Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander American Health Information Resources

Posted by Sharon Han on April 16th, 2021 Posted in: Blog, General, Outreach, Public Health

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NNLM PSR staff stand in solidarity with the AAPI community in response to the growing awareness and call to action against Anti-Asian Violence. This article includes resources to learn more about overall health and mental health within Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander American communities, relevant webinars, reading materials, research articles and organizations, as well as cultural competency trainings.

Statements on Anti-Asian Violence from LIS Organizations

We stand with the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association Statement Against Anti-Asian Violence:

The Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) recognizes and strongly condemns the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes that have permeated our country over the past year. Our Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities have been deeply impacted by attacks that have caused physical and psychological harm. While reported incidents number in the thousands, recent assaults against our elderly and others include attacks on a 52-year-old woman who was shoved in Queens, an 83-year-old woman punched on public transit in San Diego, a 91-year-old man, a 60-year-old man and 55-year-old woman shoved in Oakland’s Chinatown, a 61-year-old man in Brooklyn whose face was slashed while riding the subway, a 36-year-old man stabbed in Manhattan’s Chinatown, a disabled 51-year-old elementary school teacher’s aide beaten by his own cane in LA County, a 27-year-old Air Force veteran beaten in LA’s Koreatown and the deadly assault of 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee in San Francisco. In addition, various press reports and anecdotal evidence point to many more incidents of anti-Asian assaults, violence and harassment that have gone unreported.

In May of 2020, we denounced the rise in xenophobia and racism due to coronavirus-related hostility, disinformation and racism. The violence has only grown worse over the past year. We know that these issues are not new, as our communities have been subjected to violence and stereotyping throughout U.S. history. We will continue to simultaneously call out anti-Blackness in our communities and offer our support to our Black colleagues, while recognizing the intersectional nature of white supremacist culture and oppression. APALA is inspired by and grateful for the work of our activist colleagues who eloquently spoke about these issues in Letter to Asian Diasporic Library Workers.

APALA, one of the six National Associations of Librarians of Color, stands in solidarity with our Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities. We urge our library community to stand with us by publicly condemning anti-AAPI racism through visible actions, which we encourage you to share here. We offer to our communities, educators and library workers our 2021 COVID-19 anti-xenophobia and anti-racist information resources and COVID-19 Anti-Asian Racism Resources for K-12. We call on our partner organizations and allies to join forces with us in battling discrimination, xenophobia, and white supremacy.

Additionally, here is up//root’s Letter to Asian Diasporic Library Workers.

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Informational Resources

1.  Asian American Mental and Behavioral Health (HHS Office of Minority Health)
2. Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Mental and Behavioral Health (HHS Office of Minority Health)
3. Asian American Health (MedlinePlus.gov)
4. Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Health (MedlinePlus.gov)
5. Mental Health (MedlinePlus.gov)
6. How to Improve Mental Health (MedlinePlus.gov)

Online Trainings/Webinars

1. APALA Webinar: Addressing the Stigma: Mental Health and Wellness Resources for Asian/Pacific American Communities (sponsored by NNLM PSR)
2. NNLM Webinar: Cultural Competency for the Information Professional
3. NNLM Webinar: Cultural Competencies and the Strategic Prevention Framework
4. NNLM Webinar: Perspectives in Cultural Competence and Cultural Humility
5. HHS: Think Cultural Health – Improving Cultural Competency for Behavioral Health Professionals
6. Cultural Humility: Essential Foundation for Clinical Researchers
7. Advancing Racial Equity Webinar Series (American Public Health Association)

AAPI Resources from Member Libraries

1. Los Angeles Public Library API Solidarity Statement and Booklist
2. San Jose Public Library AAPI Statement and Booklist
3. Las Vegas-Clark County Library District AAPI Resource page

Organizations

1. National Institute of Mental Health
2. HHS Office of Minority Health
3. National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
4. Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum

PubMed Articles

PubMed Search for AAPI Health articles

1. Lu W, Todhunter-Reid A, Mitsdarffer ML, Muñoz-Laboy M, Yoon AS, Xu L. Barriers and Facilitators for Mental Health Service Use Among Racial/Ethnic Minority Adolescents: A Systematic Review of Literature. Front Public Health. 2021 Mar 8;9:641605. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.641605. PMID: 33763401; PMCID: PMC7982679.
2. Naito T, Chin J, Kim TU, Veera S, Jeannette M, Lomiguen CM. Further Reduction in Help-Seeking Behaviors Amidst Additional Barriers to Mental Health Treatment in Asian Populations: A Contemporary Review. Cureus. 2020 Nov 12;12(11):e11455. doi: 10.7759/cureus.11455. PMID: 33329953; PMCID: PMC7733772.
3. Yu N, Pan S, Yang CC, Tsai JY. Exploring the Role of Media Sources on COVID-19-Related Discrimination Experiences and Concerns Among Asian People in the United States: Cross-Sectional Survey Study. J Med Internet Res. 2020 Nov 6;22(11):e21684. doi: 10.2196/21684. PMID: 33108307; PMCID: PMC7652591.

 

These resources were curated by NNLM PSR Associate Director, Nisha Mody, and Associate Fellow, Sharon Han.