Newsbrief: ACMHS Opens Drop-In Center for APIs Seeking Mental Health Services
In October 2006, ACMHS launched Asian ACCESS, a program designed to make mental health services accessible to limited English-speaking Asians and Pacific Islanders (APIs).
Asian ACCESS is the first point of contact for Asian community members seeking mental health services. In order to be accessible to the community, ACMHS opened a ground floor office at its Oakland Chinatown site where people can drop in for information and referrals, screenings, assessments, and brief treatment services.
ACMHS’ ACCESS staff are uniquely qualified, having not only a knowledge of the various community resources but also being bilingual or even trilingual in Asian languages and dialects. Asian ACCESS will also hire peer counselors, consumers with mental illness who have themselves navigated through the system and made strides towards recovery. Stigma about mental illness continues to be a barrier that prevents people from seeking help for mental illness, and peer counselors will play a vital role in outreach and client engagement efforts.
Asian ACCESS was born out of Proposition 63, passed by California voters in 2004. The proposition provides funds to counties to develop innovative programs and integrated services for mentally ill children, adults and seniors. Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services held focus groups to assess the mental health needs of the community, and ACMHS staff were key participants in these studies. As a result of strong advocacy for the underserved API communities, ACMHS received Prop 63 funding to develop an Asian ACCESS program.
The Asian ACCESS office is located at 310 – 8th Street, Room 103, in Oakland, CA. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 am – 5 pm. The hotline number is (510) 869-7200.