The Transcultural Wellness Center: rehabilitation and recovery in Asian and Pacific Islander mental health care.
Asian and Pacific Islander Americans (APIAs) are a diverse group, representing many cultures of origin, a range of immigration experiences, and varying access to economic and other resources. Despite stereotypes such as the "model minority" and cultural values that stigmatize mental illness and complicate mental health help-seeking, APIAs' psychiatric rehabilitation and recovery needs are significant. These needs are inadequately treated within existing systems of care. Passage of California's Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) in 2004 created the opportunity for Sacramento County to fund a full-service mental health clinic designed to meet the needs of the APIA community. The process by which this clinic, the Transcultural Wellness Center, was conceptualized, advocated for, and launched is described. This clinic is considered a best practice model within the MHSA system redesign effort.
Cameron
Rebecca P
RP
Psychology at California State University, Sacramento, CA 95819, USA. Cameron@csus.edu
Ton
Hendry
H
Yang
Cynthia
C
Endriga
Marya C
MC
Lan
Mei-Fang
MF
Koike
Alan K
AK
D001213:Asian / Q000523:psychology; D002140:California; D003155:Community Mental Health Centers / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D018166:Health Care Reform / Q000379:methods*; D006285:Health Planning; D006801:Humans; D009111:Local Government; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000208:ethnology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D044468:Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander / Q000523:psychology; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D009936:Organizational Innovation