One in five people live with a mental health challenge. Unfortunately, many Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) who experience a mental health challenge face unique cultural, religious, language, and systemic barriers that can keep them from getting support. Thus, the National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA) aims to promote and redefine the mental health and wellbeing 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. Everyone experiences a mental health challenge at some point in their lifetime, exacerbated by race-based hate and trauma, requiring everyone to learn the skills to cope, heal, and advocate for wellness and community care. With this work, NAAPIMHA envisions mental wellness for all people and a world where mental health is destigmatized and AANHPI individuals and communities are able to access the care and information they need for their well-being.
Through seed funding from the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, NAAPIMHA was first launched in 2000 as one of four national mental health organizations serving ethnically diverse populations under the National Alliance of Multiethnic Behavioral Associations.
Since 2001, NAAPIMHA has transitioned into a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working to support the holistic health and wellbeing of AANHPI communities, through mental health training, programs, and policy & advocacy. It is the only community-driven organization with a national mental health focus on AA & NHPI communities that integrates an interdisciplinary approach that spans education, training, public health, and federal policy & advocacy and centers those with lived-experience.