. And for Deloitte, the engagement provided their talented professionals with a meaningful opportunity to apply their skills toward building brighter futures in the Twin Cities.
