6/7/2011 RAISING DISABILITY & MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS

RAISING DISABILITY & MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS IN THE AAPI COMMUNITY

For Immediate Release
June 7, 2011

Denver, CO – This year the National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA) and the Asian Pacific Islanders with Disabilities of California (APIDC) helped raise awareness around mental health and disability issues in the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities through a series of events that included a public forum at George Washington University in Washington DC on May 21^st. They also hosted “Laughter is the Best Medicine” which brought together Asian American comedians for an evening of entertainment that also acknowledged the importance of understanding the seriousness of disabilities and mental health.

The afternoon forum brought together sixteen individuals from Boston, Texas, and California who shared their concerns and made recommendations to representatives from the US Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, (SAMHSA) and the President’s Advisory Commission on AAPIs. They were joined by numerous other interested individuals and representatives of various organizations, state and local entities.   Federal officials who attended the forum were Ramey Ko, Member of the President’s Advisory Commission on AAPIs, and Dr. Larke Huang, a senior advisor at SAMHSA.

Each of the individuals who were flown in as honored guests for the evening event have personally experienced the trauma brought about by serious mental health and/or disabilities problems.  They also know that recovery is possible if given the proper support and the importance of having a strong consumer voice. The forum provided an opportunity for them to express their concerns and make policy and programmatic recommendations.   They were also able to share their hopes and aspirations to improve the lives of those who live with disabilities and mental health problems.  Their participation was made possible through the generous support of the US Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Issues that were raised included:

• The need to stop the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental health and disabilities
• The need for in-language materials
• Improving the current workforce through increased cultural and linguistic competence training
• Insure that healthcare reform addresses integrated care in a way that gives disabilities and mental health equal weight as primary care
• Need to improve employment, including the opportunity to become peer specialists and community mental health workers
• Need to strengthen leadership opportunities for consumers

Commissioner Ramey Ko shared his own personal story of coping with depression and anxiety.  As a highly successful Chinese American who was fifth in his high school graduating class, graduated from Yale and the Univeristy of Chicago Law School, he became a judge at the age of 29 and a Presidential appointee at the age of 30. He shared with the group that in spite of his many accomplishments he feels the constant pressure to be successful.  It was difficult for him to accept the fact that he needed help and often felt alone. He has since learned the value of getting support and by sharing his personal story he hopes others won’t have to suffer in isolation like he did.

The evening’s “Laughter is the Best Medicine” was attended by over 200 individuals.  Jean Lin and Can Troung introduced the event on behalf of APIDC and NAAPIMHA. Esther Goodhart, aka Oriental Beauty, is a successful comedian who has produced many successful comedy shows throughout the country with a primary focus on New York.  She was particularly interested in producing this show as she has personally been impacted by both physical disabilities and mental health concerns.    Providing the evening’s entertainment were:

• Shecky Wong considered one of the godfathers of Asian American standup comics.
• Ryo – aka Rio Koike, a very popular comedian who came to New York via Japan.
• Esther Ku, the Asian Sarah Silverman, was chosen as one of the ten best comedians for the 2006 NBC Stand-up for Diversity Showcase in New York City.
• Petawane, a singer who packs them in at the clubs in New York’s Harlem

Herbie North of Long Beach, CA noted, “I hope the event rose awareness of the seriousness of Mental Health to the general population. Also, by putting on this event, I hope that those who attended would spread the awareness to others in their community.”

Can Truong, Project Director, National AAPI Empowerment Network commented, “It was so cool, so great that we got to meet with the disabilities people and learn from them and share our stories to see what we have in common and how we can support each other”

APIDC Board Member Thai Yang of Fresno, CA commented, “The success from the forum and comedy show proved that Asians with disabilities, two misunderstood minority groups, can use laughter to heal from crisis experiences.
I know the event allowed us a moment to pause, laugh and not take everything so serious. I look forward to the day, disabled people can laugh at themselves, realizing the twisted irony of life’s little humor.”

Kinike Bermudez Thomas, NAAPIMHA Board member and consumer advocate, stated, “The evening was a lot of fun. It was good to talk about laughter as a healing tool because that is what got me through my depression”

About NAAPIMHA:

The mission of NAAPIMHA is to improve the mental health of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, recognizing that mental health impacts every aspect of our lives. NAAPIMHA has been a leading advocate for mental health and continues to work closely with community based organizations, researchers, service providers, and policy makers at the local, state and national levels. For information about NAAPIMHA, please contact D.J. Ida at djida@naapimha.org.

• Office Number: (303)298-7910
• Website: www.naapimha.org

About APIDC:

The mission of APIDC is to give a voice and a face to Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders with physical and mental disabilities.  Our goals are to help break down the service and cultural barriers faced by APIs with disabilities; to provide APIs with disabilities and their families with knowledge; to create a community network for empowerment and independence.  We offer an information clearinghouse; leadership development; data collection and analysis; and policy development and advocacy. For information about APIDC, please contact Daphne Kwok at dkwok@apidisabilities.org

• Office Number: (510)459-4228
• Website: http://www.apidisabilities.org