Event Recap: Town Hall Meeting on the Model Minority Myth

"The Model Minority Myth: Consequences, Challenges, and Grass Roots Discussion on Mental Health and Substance Abuse"

The Asian Health Coalition of Illinois (AHCI), Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), and the Chinese American Service League (CASL) hosted a Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, December 10th, 2008. Grace Hou, Assistant Secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), served as the keynote speaker, and Dr. Terry Mason, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, spoke as the honored guest.

The primary goal of the Town Hall Meeting was to debunk the "model minority myth", and increase community awareness of its negative impact on Asian Pacific Islanders (APIs). AHCI staff, Tina Dharmapanij, Project Coordinator of the Asian Mental Health Partnership Initiative, and Meme Wang, Program Manager of the Substance Abuse Prevention Program, presented key findings and barriers such as cultural and linguistic barriers, stigma and accessibility to mental health and substance abuse treatment and prevention that have been revealed through their programs and ongoing research.

The Town Hall Meeting also provided an invaluable opportunity for community members, public health workers, social service agencies, and schools to pose questions, and share personal experiences of the impact that the "model minority myth" had on their own health and well-being or close personal friend or family member. Grace Hou and her staff from IDHS formed a panel to help answer questions, generate fruitful discussion, and provide expert opinion on the existing health disparities faced, and propose state initiatives geared towards addressing mental health and substance abuse issues among the API population in Illinois.