On February 8, 2024, APA 2024 President Cynthia de las Fuentes, PhD, and President-elect Debra Kawahara, PhD, met with senior White House officials to discuss the work of the White House Initiative for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHAANHPI). De las Fuentes raised issues of school safety and combating misinformation and stigma, while Kawahara spoke to the need to diversify the workforce and support for the Minority Fellowship Program.
Erika Moritsugu, JD, deputy assistant to the president and Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) senior liaison, discussed the important work of the Biden administration in combating hate and violence and reflected on the importance of fighting stigma and misinformation, and promoting language access. Krystal Kai’ai, executive director of the WHAANHPI, shared her thoughts on recent efforts to improve equity and access to behavioral health care for AANHPI communities, including the October 2023 Summit on Mental Health (PDF, 745KB)opens in new window which several members of APA Division 45 (Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity and Raceopens in new window) participated in. The outcomes of the meeting emphasized the importance of population health, language access, cultural competency, community-based approaches to treatment, distinguishing mental health from mental illness, and eliminating stigma for seeking treatment. This important meeting was facilitated by the Japanese American Citizens League, the oldest Asian American civil rights organization in this country. APA leaders and staff will continue to engage and partner with the White House and Health and Human Services on improving access to behavioral health.
For more information, contact Katherine McGuire.