Dr. Heavenly Kimes is speaking up about mental health advocacy.
Kimes recently had an exclusive conversation with theJasmineBrand for the platform’s “Visionaries Only” entrepreneurship series, which included a discussion about how her son’s encounter with the legal system prompted her to research the connections between mental health and incarceration.
Kimes’ son, Damon Kimes Jr., was arrested in Georgia in February 2023 on an aggravated-assault charge involving a Georgia State University police officer. According to court documents discussed on Married to Medicine, prosecutors alleged that he drove his vehicle toward the officer. The legal situation later became a major source of tension within the Kimes family.
Kimes said her husband, Dr. Damon Kimes, was able to secure their son’s release the following day and obtain a strong attorney. She acknowledged that many families facing similar circumstances may not have the same level of support.
“Most Black men don’t have the resources or the connections to have that happen,” Kimes said.
The experience led her to look beyond her family’s circumstances and examine the broader challenges people can face when mental health needs intersect with the criminal justice system. Kimes said she wanted to find a way to turn the experience into something constructive. “What can I do to help?” That question, she said, ultimately pushed her toward mental health advocacy.
Kimes said one of the most significant needs she identified was greater access to mental health crisis centers. “One thing that we needed tremendously was crisis centers for mental health,” she said. She described creating crisis centers as an ongoing goal and said her advocacy is intended to reach not only Black communities but underserved communities more broadly.
For Kimes, what began as a deeply personal experience has evolved into a larger mission to help families who may not have the resources hers did. By advocating for greater access to mental health care and crisis services, the “Married to Medicine” star hopes to help create alternatives for people whose mental health struggles might otherwise bring them into contact with the criminal justice system.
