The health of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) who are receiving treatment for severe mental illness may benefit from including primary care as part of their overall treatment program, according to a new report.
A review of the lessons learned from the Wellness for Asian Pacific Americans Project (WAPA), a primary and behavioral health integrated care project implemented in partnership by International Community Health Services (ICHS) and Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS), showed that health indicators for AAPIs living with serious mental illness (SMI) improved with better access to primary care.
The finding was reported in a special edition of the AAPI Nexus Journal.
AAPIs living with SMI are adversely affected by health disparities and face significant personal, social, economic, and environmental stressors that impact their physical and mental health status. The goal of WAPA, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA), is to improve the overall wellness and physical health status of low income, limited English proficient AAPI immigrants and refugees living with SMI.
“Based on preliminary data, people’s health is improving, they are feeling better, and they are getting more connected with their community,” said Michael McKee, ICHS health services and community partnership director, who co-authored the report.
McKee spoke about the report at a press conference March 17 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., to launch the journal’s special edition.
“Health indicators for patients who were tracked — including their blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), and cholesterol levels — improved as well as quality of life as their access to primary care improved,” said Yoon Joo Han, ACRS behavioral health director, co-author of the report.
Their report was published in a special edition of AAPI Nexus Journal, a national journal focusing on policies, practices and community research published by the UCLA Asian American Studies Center. The journal’s special edition was dedicated to Federally Qualified Health Centers serving Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.
The authors noted that the program could have implications related to health care reform and applicability to similar programs since their target population often disproportionately deals with serious health issues, including greater risk for diabetes and early deaths, as compared to the general population.
WAPA reduces barriers and increases access for AAPIs with SMI by bringing an ICHS primary care team into a community mental health setting at the ACRS site. WAPA seamlessly engages the population in wellness activities, health education, and dental care in a supportive community environment that promotes overall health.
A key element of the care model was the integration of the ACRS case manager into the health care team, as the case manager often acted as interpreter, cultural mediator, patient navigator, health educator, and treatment plan care coordinator.
The report authors said improved health outcomes may have resulted in cost savings and are convinced that the model of care may be successfully replicated and sustained elsewhere, if care is delivered in a culturally appropriate manner.
To access the abstract of the report, click here.
Photo Caption: Researchers, scholars, and program managers gathered March 17 in Washington, DC., to launch the special edition of AAPI Nexus Journal. From left to right: Dr. Huong Lee, Asian Health Services Dental Director; Dr. Kimberly S.G. Chang, Mongan Commonwealth Fund Fellow of Minority Health Policy at Harvard School of Public Health; Dr. Rosy Chang Weir, Director of Research at AAPCHO; Dr. Shao-Chee Sim, Chief Strategy Officer at Charles B. Wang Community Health Center, NYC; Michael McKee, Health Services and Community Partnership Director, ICHS; Dr. Thu Quach, Director of Community Health and Research at Asian Health Services; Dr. Marjorie Kagawa-Singer, professor of Public Health and Asian American Studies at UCLA; Dr. Ninez Ponce, professor of Public Health and director of the Center for Global and Immigrant Health at UCLA.
For more information about ICHS and ACRS, please visit: www.ichs.com and www.acrs.org
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About ICHS
Founded in 1973, ICHS is a non-profit community health center offering affordable primary medical and dental care, acupuncture, laboratory, pharmacy, behavioral health WIC, and health education services. ICHS’ four full-service medical and dental clinics — located in Seattle’s International District and Holly Park neighborhoods; and in the cities of Bellevue and Shoreline — serve over 20,000 patients each year. As the only community health center in Washington primarily serving Asians and Pacific Islanders, ICHS provides care in over 50 languages and dialects annually. ICHS is committed to improving the health of medically underserved communities by providing affordable and in-language health care. For more information, please visit: www.ichs.com
About ACRS
Asian Counseling and Referral Service was founded in 1973, and is one of the nation’s oldest and largest pan-Asian Pacific Islander community based behavioral health and human services organizations. ACRS serves 27,000 clients in King County in 40 languages and dialects and helps families and community members, from youth to seniors, with a holistic continuum of culturally competent and linguistically accessible mental health services, and with our partners, primary care and dental care. ACRS also offers recovery services for substance use disorder, problem gambling, domestic violence and sexual assault prevention; job readiness and placement; English as a Second Language, citizenship classes and naturalization services; civic engagement activities; youth leadership development programs; and wellness training, food and nutrition assistance and support for elders and people with disabilities.visit.www.acrs.org
