The Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) was awarded nearly $3.5 million from the US Department of Health and Human Services to establish a first-of-its-kind national Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Behavioral Health Center of Excellence.
AANHPIs are the fastest-growing ethnic minority group in the country, yet are the least likely group to receive care for mental illness. More than 76% of AANHPI individuals who have been diagnosed with a mental illness and 93% of those with substance use disorder do not receive treatment.
Additionally, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that in 2019, Asian Pacific Islanders, ages 15-24 years old, was the only race/ethnicity group in this age category where suicide was the leading cause of death.
The AANHPI Center of Excellence will develop infographics and other materials that address behavioral health, including those that provide data disaggregated by race and ethnicity; provide guidance on best practices for improving engagement and retention of AANHPI behavioral health professionals; and serve as an accessible and trusted clearinghouse for evidence-based behavioral health resources and products.
From March 2020 to March 2022, over 11,500 incidents of AANHPI discrimination were reported by Stop AAPI Hate.
“Truly responsive behavioral health services must address stigma and provide resources that address cultural trauma and culturally-informed treatment,” said Marian Tsuji, Deputy Director of Behavioral Health.
DOH will receive the nearly $3.5 million in federal funds over the next five years. The Center of Excellence will promote culturally and linguistically appropriate behavioral health information and practices; establish a steering committee with participants from across the country to identify emerging issues; and provide training, technical assistance, and consultation to practitioners, educators and community organizations. Key partners include Papa Ola Lokahi and San Jose State University.
“We are honored to lead this national Center of Excellence to bring together cultural practitioners, behavioral health experts, and other stakeholders to ensure that we are meeting systemic behavioral health needs of our diverse communities,” said Tsuiji.
Research on mental health of NHPIs is limited, but studies focused on AANHPIs in general suggest that mental health is highly stigmatized, with limited help-seeking from these communities. Social stigma, shame, religion, and lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate services, may prevent many community members from talking about mental health and seeking care when needed.
AANHPIs include people with ancestry from the continent of Asia and the Pacific Islands from over 50 ethnicities, with over 100 languages and dialects.
DOH will receive the nearly $3.5 million in federal funds over the next five years. The Center of Excellence will promote culturally and linguistically appropriate behavioral health information and practices; establish a steering committee with participants from across the country to identify emerging issues; and provide training, technical assistance, and consultation to practitioners, educators and community organizations. Key partners include Papa Ola Lokahi and San Jose State University.
“We are honored to lead this national Center of Excellence to bring together cultural practitioners, behavioral health experts, and other stakeholders to ensure that we are meeting systemic behavioral health needs of our diverse communities,” said Tsuiji.
Research on mental health of NHPIs is limited, but studies focused on AANHPIs in general suggest that mental health is highly stigmatized, with limited help-seeking from these communities. Social stigma, shame, religion, and lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate services, may prevent many community members from talking about mental health and seeking care when needed.
AANHPIs include people with ancestry from the continent of Asia and the Pacific Islands from over 50 ethnicities, with over 100 languages and dialects.
AANHPIs are the fastest-growing ethnic minority group in the country, yet are the least likely group to receive care for mental illness. More than 76% of AANHPI individuals who have been diagnosed with a mental illness and 93% of those with substance use disorder do not receive treatment.
Additionally, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that in 2019, Asian Pacific Islanders, ages 15-24 years old, was the only race/ethnicity group in this age category where suicide was the leading cause of death.
The AANHPI Center of Excellence will develop infographics and other materials that address behavioral health, including those that provide data disaggregated by race and ethnicity; provide guidance on best practices for improving engagement and retention of AANHPI behavioral health professionals; and serve as an accessible and trusted clearinghouse for evidence-based behavioral health resources and products.
From March 2020 to March 2022, over 11,500 incidents of AANHPI discrimination were reported by Stop AAPI Hate.
On January 26, 2021, President Biden issued the Memorandum Condemning and Combating Racism, Xenophobia, and Intolerance against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States, which calls for the federal government to address this issue.
Agencies across the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – including SAMHSA – in coordination with the COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, are working together to advance cultural competency, language access and sensitivity toward AAPIs within the federal COVID-19 response. In addition, on May 20, 2021, President Biden signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act to reduce the number of hate crimes against AANHPIs by expediting the hate crime review process through the Department of Justice and providing additional federal grants to local enforcement agencies to address these issues.
“Today’s announcement is a key step in the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to eliminate health disparities affecting AA and NHPI communities,” said Krystal Ka‘ai, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. “This new center will provide access to culturally and linguistically appropriate behavioral health services that are essential as our communities continue to grapple with the effects of the pandemic and anti-Asian violence.”
EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.
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