Supporting the designation of May 10, 2022, as National Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Mental Health Day.

Whereas the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community is among the fastest growing population groups in the United States and has made significant economic, cultural, and social contributions; Whereas the AANHPI community is extremely diverse in terms of socioeconomic levels, education, employment, language, cultures of origin, acculturation, migrant, and colonization status; Whereas 76 percent of the estimated 2.3 million AANHPIs who meet criteria for a mental health problem do not receive treatment; Whereas AANHPIs have among the lowest rates of utilization of mental health services; Whereas, in 2019, AANHPI youth ages 15 to 24 in the United States were the only racial or ethnic population in this age category whose leading cause of death was suicide; Whereas it is imperative to disaggregate AANHPI population data to get an accurate representation of the depth and breadth of the mental health issues for each subpopulation so that specific culturally and linguistically appropriate solutions can be developed; Whereas language access continues to be a critical issue whether due to the limited number of providers with the necessary language skills to provide in-language services or the significant language loss faced by Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities due to colonization; Whereas there is a need to significantly increase the number of providers, including paraprofessionals, representing AANHPI communities and providing them with the necessary training and ongoing support; Whereas historical discrimination and current racial violence toward AANHPIs increases trauma and stress, underlying precursors to mental health problems; Whereas there is a critical need to raise awareness about and improve mental health literacy among the AANHPI community to reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues; Whereas May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, an opportunity to celebrate the vast contributions of the AANHPI population to American society; and Whereas May is also Mental Health Awareness Month, recognizing the importance of mental health to the well-being and health of families and communities and connecting the importance of one’s cultural heritage to good mental health: Now, therefore, be it That the House of Representatives— (1) supports the designation of National Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Mental Health Day; (2) recognizes the importance of mental health to the well-being and health of families and communities; (3) acknowledges the importance of raising awareness about mental health and improving the quality of care for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities; (4) recognizes that celebrating one’s cultural and linguistic heritage is beneficial to mental health; and (5) encourages Federal, State, and local health agencies to adopt laws, policies, and guidance to improve help-seeking rates for mental health services for the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander community and other communities of color.

Summary: This resolution supports the designation of National Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Mental Health Day.