White House convenes summit addressing mental health needs of AA and NHPI

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Krystal Ka'ai, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. 

This year's mass shooters in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay, the suicide of popular singer Coco Lee, the trauma suffered by Asian American elders in the season of anti-Asian hate are all recent examples of the growing need to address the mental health needs of Asian Americans.

“Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders face unique barriers to behavioral health care, and today’s summit is a critical step in destigmatizing psychological needs, improving health outcomes, and expanding access to quality, affordable mental health services for our communities,” said Krystal Ka‘ai, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. 

July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month and last week, the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) hosted an in-person summit focused on improving equity and access to behavioral health care for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) communities.

“Our national survey data shows that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders have significant mental health needs and concerns,” said Dr. Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, HHS Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and leader of SAMHSA, which co-hosted the July 20 mental health summit. 

Held in recognition of National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, the historic event featured officials from key federal agencies, mental health professionals, researchers, federal policymakers, community organizations, and Biden-Harris Administration leaders -- including members of President Biden’s Cabinet. Through five issue-specific conversations, attendees worked to identify innovative federal and local solutions for the unique behavioral health challenges AA and NHPIs face.

“The well-being of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander individuals and families hold tremendous significance in our efforts to build a healthier nation,” said Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra. 

“At HHS, we embrace cultural competency and are committed to making behavioral health services accessible to underserved communities. This inaugural event will help to strengthen our efforts around behavioral health for AA and NHPIs,” said Becerra.

AA and NHPI communities have been deeply impacted by America’s mental health crisis, with the COVID-19 pandemic and anti-Asian sentiment fueling a rise in depression, anxiety, stress, and physical symptoms. 

According to federal data, in 2020, suicide was the leading cause of death among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, ages 10 to 19, and the second leading cause of death among those ages 20-34. 

The political and cultural conditions that have generated anti-Asian hate has created a shaky mental health environment for AA and NHPIs.

The mental health woes are compounded because AA and NHPIs are some of the least likely communities to seek mental health treatment due to longstanding barriers – including cultural stigma, the lack of culturally competent care providers, and language barriers.

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra spoke at the first ever AA and NHPI mental health summit
held at the White House.

The July 20 event, the first AA and NHPI mental health summit ever convened the Biden-Harris Administration, is the direct result of a May 2022 recommendation from the President’s Advisory Commission on AA and NHPIs. It also follows the release of the Administration’s first-ever national strategy to advance equity and opportunity for AA and NHPI communities in January 2023, and builds on President Biden’s comprehensive national strategy to transform how mental health is understood and treated.

In May 2021, President Joe Biden re-established and reinvigorated the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders through Executive Order 14031. The Initiative engages federal agencies to improve interagency policymaking, program development, and outreach, and address barriers impacting AA and NHPIs across the country.

“If we want to raise the bar in education, we must ensure our students feel safe, seen, and supported while at school. Yet the pandemic led to troubling declines in mental health for all students, including our Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian students,” said US Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.

“Because the AA and NHPI population is not monolithic, it is important to not only recognize the health disparities the whole community faces, but also the specific, distinct health inequities among these communities.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.

Breaking the Silence: Congressional Reps want May 10 declared as AANHPI Mental Health Day

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Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders have traditionally  been reluctant to seek mental health assistance. In an attempt to bring attention to this silent statistic, the first Congressional resolution was introduced to recognize May 10 as AANHPI Mental Health Day.

“Our mental health is impacted by all aspects of our lives, yet it is a topic that AANHPIs seldom talk about," read a statement from the National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA). "This resolution can play a critical role in raising awareness around the importance of having difficult conversations while also recognizing that mental health is also about celebrating who we are as we embrace our cultural heritage.”

May 10 has been recognized as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Mental Health Day in the State of California since 2010, but is not a federally recognized day yet. 

This federal resolution calls upon members of Congress to promote national awareness of mental health issues unique to the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community and urges State and local health agencies across the nation to improve the quality and availability of mental health services for this population. 

According to data collected by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), AANHPIs have the lowest help-seeking rate of any racial/ethnic group, with only 23.3% of AANHPI adults with a mental illness receiving treatment in 2019. 

RELATED: How the mental health system fails AANHPI communities

Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States, but it is the leading cause of death for Asian or Pacific Islander youth ages 15-24. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated these problems as increased racial violence and discrimination against the Asian American community has increased the need for mental health services. 

“This Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, more Americans than ever are rallying around our community to help stop anti-Asian hate. But there is another long-term threat to the wellbeing of our communities, and that is the lack of mental healthcare that meets the needs of the AANHPI community,” said Rep. Judy Chu, D-CA, who sponsored the resolution and who is chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.

“Either because of stigma or the lack of linguistically and culturally appropriate care, many AANHPIs neglect their mental health, and it has resulted in disproportionate rates of problems like suicide and depression," said Chu. "That is why, today and for the rest of Mental Health Awareness Month, it’s essential that we urge all AANHPIs to take care of their mental health just as they would their physical health."

Chu was joined by U.S. Representatives Doris Matsui D0CA, Kai Kahele (HI-02), and Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) in introducing this resolution.

“Nearly all of us have a friend, family member, or loved one who lives with a mental illness. That is why it is critical that we continue to break down barriers to care and work to end the stigma in our communities,” said Matsui. 

“Especially over the past year, members of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities have been challenged by both the pandemic and the rise in anti-AAPI racism. Now, more than ever, we must meet this moment with a comprehensive health care strategy that prioritizes our mental health and well-being," said Matsui.

“AANHPI communities have some of the greatest mental health needs, but access to culturally competent and in-language services remain a barrier that has only been exasperated by the dual pandemics of COVID-19 and the surge in hate incidents,” said Juliet K. Choi, president and CEO of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AAPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.