The Mental Health Crisis
for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
At a moment when federal protections, healthcare coverage, and trust in public systems are unraveling for immigrant families, the Bay Area’s Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities are absorbing a compounding mental health toll that is largely invisible.
See the latest research from UCSF Healthforce Center, in partnership with the California Health Care Foundation, on what’s actually working for AANHPI behavioral health.
A healthcare system that doesn’t know how to talk to us.
of Asian Americans with a mental illness received care last year. Half the rate of White Americans.
Source · 2021 NSDUH, SAMHSA
of California behavioral health clinicians speak any Asian or Pacific Islander language.
Source · California HCAI, 2024
rise in severe psychological distress among California’s newest immigrants.
Source · UCLA CHPR, CHIS 2015–2021
of California’s behavioral health workforce is Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.
Source · California HCAI, 2024
Read the research, today.
1. Download the full report.
2. Share the executive summary as a snapshot of the AANHPI mental health crisis.
They’re just more connected to community, less isolated. The isolation goes down, the joy goes up, all of that. When they first came through the door, they were looking down, slumped over. Six months later, they’re dancing at Zumba. They have a therapist — and they’re hanging out with a trusted messenger.
For funders and partners ready to deepen this work.
The Asian Pacific Fund partners with foundations, donors, and government agencies investing in community-based behavioral health for AANHPI communities. We can help you navigate the landscape, identify high-impact organizations, and develop strategies for sustainable funding.