The Woodruff Foundation awarded Asian Services In Action, $15,000 to support the Asian Mental Health Initiative (AMHI), a project that reduces the linguistic and cultural barriers to mental health services for Asian Americans and provides education and awareness to the broader Asian American community to de-stigmatize mental health issues and to promote help seeking norms, attitudes and behaviors.
“Language and culturally appropriate mental health services in the Asian American is a major unmet need in our communities. ASIA regularly receives calls from families and individuals in distress with little or no options for treatment and support. With the Woodruff Foundation’s generous gift, we hope to begin to address this critical service void,” said Michael Byun, ASIA’s Executive Director.
During this pilot project year, AMHI will conduct a series of mental health workshops that are linguistically and culturally appropriate for the Asian American population in Cuyahoga County. The goal is to reach 200 people.
About Asian Services In Action (ASIA)
Founded in 1995 by four immigrant women, the mission of ASIA is to empower Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Northeastern Ohio to access quality, culturally and linguistically appropriate information and services. The agency was founded under the premise that with the right support to individuals and families, the community will flourish and thrive. Annually, the organization touches over 4,000 lives through five program areas.
About the Woodruff Foundation
The Woodruff Foundation was established in 1986 to enhance, through financial support, the development and delivery of mental health services in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Specifically, the Foundation seeks to fund projects that will foster and enhance:
* the treatment of persons affected by mental disorders and chemical dependency
* educational programs related to mental health
* the coordination of mental health resources in the community
* research into the causes, nature and recurrence of mental illness
Given the rapid changes that are transpiring in local mental health and substance abuse services, the Trustees have adopted the following as high priority areas of interest:
* encouraging the implementation of innovative prevention and treatment programs
*strengthening the effectiveness of existing service delivery systems
Visit:Â www.fmscleveland.com/woodruff
