Improving mental health is a national goal of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Healthy People 2030 Initiative, especially in the face of rising demand after the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, though public health policies support this goal and health insurance navigation resources are available, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) subgroups tend to lag in mental health care access and utilization due to language barriers, lack of access, cultural stigmas, and other factors. In response, 3C Community Clinic (3CCC)’s Mental Health Intervention for Los Angeles (MHILA) project will strengthen cross-sector strategies to address the mental health needs of the underserved immigrant community Los Angeles County.

Based on a successful 2021 pilot program, we’ve found that in-language navigation services play a critical role in helping patients (a) mitigate accessibility issues; (b) work through cultural stigmas, and (c) connect to relevant community resources. 3CCC’s MHILA project will combine in-language navigation services, mental health care, and faith-based counseling to address the unique needs of our patients.

3CCC’s MHILA project combines its mental health care services with faith-based counseling for increased efficacy; this care model is a proven strategy that can help combat the gaps in public health policies impacting AAPI to contribute towards the HHS Healthy People 2030 Initiative.

3CCC’s partners are existing contractors with bilingual (English/Korean) staff members on hand: All partners are located in 3CCC’s service and are close to our project site.