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Communities Respond to COVID-19: Implications for Asian Pacific Islanders

May 21, 2020   |   3:00 pm - 4:30 pm EDT

Banner image for the NNED Virtual Roundtable

This year’s Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM) comes at a time when many Asian Pacific Islanders (APIs) are experiencing discrimination and stigma emerging from anti-Asian narratives related to COVID-19.  These narratives, embedded in a national context of uncertainty about health and safety, are increasing the vulnerability for fear, anxiety and emotional distress within API communities.   

NNED organizations and API community leaders are responding to the rising needs for mental health and emotional support.  The evolving circumstances have created a platform for enhanced partnership and innovation to expand the availability of culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health services and ensure the safety of API populations.  

This NNED Virtual Roundtable is the second of a two-part series on the behavioral and mental health impacts of COVID-19. Panelists will discuss: 

  • Emerging mental health needs for API communities 
  • Strategies for providing culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health and emotional support services to API populations 
  • Community approaches for addressing discrimination and stigma experienced by APIs 

Join us on May 21, 2020 to learn about mental health and the API community. 

View Resources and the Recording!

NOTE: Due to the substantial interest in this Virtual Roundtable, the number of attendees able to join live may be limited by the platform. We strongly encourage you to join the Virtual Roundtable early to secure a spot. A recording will be sent to all who register.


Opening Remarks

Juliet Bui

Public Health Analyst | U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health

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Juliet Bui is a Public Health Analyst in the Office of Minority Health (OMH) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she oversees the behavioral health, criminal justice and reentry policy portfolios and serves as project director for the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care (National CLAS Standards). Prior to joining OMH, she was a Public Health Analyst in the Office of Policy, Planning and Innovation and the Office of Behavioral Health Equity at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), where she focused on efforts and strategies to address behavioral health disparities.


Panelists

Amanda Lee

Per Diem Adult/Older Adult Mental Health Director | Union of Pan Asian Communities

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Amanda Lee, MSW, LCSW, is the Director of Field Education and a lecturer at San Diego State University’s School of Social Work. Amanda has practiced social work in a variety of settings over the years, such as, adult outpatient and inpatient mental health, home-based intensive treatment and PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) and has also practiced social work abroad in New Zealand. She has extensive experience working with cultural minorities, such as Asian and Pacific Islander (API) immigrants and refugees and continues in her role as the Per Diem Adult/Older Adult Mental Health Director at the Union of Pan Asian Communities (UPAC) in San Diego. Amanda also currently serves on the Board of Directors in the role of Secretary for the California Society for Clinical Social Work (CSCSW).

Dr. Doris Chang headshot

Dr. Doris Chang

Licensed Psychologist and Associate Professor | New York University Silver School of Social Work

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Dr. Doris F. Chang is Associate Professor in the Silver School of Social Work at New York University and a practicing clinical psychologist. Her research seeks to improve the well-being of racial and ethnic minorities by a) clarifying how race, ethnicity, language and culture affect mental health care; b) identifying strategies for improving interracial processes and outcomes; and c) developing inclusive, culturally-grounded interventions for clinical and educational contexts that integrate mindfulness and other contemplative traditions. Much of her work has centered on issues facing Asian American communities.

Dr. Pata Suyemoto

Mental Health Activist, Co-founder | The Breaking Silences Project

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Dr. Pata Suyemoto is a feminist scholar, writer, educator, diversity trainer, mental health activist, jewelry designer, and avid bicyclist. She is the co-chair for the Greater Boston Regional Suicide Prevention Coalition and the chair of the Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention (MCSP) Alliance for Equity’s People of Color Caucus. Pata is one of the authors of Widening the Lens: Exploring the Role of Social Justice in Suicide Prevention – A Racial Equity Toolkit. She has spoken and written about her struggles with depression and is a co-founder of The Breaking Silences Project, which is an artistic endeavor that educates about the high rates of depression and suicide among Asian American young women. She is also a trainer for the National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association’s (NAAPIMHA) Achieving Whole Health Program. Her claim to fame is that she rode her bicycle across the country in the summer of 2012.

Perry Chan

Program Manager | Asian American Health Initiative, Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services

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Perry Chan is the Program Manager for the Asian American Health Initiative (AAHI) of Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services. In this position, he provides leadership on achieving equity and eliminating disparities for Asian Americans in Montgomery County. His duties include planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of AAHI’s programs. Perry is also responsible for budget management, grant monitoring, and other administrative and management-related tasks of AAHI.

Dr. Russell Jeung

Professor and Chair of the Asian American Studies Department | San Francisco State University

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Dr. Russell Jeung is Chair and Professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University. A scholar of race and religion, he’s the author of At Home in Exile: Finding Jesus Among My Ancestors and Refugee Neighbors, and Family Sacrifices: The Worldviews and Ethics of Chinese Americans. With Chinese for Affirmative Action and the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council, he helped establish Stop AAPI Hate, a center that tracks anti-Asian discrimination and advocates for targeted policy interventions.


Facilitator

Dr. Rachele Espiritu

Founding Partner | Change Matrix, LLC

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The NNED has been a multi-agency funded effort with primary funding by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). It is managed by SAMHSA's Office of Behavioral Health Equity, and the NNED National Facilitation Center operated by Change Matrix.
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