Behavioral Health & Recovery Services Blog

With May being recognized as National Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month and Mental Health Awareness Month, the State of California, the City & County of San Francisco, and the City of Austin have established May 10 as Asian Pacific American Mental Health Day. This recognition highlights the importance of raising awareness about mental health and promoting mental wellness in the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.

Executive Director of the National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA) emphasized the key relationship between both recognitions being in May and stated, “Mental Health is also finding the joy in embracing our cultural heritage, of being proud of who we are, and celebrating our differences and the things that make us unique.  It is recognizing that we all have something to offer regardless of our cultural heritage, languages spoken, our place of birth, our sexual orientation, social economic status or religious belief.”

You can get involved in promoting mental wellness in the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in San Mateo County by joining one or more of the below Health Equity Initiatives from the Office of Diversity and Equity of the San Mateo County Behavioral Health & Recovery Services:

Chinese Health Initiative
Last Thursday of the Month, 3:00–4:30pm
2000 Alameda de las Pulgas, Room 201 in San Mateo
Contacts: Steve Sust (susts@stanford.edu) and Sylvia Leung (sleung@smcgov.org)

Filipino Mental Health Initiative
3rd Thursday of the Month, 3:30-5:00pm
Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center
2121 Junipero Serra Blvd in Daly City
Contacts: Eugene Canotal (ecanotal@smcgov.org) and Jennifer Jimenez Wong (jensjimenez@gmail.com)

Pacific Islander Initiative
1st Tuesday of the Month, 6:00-7:30pm
Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center
1660 S Amphlett Blvd Suite 219 in San Mateo
Contacts: Juliet Vimahi (jvimahi@pcrcweb.org) and Seini Mateialona (smateialona@pcrcweb.org)