NAAPIMHA and 110+ organizations to celebrate the 5th Annual National AANHPI Mental Health Day

Media Contact:

policy@naapimha.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 9, 2025

NAAPIMHA and 110+ organizations celebrate the 5th Annual National Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Mental Health Day to Raise Awareness of Mental Health in AANHPI Communities

On May 10, 2025, NAAPIMHA, cities, elected officials, community organizations, and businesses are commemorating the fifth 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 (view the press release here!) At the state and local level, AA & NHPI mental health advocates and organizations from 20+ states, counties, and cities have submitted proclamation requests. NAAPIMHA will be joined by over 110+ 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 65.3% of the 2.9 million AANHPI adults with a mental illness receiving treatment in 2023 (NSDUH, 2023). 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, 2023). The COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbated these problems, as increased racial violence and discrimination against the Asian American community increased the need for mental health services.

We believe we must continue to advance conversations around mental health in AA & NHPI communities to improve the quality of care. 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, this National AANHPI Mental Health Day is a reminder to center the mental health needs of and celebrate the joy found within our diverse AANHPI communities and cultures. Despite current threats to our BIPOC, immigrant, 2SLGBTQIA+, and disabled communities and the mental health services and organizations who serve them, we move forward with celebrating National AANHPI Mental Health Day as a reminder that raising awareness around mental health will do more than just educate our communities and the general public about AANHPI mental health. It is designed to make meaningful change by amplifying the heart work of AANHPI serving behavioral health organizations, promote dialogue and strategies that reflect the cultural and language needs of the community, and engage the community in creating new ways of healing and promoting positive mental health and wellbeing.

We acknowledge that 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 every day throughout the year. 

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

• The Offices of Representative Chu and Senator Hirono

Issued 2025 State and City Proclamations (list in progress)

• Arizona - Gratitude to Arizona AANHPI For Equity

• California - Gratitude to Richmond Area Multi Services, (RAMS) Inc

• Hawai’i - Gratitude to Chachie Abara

• Illinois - Gratitude to the Chinese American Service League (CASL)

• Massachusetts - Gratitude to Audrey Paek 

• Nashville, TN - Gratitude to Joseph Gutierrez of API Middle Tennessee 

• New Jersey - Gratitude to AAPI New Jersey

• New York - Gratitude to Samira Khan of SAPHA  and Michelle Garcia of Thriving Asians

• Pennsylvania - Gratitude to Asian Mental Health Collective 

• Wisconsin - Gratitude to Tony DelaRosa

Community Champions

• AACI

• AAPI Data

• AAPI Democratic Caucus of Nevada

• AAPI Equity Alliance

• AAPI Montclair

• AAPI Youth Rising

• ACE NextGen

• Act To Change

• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention 

• American Muslim Health Professionals (AMHP)

• Amplify

• Anise Health

• API Initiative 

• API Tennessee

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

• Arizona Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander for Equity

• Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum

• Asian American Professional Association (AAPA)

• Asian Americans with Disabilities Initiative (AADI)

• Asian Counseling and Referral Service

• Asian Girls Ignite

• Asian Mental Health Collective

• Asian Mental Health Project

• Asian Pacific Clinic of Aurora Mental Health and Recovery

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

• Asian Youth Act (red circle crane)

• Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO)

• Association of Infant Mental Health in Hawaii

• Ave Astra

• Bhutanese Community of Central Ohio 

• 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 and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation

• Change Matrix

• CHI Psychological Services

• CO+HOOTS Coworking

• Cuaresma Counseling, PLLC

• Dealing With Dad

• FilExcellence

• Filipino mental health initiative of hawaii

• Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO) & Tayo

• GoodRx, Inc.

• Healing Nature Collective 

• Hula Halau 'Ohana Holo'oko'a

• Indigo Cultural Center

• JessSayIt

• L.E.S. Live Every Second

• LEAP (Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics)

• Mango Tree Counseling and Consulting

• Mental Health America  - National

• Monsoon Asians & Pacific Islanders in Solidarity

• NAMI 

• NAPAFASA

• National Federation of Filipino American Associations

• National Organization of API Ending Sexual Violence (NAPISEV)

• Nectar

• New Pathways Clinic

• OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates

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

• OT Bay Area

• Pacific Asian Counseling Services 

• RAMS, Inc.

• Raj Mehta Day of Good

• Sadhana Hindus

• Sakura Foundation

• SALDEF

• Samoan Club at the University of Utah

• Samoan Community Development Center

• SEIU 503 Asian Desi Pacific Islander Caucus

• SEIU Virginia 512

• Shimmer

• South Asian Legal Defense Fund

• South Asian Public Health Association (SAPHA)

• SPEAK, a Supportive Place for Empowering Asian Americans and Kin

• Sunshine Silver Lining

• Sweet Mango Therapy Group, Inc.

• Taiwanese American Citizens League (TACL)

• Taulama for Tongans

• The AAKOMA Project

• The Cambodian Family Community Center

• The Asian American Foundation

• The Filipino Press

• This Is My Brave, Inc

• Thriving Asians

• Thriving Twentysomethings

• VietLead

• We Rise Therapy and Wellness

• Wellness with Andrea Jakucs & Associates 

• Yellow Chair Collective

• YourPlace Therapy

2025 Community Partners

• AAPI New Jersey

• American Art Therapy Association

• Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA)

• Asian Americans Advancing Justice - AAJC

• Arkansas Philippine Association

• Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA) 

• Asian Psychedelic Collective 

• Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)

• Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL)

• EmpowerHouse

• Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC)

• Ethnic Education Hawai’i 

• LEAD Filipino

• Mabuhay, Inc.

• National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) 

• SEWA-AIFW

• Something About the Tide Film 

• Southeast Asian Resource Action Center (SEARAC)

• SPAN Parent Advocacy Network

• We Make it Matter

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About NAAPIMHA

NAAPIMHA, the National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association, is a national 501c3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote and redefine the mental health and wellbeing of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities, through mental health trainings, community mental health programs, national policy and advocacy, and rapid community crisis response, while centering those with lived experience. 

Since 2001, NAAPIMHA has worked with AANHPI-serving community based organizations across the country to identify and respond to the mental health needs of AANHPI communities nationwide. Over the past 20 years, provided training and consultation to over 150 AANHPI-serving community-based organizations and 3500 AANHPIs around the country resulting in behavior change and improved skills to promote positive health outcomes for individuals and the communities they serve. 

Learn more at: www.naapimha.org 

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