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NAAPIMHA and 100 + organizations celebrate 4th Annual National Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Mental Health Day to Raise Awareness of Mental Health of AANHPI Communities

Updated: May 9

Media Contact:

Krystle Canare


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 8, 2024

Logo of National Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Mental Health Day

On May 10, 2024, NAAPIMHA, cities, elected officials, community organizations and businesses are commemorating the fourth annual National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Day, a national day to raise awareness around mental health in Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA & NHPI) communities.


National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Day takes place at the intersection of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and Mental Health Awareness Month. This provides a unique opportunity to not only raise awareness around our diverse heritages and mental health, it gives us a chance to talk about how the two are directly related. It is important to continue addressing the many mental health challenges facing AA & NHPIs, but NAAPIMHA invites you to also join us in celebrating who we are as this TOO is mental health.


The national resolution stands on the shoulders of mental health advocates at RAMS, Inc. in San Francisco who spearheaded the first statewide proclamation making May 10th Asian and Pacific American Mental Health Day in California in 2010. This year, the bicameral resolution will be introduced yet again in Congress. At the state and local level, AA & NHPI mental health advocates and organizations from 30 states, counties, and cities have submitted proclamation requests. NAAPIMHA will be joined by over 100+ community partner organizations to center and support AA and NHPI mental health in communities nationwide.


According to data collected by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), AA & NHPIs have the lowest help-seeking rate of any racial/ethnic group, with only 36% of the 2.8 million AANHPI adults with a mental illness receiving treatment in 2022 (NSDUH, 2022). And, even though suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States, it is the leading cause of death for AA & NHPI youth ages 10-24 (CDC, 2020). The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated these problems as increased racial violence and discrimination against the Asian American community has increased the need for mental health services.


We believe it’s crucial that we continue to advance conversations around mental health in the AA & NHPI community to improve the quality of care for AA & NHPI communities. From mental health stigma reduction, addressing historical discrimination to current racial violence, data disaggregation, language access, workforce development, culturally competent services, suicide prevention, to supporting existing AA & NHPI community-driven resources and non-dominant ways of healing, we call upon Federal, State, and local health agencies to adopt laws, policies, and guidance to improve help-seeking rates for mental health services and overall community wellness and care for AANHPIs and other communities of color.


For NAAPIMHA, we celebrate this National AANHPI Mental Health Day within the context of today’s current realities, centering the mental health and well-being of young leaders from our communities who are advocating for Palestinian liberation while facing heightened violence and erosion of their civil rights, safety, and freedom of speech. We join our young leaders in advocating for the healing of all those impacted by genocide and continue to update our healing offering guide with the latest support groups, grief circles, and subsidized mental health services.


We acknowledge National AANHPI Mental Health Day will look different for everyone. For other community partners across the country, centering AANHPI mental health is taking the form of free mental health service offerings by AANHPI providers, mental health days for AANHPI community organizations, mental health advocacy, educational events, cultural celebrations, and more. We encourage everyone to take the time and space to honor their mental health and well-being this May 10th and everyday throughout the year. 


Join us for National Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Mental Health Day!

Take the pledge to celebrate, sign-up as a community partner, and invite your friends at: https://www.naapimha.org/aanhpimentalhealthday



National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Day would not be possible without the countless AA & NHPI mental health advocates and community partners listed below:


National Resolution

  • Mia Ayer, Erika Ninoyu & Nisha Ramachandran, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus


State and City Proclamations (list in progress)

  • California - Richmond Area Multi Services, Inc

  • Colorado - National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association

  • Hawaii - Chachie Abara, Filipino Mental Health Initiative of Hawaii

  • Illinois - Abbey Eusebio, Chinese American Service League

  • Massachusetts - Pata Suyemoto, National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association

  • Oregon - SEIU 503-Asian Desi Pacific Islander (ADPI) Caucus

  • City of Arcadia - Emily Wu Truong

  • City of San Francisco - Richmond Area Multi Services, Inc

  • City of San Marino - Emily Wu Truong


Community Champions

  • AAPI Amplified

  • AAPI Data

  • AAPI Democratic Caucus Nevada

  • AAPI Montclair

  • AAPI Youth Rising

  • ACE NextGen

  • Act to Change

  • AMBIV Collective

  • American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

  • Amplify

  • Anise Health 

  • API Initiative

  • API Middle Tennessee

  • APIDA Student Involvement at the Office of Multicultural Involvement and Community Advocacy (MICA) at the University of Maryland, College Park

  • Arizona AANHPI for Health Equity

  • Arkansas United

  • Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum

  • Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI)

  • Asian Americans with Disabilities Initiative (AADI)

  • Asian Counseling Referral Services (ACRS)

  • Asian Girls Ignite

  • Asian Mental Health Collective

  • Asian Mental Health Project

  • Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence (API-GBV)

  • Asian Youth Act

  • Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations

  • Bhutanese Community of Central Ohio

  • Borrowed Hope Apparel Co

  • Brokada Filipino Men’s Healing Circle

  • BUKAS

  • Can't Stop! Won't Stop! Consulting

  • Can't Stop! Won't Stop! Education Fund

  • Center of Excellence for Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation

  • Change Matrix

  • CHI Psychological Services

  • CO+Hoots Coworking

  • College of San Mateo

  • Filipino Family Health Initiative of Hawaii

  • Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO)

  • FilExcellence

  • GoodRx, Inc

  • Healing Nature Collective

  • Indigo Cultural Center

  • JessSayIt

  • LEAP (Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics)

  • LES, Live Every Second

  • Life Affirming Nectar

  • Mango Tree Counseling and Consulting

  • Mental Health America - National

  • Monsoon Asians & Pacific Islander in Solidarity

  • National Alliance for Mental Illness

  • National Asian Pacific American Families Against Substance Abuse

  • National Federation of Filipino American Associations

  • National Organization of API Ending Sexual Violence

  • New Pathways Clinic

  • OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates

  • Office of Wellness and Resilience, Office of the Governor, State of Hawai‘i

  • OT Bay Area, DisruptOT

  • Pacific Asian Counseling Services

  • Richmond Area Multi-Services, Inc. (RAMS)

  • Sadhana Hindus

  • Sakura Foundation

  • Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF)

  • Samoan Club at University of Utah

  • Samoan Community Development Center

  • SEIU Virginia 512

  • Shimmer

  • South Asian Legal Defense Fund

  • South Asian Public Health Association (SAPHA)

  • Sunshine Silver Lining

  • Sweet Mango Therapy Group, Inc

  • Taiwanese American Citizenship League

  • Taulama for Tongans

  • Tayo

  • The AAKOMA Project

  • The Asian American Foundation

  • The Filipino Press

  • This Is My Brave, Inc

  • Thriving Asians

  • VietLead

  • Wellness with Andrea Jakucs

  • Yellow Chair Collective


Community Partners

  • AAPI Equity Alliance

  • AAPI New Jersey

  • ACTNow For Mental Health

  • American Art Therapy Association

  • American Muslim Health Professionals

  • Arkansas Philippine Association

  • Asian American Professionals Association

  • Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA)

  • Asian Americans Advancing Justice - AAJC

  • Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association

  • Association for Infant Mental Health in Hawai’i

  • Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)

  • Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL)

  • Cuaresma Counseling

  • DEALING WITH DAD Film

  • Empowering Pacific Islander Communities

  • Inseparable

  • Japanese American Citizen League (JACL)

  • Kapwa Health Collective

  • LEAD Filipino

  • Los Angeles Kalusugan Collective

  • Mabuhay, Inc

  • National Alliance for Filipino Concerns

  • National Council for Mental Wellbeing

  • National Council of Asian Pacific Americans

  • Philippine Nurses Association of America, Inc. (PNAA)

  • Positively Filipino

  • Southeast Asian Resource Action Center (SEARAC)

  • SPAN Parent Advocacy Network

  • Spike and Crown Studios

  • Stop AAPI Hate

  • The Art of Living

  • The Cambodian Family Community Center

  • Thriving Twentysomethings

  • World Mission Society Church of God


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About NAAPIMHA

The National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote and redefine the mental health and well being of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander individuals and communities in the United States through training, programs, policy & advocacy, centering those with lived experience. 

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