News

In order to highlight pockets of excellence across the country, the NNED selects a partner organization to highlight once a month. Rainbow Community Center, has been selected as the Partner of the Month for June in celebration of Pride Month.​

Rainbow Community Center has been offering support and social opportunities to the LGBTQIA+ community & its allies since 1995 in California. Rainbow envisions a society that advocates for and celebrates gender and sexual diversity, racial justice, safety, and liberation for all through healing-centered engagement. The center transcends its vision from inclusive to expansive*, as they will be able to represent by centering and reaching a wider scope of Marginalized LGBTQIA+ and Intersectional Identities more effectively.

Some of the programs and services that are currently offered:

• Kind Hearts Food Pantry
• Clinical Services
• HIV Support and Men’s* Programming
• LGBTQI+ Youth
• LGBTQI+ Houseless Transitional Youth Program
• Senior Programs

Learn more about Rainbow Community Center and its mission to build community, equity, and well-being among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, and Intersex (LGBTQIA+) people and their allies.

View a list of previous NNED Partners of the Month.

Mental health does not discriminate. It impacts one in five individuals at any given time. But people of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) descent rank last among all ethnic groups in seeking care, a fact that is particularly disconcerting in this time of racism, hate crimes, and bias incidents against AAPI Americans and communities.

“Even before the pandemic Asian American and Pacific Islanders were the lowest help-seeking group. There was already under treatment of mental health conditions,” says Columbia psychiatrist Warren Ng, MD. To illustrate the scope of the challenge, he notes that AAPI as a group is not a monolith and represents over 30 ethnicities and 50 languages.

The pandemic highlighted what many already knew: There are gaps in how we provide care in the United States. Like other groups, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have traditionally been overlooked. Ng attributes this in part to systemic racism including the “model minority” myth. The term refers to a group perceived as successful, hardworking, and resourceful, in spite of obstacles other groups do not face. As a result, they receive fewer resources and services.

The phenomena of Asian hate, anti-Asian sentiment, hate rhetoric, and blaming Asians for COVID-19 have made AAPI people scapegoats, leading to more feelings of anxiety, depression, and emotional and psychological suffering. “Pandemic isolation provided relative security and safety. Now, as people are in more social, public spaces, they are being targeted. It’s very traumatic,” says Ng. These attacks create mental health crises for family members and witnesses too.

Unfortunately, in addition to other impediments to getting mental health care, going outside of the community for help can be a challenge. “Culturally, this is true of many ethnic groups,” says Ng. “Keeping issues with the family, not bringing in strangers to avoid shame and stigma is common.”

Read more at CUIMC.Columbia.edu.

Over the years, mental health issues have become more prevalent due to social media, the stress/pressure of school, and extreme standards set for both men and women. Unfortunately, depression and anxiety among boys and men tend to get widely ignored.

There are multiple factors that contribute to this significant problem. The main part of the issue is society’s fault, as we put an absurd amount of pressure on boys to hide their emotions and feelings. Some common ideals that have been continuously reiterated over the years are, “Boys don’t cry”; “Don’t be a girl”; and “Don’t be such a baby!”.

The pressure that society puts on men to bottle up their emotions and feelings puts them in a tough situation as a result; they can’t even feel comfortable opening up to their own family. Not only that, but this idea can cause larger problems that lead to greater mental health struggles.

As a boy grows up hearing those phrases over and over, they can often tend to raise their own boys in the same way. This leads to a continuous cycle of toxic masculinity, which leads to a whole other world of problems.

The pressure to not express certain emotions, in fear of being called a girl or “too feminine,” leads to mental health problems including depression, anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, men are 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide in the United States.

Read more at BurlingtonCountyTimes.com.

June is Pride Month in the United States. It’s a time when many LGBTQIA+ community members gather to celebrate their experiences, support one another, and advocate for equal rights and opportunities. Over the past two decades, much progress has been made in promoting LGBTQIA+ rights and acceptance. However, LGBTQIA+ people continue to cope with stigma and discrimination.

Many experience social isolation, harassment, and violence. Recent anti-LGBTQIA+ laws in some states increase the barriers that these community members face.

“This stigmatized and discriminated-against status often leads to minority stress for LGBTQ+ people,” Pamela Lannutti, PhD, told Healthline. Lannutti is a professor and the director of the Center for Human Sexuality Studies at Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania.

“Minority stress is chronic psychological stress experienced because a person is a part of a stigmatized group,” she said. “Research has shown that it negatively affects personal and relational health and well-being.”

Finding safe spaces where LGBTQIA+ people are not only accepted but also celebrated is important for members of this community. For LGBTQIA+ community members who face discrimination and social isolation, Pride events offer important opportunities for connection, support, and belonging.

This may bring mental health benefits. For example, a 2019 study found that LGBTQ people who reported more connectedness to the LGBTQ community were less likely to report suicidal behavior.

“Pride events help connect members of the LGBTQ+ population to others and to support within the community. They give members of the LGBTQ+ community an opportunity to participate in an event where they are totally included and accepted,” said Fagundo.

Read more at Healthline.com.

AlohaCare announced Ke Aloha Mau, their newly launched culturally responsive services to target mental, physical, and spiritual health. Beginning with Lomilomi and Hula, AlohaCare’s covered healthcare benefits will also include Ho‘oponopono and ‘Ai Pono.

Ke Aloha Mau strives to provide unique and beneficial services in collaboration with community health centers, the Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems, and cultural practitioners. All programs and sites should be available to members by this fall.

Based on research and founded on Native Hawaiian health and wellness principles, Ke Aloha Mau services will integrate traditional practices to address disease management and health promotion. AlohaCare uses program evaluation strategies to monitor, track and analyze these services from the time of interest and referral, through completion.

The use of Native Hawaiian services allows members to continue the tradition of their kupuna and the practices that have been passed down for generations. Through Ke Aloha Mau, members can be inspired to have the best health possible and to perpetuate healing practices that align the body, mind, and spirit.

Read more at StateofReform.com.

New findings are being released surrounding opioid recovery for Hispanics. The Father Tracy Advocacy Center, University of Rochester members, and Common Ground Health partners all gathered to discuss their research.

Organizers say the Latino community in Rochester has the highest risk of opioid-driven emergency room department visits due to the disproportionate burden of opioid addiction among the community. They propose changes to the recovery system in Rochester.

“It is time for us to reevaluate our current recovery programs and expand recovery service to address trauma recovery, mental health, housing, jobs, and the creation of new social efforts,” said Dr. Nancy P. Chin, University of Rochester, Associate Professor.

Read more at RochesterFirst.com.