Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Training
Youth Advancing Communities Together (Youth-ACT)
Substance Use Prevention & Recovery (SUPR)
Coalition for achieving substance abuse prevention (CASAP)
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Training
According to the annual report by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 9.8% of African American, 9.7% of Latinx, and 7% of Asian American adults received mental health services in the past year compared to 19.8% of White adults. To address barriers to mental health services among communities of color and reduce the burden of mental health conditions, the Asian Health Coalition is implementing the Training Responders and Individuals to Navigate using Mental Health First Aid (TRAIN-MHFA) Project and the Building Healthy Communities: Behavioral Health Initiative for Persons of Color.
Youth Advancing Communities Together (Youth-ACT)
According to the 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Report, 23% of Hispanic students drank alcohol during the past 30 days. 35% of Asian students and 39% of Black students experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness during the past year. To address these health disparities affecting youth, the Asian Health Coalition is training youth to lead efforts surrounding health equity and social justice through the Youth Advancing Communities Together (ACT) program.
Substance Use Prevention & Recovery
Despite lower rates of substance abuse and addiction, Asian Americans who are in need of substance use treatment often do not receive the care that they need. According to SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health from 2020, 1.5 million Asian/NHOPI (Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander) people aged 12 and older had a substance use disorder but 99.3% of these people did not receive treatment. To increase awareness about substance use and address the barriers to substance use treatment services among Asian American communities, the Asian Health Coalition is implementing the Substance Use Prevention & Recovery (SUPR) program.
Coalition for Achieving Substance Abuse Prevention
The AHC has been successful with its substance abuse prevention efforts through the long history of Coalition for Achieving Substance Abuse Prevention (CASAP) since 2007. CASAP implemented local interventions to reduce substance abuse among youth (ages 12-18) in Chicago’s Chinatown community. In 2020, CASAP was renamed as the Coalition for Achieving Substance Abuse Prevention in order to represent the diverse populations of the community and has since expanded its prevention efforts to address mental health and social justice issues as well.