Reducing Mental Health Stigma and Discrimination in California's API Community: A community-based approach

Background/Significance: In 2011, Runyon Saltzman Einhorn, Inc. (RSE) partnered with Solsken Public Relations to create a targeted mental health awareness campaign speaking directly to the Asian/Pacific Islander (API) audience in California on behalf of the California Mental Health Services Authority (CalMHSA). 

Objective/Purpose: Educate underserved API audiences in California, specifically targeting Hmong, Cambodian and Laotian adults in an effort to reduce mental health stigma and discrimination.

Methods: Utilized grassroots public relations outreach activities to reach targeted adults, educating audiences and breaking the cycle of myths about mental health. The campaign outreach served two purposes:

• Implemented tactics to educate the target audience and dispel myths about mental health utilizing partnerships with in-language media and community-based organizations.
• Created culturally appropriate tools such as videos and stories relevant to target audience.
• Created a framework that enabled local counties to implement outreach efforts in the community beyond CalMHSA’s stigma and discrimination reduction (SDR) campaign.

Results:

• Reached 600,000 viewers through public service announcements and talk shows airing in Sacramento, Fresno and Long Beach
  • More than 2,000 people attended mental health community forums across the state
  • About 50 middle and high school Mien and Hmong students in Sacramento and Fresno participated in the “Our Story of Hope” storytelling contest
  • More than 500 community members viewed the Lao and Cambodian videos
  • Conducted a pre and post campaign survey. Preliminary results showed that participants with direct exposure to the campaign responded with more knowledge about mental health than their peers.

 

Discussion/Conclusions: Through research and community-based practices, stigma and discrimination messages were disseminated in the California API community and sustainable methods were implemented to continue mental health awareness after the conclusion of the campaign. Key components of the campaign included, consumer involvement, partnerships with community-based organizations and research and evaluation that helps improve future SDR work in this community.