2024 Chinese American Mental Health Summit
at the Chinese American Convention, in Washington D.C. June 27 to June 30, 2024
2024 Mental Health Summit Program Book
A Resounding Success!
From June 27 to 30, 2024, the 4th Chinese American Convention was successfully held in Washington DC. More than 700 people from all over the United States gathered at the Omni Hotel to participate in the event. As an important part of the convention, the National Chinese American Mental Health Summit presented a stellar line-up of renowned speakers and rich programs, engaging a large and active audience.
On June 27th, Convention attendees participated in the “AANHPI Congressional Day,” highlighting the Convention’s theme of “Embracing the Civil Rights Movement of Our Time.” Over 600 Asian American community delegates, divided into more than 50 groups, visited 281 Congressional offices, or over 50% of all Congressional offices. The delegates expressed our community’s concerns over the discriminatory alien land laws, called for equitable access to mental health services, and advocated for incorporation of Asian American history into U.S. history curriculum.
A Historic Day
Congresswoman Judy Chu stated, “Asian Americans have made their presence known to Congress and the public, ensuring that Chinese and Asian voices are heard.”
Elaine Peng, co-chair of the event and Executive Director of MHACC, highlighted H.R. 7924, a bill aimed at advancing cultural competence and equitable support services in the mental health field. Peng explained that the bill’s goal is to increase diversity in the mental health workforce by expanding professional training programs at minority-serving institutions. A more diverse workforce helps to reduce language and cultural barriers, thereby improving access to and effectiveness of mental health services for minority groups.
On June 30th, nearly 300 Convention attendees walked on the National Mall to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The gathering paid respects at the MLK Jr. Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial, demonstrating our commitment to equal rights and American democracy.
2024 National Chinese American Mental Health Summit
UCA WAVES partnered with the Mental Health Association for Chinese Communities (MHACC) and The MGH Center for Cross-Cultural Student Emotional Wellness to present the National Chinese American Mental Health Summit at the 2024 Chinese American Convention!
The Summit brought together Chinese community organizations, mental health professionals, and government representatives from across the nation to address critical mental health issues facing Chinese Americans.
Participants agreed that future priorities should include increasing data collection, raising public awareness, and enhancing cross-sector collaboration.
This summit not only facilitated cross-sector exchange but also laid the groundwork for the future development of mental health services for Chinese Americans.
Please refer to the Summit Program Book for detailed session information and speaker bios.
Summit Keynote Speeches
The keynote at the Summit, co-hosted by Trina Dutta, Director of SAMHSA, and Norman Chen, CEO of TAAF, detailed the current framework of mental health policy and the way forward. Dutta highlighted the importance of policies to improve mental health services in the community and called on governments and NGOs to work together to ensure access and equity to mental health services.
Norman Chen shared his experience working at TAAF and discussed how to raise mental health awareness through community advocacy and education. He stressed that cultural sensitivity and language adaptability are key factors in ensuring the effectiveness of mental health services. He also called for greater collaboration to improve the mental health status of the AANHPI community through policy promotion and community engagement.
Summit Discussion Highlights (June 28-29) – Challenges and Opportunities
Mental Health Stigma: Dr. Justin Chen, Deputy Director at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, pointed out that stigma around mental health remains a significant challenge.
Funding Shortages: Lily Chen, Executive Director of UCA WAVES, emphasized that while lack of funding remains the most daunting challenge, community organizations must respond swiftly to urgent mental health crises as best as they can. Saving lives can not wait! At the same time, there is pressing need for more funding and resources.
Research Funding Deficiency: Dr. Cindy H. Liu, Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, noted that NIH funding for Asian health research accounts for only 0.17% of its total budget.
Multifaceted Challenges: Elaine Peng, Executive Director of MHACC, highlighted several key challenges:
Building Trust: How service organizations can gain community members’ trust.
Education and Advocacy: How to educate people from diverse backgrounds, including those who may not recognize the importance of mental health, and help them identify signs of mental health concerns.
Resource Scarcity: For example, the difficulty in finding qualified Chinese translators.
Data Insufficiency: Lack of relevant data that makes it challenging to evaluate and adjust service strategies.
The Summit Plenary Session was titled “Uniting Diverse Stakeholders For Mental Health Equity”. North Caroline State Representative Maria Cervania opened the session with an inspiring and thought-provoking speech, connecting her personal experiences growing up as an AAPI youth in America navigating family and cultural expectations, her training as a biologist and epidemiologist, to her career as a public servant in increasingly important roles, and her steadfast support and advocacy for AAPI community’s health and mental health needs. SAMHSA Office of Behavioral Health Equity Deputy Director Tenly Biggs, UCA WAVES Executive Director Lily Chen, and Harvard Medical School Professor and a leading researcher on AAPI youth mental health Dr. Cindy H. Liu and other panelists discussed latest developments in their areas and pledged to collaborate with all sectors to advance new strategies to improve AANHPI mental health.
UCA WAVES 