Improving the state of New York’s health care requires culturally competent mental health services. While significant public and private dollars are invested in New York’s mental health care system each year, a dire shortage of mental health services remains for the Asian-American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, one of the fastest growing racial and ethnic groups in the United States.
A 2021 report from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene found that AAPI New Yorkers with depression are less likely than their white counterparts to receive mental health treatment. Additionally, with a recent rise in hate crimes against Asians and xenophobic sentiment in New York City, it is vital that there are accessible and high-quality mental health services available for members of the AAPI community.
Asian-led, Asian-serving community-based organizations have been critical in narrowing the service gap to ensure culturally competent mental health care is available to reach some of the most marginalized community members.
Please join us for a conversation with Joo Han, Deputy Director of Asian American Federation, about the current state of mental health in the AAPI community, the landscape of and barriers to services, and what providers and community members can do to increase access to culturally competent mental health services for the AAPI community in New York City.
The 60-minute webinar will feature a short discussion followed by audience Q&A.
SPEAKER BIO
Joo Han is the deputy director at the Asian American Federation (AAF), an umbrella leadership organization that represents the collective voice of 70 community-based organizations serving over 1.5 million Asian Americans.
Since COVID-19-related xenophobia began to impact Asian New Yorkers, she has been leading a team to address the surge in violence targeting the Asian community through AAF’s Hope Against Hate Campaign. Additionally, she currently oversees the Asian American Mental Health Project at AAF, which aims to increase access to culturally competent mental health services for Asian New Yorkers. In 2015, she launched a two-year, city-wide community education program to address the rise in bullying of Asian American youth and the impact on their mental health and her advocacy efforts led to NYC’s first-ever mental health report focusing on New York City’s pan-Asian community.
Joo received a B.A. in English from Williams College and a M.A. in English Education from Teachers College of Columbia University.