Asian American Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander ‘OHANA
Center of Excellence on Empowering Behavioral Health
“Mana I Mauli Ola” (Strength to Wellbeing) became the foundation Hawai’i adopted back in 1978 to address disparities Native Hawaiians face and recognize the importance of culture. Since then, we have worked to successfully address health disparities, build public support for community-based issues, empower communities towards resilience, and emphasize culture as it relates to behavioral health and overall wellness. Grounded by this knowledge, today the Hawai¿i State Department of Health leads the AANHPI ¿Ohana Center of Excellence (CoE) to address systemic national disparities in the delivery of behavioral health care by leveraging Hawai¿i’s experience in providing quality care to diverse AANHPI populations. The CoE delivers data and training on culturally and linguistically appropriate services to providers, community groups, and AANHPI-identifying individuals. When we use ‘Ohana to describe the AANHPI CoE, we are referring to the group as an extended cultural family.
AANHPIs are the fastest-growing ethnic minority category in the U.S. yet are the least likely group to receive care for mental illness. More than 76% of AANHPI who have been diagnosed with a mental illness and 93% of those with substance use disorder do not receive treatment. The lacuna of engagement and culturally appropriate care is exacerbated by the lack of disaggregated data collected on diverse subgroups within the AANHPI umbrella. The term AANHPI glosses an incredibly heterogenous group with over 30 countries of origin and 100+ languages spoken.
The AANHPI ¿Ohana CoE addresses this diversity and unequal access to care by: (1) establishing the CoE steering committee composed of a national network of region-specific advisory committees thus ensuring AANHPI representation across the U.S.; (2) developing new modes of communication between the CoE and behavioral health practitioners, informal referral sources of care, community groups, and AANHPI-identifying individuals; (3) providing training and technical assistance to increase providers’ capacity for delivering culturally competent care; and (4) serving as an accessible and trusted clearinghouse for the sharing of culturally and linguistically appropriate evidenced-based behavioral health resources and products. Annually we will, on average, provide training and technical assistance to 269 individuals, and anticipate serving 1076 individuals and/or organizations throughout the lifetime of the project.
Our ¿Ohana is based in Hawai¿i where the AANHPI population percentage is three times larger than any other state. Our leading partnership includes Hawai¿i’s Department of Health (DOH) Behavioral Health Administration (BHA), the Native Hawaiian Health Board (Papa Ola Lokahi), and San José State University (SJSU) in California. Embodying diversity is our strength, 90% of our CoE team identifies as having Asian, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander heritage. We celebrate innovation and promote both Traditional and/or Indigenous practices along with Western practices in fostering balanced behavioral health and well-being. The Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander ¿OHANA Center of Excellence will be the foundation of our journey together. Pu¯pu¯kahi i holomua (Unite to move forward)!