Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 40, Number 5, 1 May 2023 — A Clearinghouse of Behavioral Health Resources [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

A Clearinghouse of Behavioral Health Resources

V I OLA LOKAHI V ^ TOTHRIVETOGETHER IN UNITY *

Na Lilinoe Kauahikaua Papa Ola Lōkahi is excited to announee the upcoming launeh of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander (AANHPI) 'Ohana Center of Excellence for Behavioral Heahh ('Ohana CoE). The 'Ohana CoE is a partnership among the State of Hawai'i Department of Heahh - Adult Mental Heahh Division (DOH-AMHD), Papa Ola Lōkahi (POL), San Jose State University (SJSU), and California State University East Bay (CSU-EB) through a 5-year grant from the federal Substance Abuse Mental Heahh Services Agency (SAMHSA). 'Ohana CoE will serve as a hub for technical assistance, culturally and linguistically appropriate behavioral heahh resources, research-informed seminars, and culturally responsive trainings. These resources will include live and recorded in-language presentations of behavioral heahh data,

and culturally tailored workshops for Native Hawaiian and Paeihe Islander communities and cultures. Amplifying traditional and cultural approaches to behavioral heahh is vital. We will address data and programmatic aggregation and lift the voices of NHPI communities to assure equitable representation in discussions about the heahh and wellbeing, especially when addressing substance use and mental heahh throughout our communities. The 'Ohana CoE, guided by a regional and national steering committee, acknowledges that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Paeihe Islanders have differing experiences, visibility, social and geographic location, cultural and historical trauma, and language access needs across the U.S. and the U.S. Associated Paeihe Islands (USAPI). Strategies to improve behavioral heahh in one region may not apply in other areas due to differences in ethnic and cultural demographics and available behavioral heahh care resources. Look out for more information about kūkākūkā (talk story) sessions in early May, followed by informational events at whieh project goals and key partners of the 'Ohana CoE will be shared with the broader community. E ola mau. ■ Lilinoe Kauahikaua, MSW, is a population heahh specialist - addictions, mental health, social justice with Papa Ola Lōkahi.