The Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA) enthusiastically supports the Mental Health Workforce and Language Access Act of 2021. Asian Americans have historically had among the lowest rates of mental health service utilization across all racial/ethnic groups and continue to face systemic barriers to access mental health services. The COVID-19 pandemic and surge in anti-Asian racism have raised mental health as a priority concern in many Asian American communities, with 4 in 10 Asian Americans experiencing acute psychological distress at this time. Improving language access to mental health services, particularly in trusted community-based settings, is a key pathway to getting Asian Americans the mental health services they need and deserve now and into the future.
Check out release by Congresswoman Meng here