Asian American Health Initiative November 2017 Newsletter

November 2017

Volume 8, Issue 2

Greetings!

As the leaves begin to fall and the temperature continues to drop, the Asian American Health Initiative (AAHI) has been busy at outreach activities and connecting with community partners and members throughout Montgomery County! Stop by our Resource Information Table at health fairs and cultural events this season to learn more about local health resources and various health needs in the Asian American community. Check out our calendar of events to see where we will be in the upcoming month!

Remember to keep up with the latest news at AAHI by following us on social media! You can find us on AAHI's blog, Facebook, and Twitter!

Fiscal Year 2017 Annual Report

Now Available!

We are pleased to share our Annual Report (6 MB) for Fiscal Year 2017 (FY2017)!

Click on the image above for the full Annual Report.

The AAHI Annual Report highlights the accomplishments we achieved this past year! We would like to thank our Steering Committee, Health Promoters, and community partners for their continuous support of AAHI!

News Flash:

Mental Health Photonovel 3 is Available!

AAHI has recently published the third volume of their mental health photonovel series! As part of the Be the One That Makes a Difference project, the photonovels aims to destigmatize mental health in the Asian American community.

This volume, titled "More than Just Stress", aims to raise awareness among Asian American youth on mental health and wellness and encourages them to seek support when stress escalates in an unhealthy manner.

To create this volume, AAHI worked with a group of Asian American Mental Health Youth Ambassadors who led the development of the plot. Additionally, Mental Health Youth Ambassadors reviewed various drafts of the photonovel to ensure that the storyline aligned with and captured key mental health and wellness issues faced by Asian American youth.

AAHI staff posing for a mock photonovel to create cartoon images.

All photonovels are available in multiple languages including Chinese, Hindi, Korean, and Vietnamese in addition to English. You can download the electronic versions of volume 1, 2, and 3 from the AAHI Resource Library. All photonovels are also available in MS Publisher formats to allow community groups to customize their own photonovels.

We would like to thank the Asian American Mental Heatlh Youth Ambassadors, Patient Navigators, AAHI Steering Committee members, Health Promoters, community partners, and AAHI staff for their generous time and effort in this project.

AAHI Steering Committee in Action!

On October 21st, the AAHI Steering Committee members came together for their Annual Retreat. This year, the Steering Committee focused on identifying the priorities and action steps for the future of AAHI.

The morning started off with presentation by special guest, Ms. Uma Ahluwalia, Director of the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (MCDHHS). Uma presented on the future landscape of MCDHHS given the upcoming potential changes. She also discussed on how the Steering Committee can best position themselves to continue their mission in light of these changes.

The Steering Committee spent the afternoon in small groups to discuss the strengths, opportunities, and direction of AAHI's programs and activities for the upcoming fiscal year.