Honoring Asian Pacific American Mental Health Day on May 10th

SAN FRANCISCO – Richmond Area Multi-Services, Inc. (RAMS) is proudly joining many others in the community to honor “Asian Pacific American Mental Health Day” on May 10^th, as first established in 2010 by the State of California and the City & County of San Francisco, to recognize the importance of raising awareness about mental health and promote mental wellness in the Asian Pacific American community.

Approximately 25% of Americans in a given year are impacted by mental health conditions regardless of gender, age, race, religion and socioeconomic status, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).  Asian & Pacific Islanders (A&PIs) specifically make up one of the fastest growing ethnic communities in the United States, yet they have the lowest rates of utilization of mental health services among ethnic populations, which may be due to the substantial stigma that exists (since many individuals and families remain in denial or silence about their situation) as well as cultural & linguistic isolation of the community, family, and individual.  A&PI girls have the highest rate of depressive symptoms of any racial/ethnic or gender groups, according to a study released by the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI, February 2011).  A&PI women ages 15-24 have also been shown to have a higher rate of suicide than Caucasians, African Americans and Latinos in that age group (Center for Disease Control and Prevention/National Center for Health Statistics).  According to another study, A&PI college students report higher levels of depressive symptoms than white students (NAMI 2011).  These disparities indicate the critical need to raise awareness & talk about mental health, de-stigmatize seeking help, and increase access to & support culturally competent services for the Asian American & Pacific Islander community.

In the honoring of Asian Pacific American Mental Health Day in 2012, RAMS is pleased to be collaborating with the National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA), and its partner interTrend Communications, in their national Friends DO Make a Difference campaign.  This creative and collaborative outreach effort will provide and distribute messages that focus on the importance and power of being a friend for someone facing mental health challenges. This project grew out of the successful What A Difference A Friend Makes campaign, created by the US Department of Health and Human Service’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).  With the support and encouragement of SAMHSA, this project has tailored the message, art work and approach of the SAMHSA campaign to make it relevant to Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) students.  RAMS will focus on outreach to the youth population and help to pilot this project among high school students in San Francisco.   

Please join us at a special event on this day.

WHEN: Thursday, May 10th from 9:30am to 10:30am

WHERE: George Washington High School, 600 32^nd Ave, San Francisco

WHAT: Join public officials, school district representatives, Bay Area local & national leaders, community advocates, stakeholder organizations/institutions, educators, and youth who will gather to recognize Asian Pacific American Mental Health Day and learn about the Friends DO Make a Difference campaign

HOSTS:

Richmond Area Multi-Services, Inc.

National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA), a non-profit organization with the mission to promote the mental health and well being of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders

George Washington High School, a four-year comprehensive San Francisco public high school dedicated to the philosophy that every student entering its halls has the right to an education to maximize his/her potential

Click HERE to view & download the press release.

Email info@ramsinc.org for more information.

The establishment of Asian Pacific American Mental Health Day was an effort spearheaded by RAMS along with California State Senator Leland Y. Yee, Ph.D. and San Francisco Board of Supervisor (District 1) Eric Mar.  It was overwhelmingly supported by many major associations and community coalitions.  Since May is already established nationally as the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and as Mental Health Awareness Month, institution of this day in the month of May more closely aligns both awareness efforts. 

Eighth Annual Richmond Community Health Festival on Saturday, May 12th

RAMS is proud to be a co-sponsor along with Senator Leland Yee, Supervisor Eric Mar, Kaiser Permanente, Self-Help For The Elderly, and Compassionate Community Care for the 8th Annual Richmond Community Health Festival.

View the flyer by clicking on the image below to enlarge (right-click and select any options to "Open").

The Health Festival will feature FREE clinical health services including blood pressure tests, body mass index tests, body fat tests, allergy advice, hearing tests, eyeglass cleaning, dental screening, bone density tests, Hep B screening and medical reviews. The fair will also feature FREE giveaways, food, health education offered by more than 40 community health organizations, children’s activities and family fun.

When: Saturday, May 12, 2012, 10am-2pm

Where: Richmond Recreation Center, 251 18th Avenue, San Francisco (between California and Clement)

CIIS Alumni Meet Urban Needs at RAMS

The Spring 2012 hardcopy issue of the community newsletter published by California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) features several CIIS alumni who are working at RAMS. 
You can read the feature story by clicking on the images below to enlarge (right-click and select any options to "Open").

Thank you to our amazing staff for sharing your personal stories!  What you do is an inspiration to us all!

California Reducing Disparities Project

RAMS, Inc., as a member organization of the Asian Pacific Islander Strategic Planning Workgroup (API-SPW) for the California Reducing Disparities Project (CRDP), is pleased to announce release of the draft report for public review & comment, from 04/06 to 4/26. Pacific Clinics, under the directorship of Dr. C. Rocco Cheng, served as the lead organization for the Asian & Pacific Islander Strategic Planning Workgroup, and Community Health for Asian Americans (CHAA), under the leadership of Ms. Beatrice Lee, served as the Bay Area regional lead agency.

The California Reducing Disparities Project (CRDP) is a key statewide policy initiative funded by the California Department of Mental Health (DMH) as means to improve access, quality of care, and increase positive outcomes for racial, ethnic, and cultural communities. Launched in 2009, this two-year statewide Prevention and Early Intervention effort utilizes $3 million in Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) state administrative funding.

The CRDP is focused on five populations to which each will encompass its own Strategic Planning Workgroup (SPW):
•African Americans
•Asian/Pacific Islanders
•Latinos
•Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgender, Questioning (LGBTQ)
•Native Americans

•To view the detailed roster, please download HERE.

These Strategic Planning Workgroups (SPW) is comprised of community leaders, mental health providers, consumers and family members – all of whom work together to identify new service delivery approaches defined by multicultural communities for multicultural communities using community -defined evidence. Their goal is to develop population-specific reports (strategic plan) that will form the basis of a statewide comprehensive strategic plan to identify new approaches toward reducing disparities.

To view the CRDP Fact Sheet, please click HERE.

Funded by MHSA through the Office of Multicultural Services at the California Department of Mental Health, the API-SPW was formed to address mental health service disparities in the Asian Pacific Islander community by identifying unmet needs and collecting community-defined strategies in response to these needs. The API-SPW consisted of 55 members representing various Asian Pacific Islander communities in California, including community representatives, community organizers, community service providers, consumer advocates, and mental health service providers who have years of experience and expertise serving the API community in urban, suburban, and rural areas. In addition, the API-SPW sought inputs directly from community members through conducting twenty-three focus groups and interviews across the state.

Based on the contributions from the 55 members and 198 focus group participants, the API-SPW proceeded to define core competencies and selection criteria for promising programs relevant to the API community, making this report a true grass-root effort to address mental health service disparities from a community perspective. The spirit of such an effort is reflected in the API report, as it closely documents the information and feedbacks gathered from the API community in the last two years.

About API-SPW:
For information, please download HERE for the API Strategic Planning Workgroup organizational structure.

For more information on the API-SPW, click on the following links for the CRDP and the API strategy & the draft of the report. For comments, please email to crdp@pacificclinics.org by no later than April 26, 2012.

Save the date: May 14 & 15 Preparing for Healthcare Reform

May is API Heritage Month and Mental Health Awareness Month!
SAVE THE DATE for May 14-15, 2012: Preparing Our Agencies and Staff for the Next Round of Healthcare Reform
Cost: no charge

Monday May 14th
Noon – 4:00
Target audience: Open to all but focusing on administrators – no limit on numbers
Content: policies, Medicaid expansion in California, Accountable Care Organizations, getting ready for the future

Tuesday May 15th
9:00 – 4:00
Target audience: providers and consumers – limited to first 50
Content: Preparing for integrated care, addressing common health problems in behavioral health settings, model AANHPI integrated care programs, looking to the future

Location: Fort Mason Center, Landmark Building A (between Buchanan and Marina Blvd), San Francisco, CA 94123

Registration Required: please use the following link to register
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MDNBQRY

For information call NAAPIMHA at 303-298-7910

Directions to site: http://www.fortmason.org/aboutus/visitor-information/directions
Registration and agenda: Go to http://naapimha.org/preparing-for-health-care-reform/

View the flyer by clicking on the image below to enlarge (right-click and select any options to "Open").

RAMS congratulates the Champions of Change

My Linh Vo, a clinical psychology student at JFK University who is also currently volunteering at the RAMS Asian Family Institute, was chosen as one of the White House AAPI “Champions of Change”. Her story was selected as part of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders' "What’s Your Story" Video Challenge. She writes about her experience, which you can read by clicking HERE.

As released from the White House, Office of Communications:
In the Fall of 2011, the White House launched the “What’s your story?” video challenge. The challenge aimed to highlight the personal stories of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders across the country who have impacted their community through their dreams, experiences, and dedication to a cause. The White House received over 200 videos and 35 essays. From these entrees, the nine inspiring leaders were chosen to represent their communities as part of White House’s Champions of Change program.
The Champions of Change represent the millions of Asian American and Pacific Islander leaders who are making a difference in their community, many of whom continue to make a difference without being formally recognized. The nine leaders and organizations have stood out as demonstrating exceptional leadership in civil rights, immigration, community empowerment, LGBT engagement, anti-bullying, health, and the arts. Their work has been an integral part ensuring that the underserved among them are given a voice.
“These nine champions have demonstrated what it means to be a force of inspiration and change in their communities. It is because of their work that the AAPI community is as strong as it is today. And it is their leadership that will enable us better address the various needs of the underserved,” said Director of the Office of Public Engagement Jon Carson. “We are delighted to have them here at the White House to honor them for the work that they do.”
The Champions of Change program was created as a part of President Obama’s Winning the Future initiative. Each week, a different sector is highlighted and groups of Champions, ranging from educators to entrepreneurs to community leaders, are recognized for the work they are doing to serve and strengthen their communities. On April 5th, the nine AAPI Champions will be honored for their work, and engage in a discussion about the work they have done to inspire their communities.

My Linh Vo is currently a doctoral student in clinical psychology at John F. Kennedy University in California, Vo is developing her skill set to provide culturally-responsive services to underserved, underrepresented, and marginalized individuals and families. She is passionate about her profession, rooted in her Vietnamese American immigrant background, and proud of her family history. She hopes to honor her family, teachers, mentors, friends, and many others who have come into her life through her community involvement, leadership, and advocacy work.

DSM-5 Cultural Formulation Field Trial

RAMS, Inc. is proud to serve as the San Francisco field site for the DSM-5 Cultural Formulation Field Trial. In collaboration with UC Davis, we are excited to participate, as one of the 12 field sites in this international DSM-5 Cultural Formulation field trial study. 
You can read the article by clicking on the image below to enlarge (right-click and select any options to "Open").