This talk will review the California Reducing Disparities Project (CRDP) since its inception in 2010. CRDP was funded to gather community perspectives on mental health disparities. The Project was further charged to identify solutions and strategies defined by the communities. CRDP funding came from the Mental Health Service Act which passed in 2004. CRDP was implemented in five major populations in California documented by the US Surgeon General Report, including: African American, Asian Pacific Islander (API), Latino, LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay. Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Questioning), and Native American.
CRDP represents the largest investment in mental health conditions among diverse communities in the US. This presentation will focus on the findings from the API communities. The process of data collection and consensus building from 56 community based service agencies and individuals will be described. It will further describe findings from 23 focus groups on the perception of mental health (or “wellness”) reflected in six dimensions, barriers in seeking for professional help, and types of service programs people are looking for.
The presentation will further describe the definition of “core competence (cultural competence)” in an eight dimension by three levels (individual, agency, system) matrix. It will then use samples from 56 community defined programs to depict principles of “core competence.” At the conclusion, implications for public policy as well as recommendations for improvement in critical areas in the mental health system design and deliver will be discussed.