AACI (Asian Americans for Community Involvement)

Medi-Cal helps you and your family stay healthy. Even if you’ve been denied for full Medi-Cal recently, see if you’re eligible now. Immigration status does not matter. Applying will not affect your immigration status. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/gThwPsyM or call AACI at 408-975-2730 ext 135. #aaci #medical #medi-cal #insurance #health

Care for your mental health this heat season. 🧠 Learn more at sccphd.org/Climate. #HeatSafeSCC #aaci #sccph #santaclaracountry #santaclara

The last time we heard from Caleb, a former AACI Behavioral Health client, was in 2017. At the time, he was a college student with dreams of pursuing a career in film and hopes to pave way for other young Asian Americans to do the same. He is a healthy and self-confident young man, but that wasn’t always the case. When Caleb was just 10 years old, his entire world came crashing down. His father, a Korean immigrant who worked 3 jobs but still managed to make time for his son every day, passed away suddenly from a heart attack. In an instant, he not only lost his dad, but he also lost his role model. From 4th grade to high school, Caleb was in and out of counseling at AACI to help manage his depression and anxiety. “My mental health wasn’t really the best after that. Living life and being low income, it’s just a lot of pressure and I got really depressed,” Caleb said. At AACI, Caleb was connected with a counselor named Sarah, who was also Korean American. She was able to meet with him each week and give him a safe space to express his feelings and taught him strategies to cope with his anxiety. “I would talk about my immigrant background and growing up... She was Korean and was speaking to my mom in Korean too about what’s going on... Just the process of that and seeing somebody that looks like you and understands you was really important.” In the years following his time at AACI, Caleb continued to struggle with anxiety, but he has learned to manage it and live his life to the fullest. 🤩 The 2020 COVID pandemic was especially difficult between finishing up his last year of university, remaining isolated to protect his high-risk mom, and trying to figure out his plans for the future. At one point, he even considered dropping out of school because he thought, “Why should I go to school if I can’t afford it?” His mom served as motivation to push past this mindset and to keep working hard. ❤️ Now, Caleb has long since graduated from Biola University and works full-time as a content creator and social media consultant! 😎 For the past three years, Caleb has been making video content on TikTok and Instagram that usually relate to the Asian American/Korean American experience. He hopes to be an outlet and invoke laughter even if it is only 10 seconds at a time. To those who are also struggling, Caleb wishes to say, “Put your head down and keep working... There’ll be a light at the end of the tunnel... Surround yourself with kind people. Surround yourself with a good community. Get help when you need it.” To learn more about AACI Family & Children (F&C) program, please visit https://lnkd.in/gTiUnSa4 #aaci #ourclient #clientsuccessstory #familyandchildren #bh #behavioralhealth #mentalhealth

📣 Family Justice Center will be closed on Thursday, July 4th for the holiday! 📣 FJC services will resume at our Moorpark office on July 11th, but if you're in more urgent need, Community Solutions FJC will be available on Wednesday, July 3rd at: 📍 16264 Church St., #103 Morgan Hill, CA 95037 🕒 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM 📞 (408) 779-2113 For more information about Family Justice Center, please visit https://lnkd.in/gNk595qW #aaci #familyjusticecenter #fjc

Santa Clara County is getting hotter! ☀️📣 Protect your health in the heat this summer. Learn more at sccphd.org/Climate. #aaci #sccph #santaclaracountry #santaclara

In health and community data sets, Asian and Pacific Islander communities are often all lumped together into the same category, but we know that API communities are not a monolith and are representative of many diverse countries, cultures and backgrounds. Attention to particular health needs and disparities among different Asian and Pacific Islander subgroups is essential to improve health outcomes of these populations in the county. 📣 Having strong data that is disaggregated is an important step in addressing health needs and advocating for resources. 📣 Through advocacy and partnership with Supervisor Joe Simitian and the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, the Santa Clara County Asian and Pacific Islander (API) Health Assessment was published in 2017 with the goal to profile the health needs of the largest Asian subgroup populations in Santa Clara County: Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Japanese, and Vietnamese, as well as Pacific Islanders. Having this disaggregated data allows AACI to tailor our services and better address the unique needs of individual ethnic groups within the API community. In fact, AACI’s Community Health Worker (CHW) program is a direct result of the assessment data. This program was designed to improve health outcomes by removing barriers to accessing care and providing essential linkages between clinical, behavioral health, and community services for seven API subgroups. AACI coordinated partnerships with following local API serving organizations: Lead Filipino, Korean American Community Services (KACS), SEWA Bay Area, Regional Pacific Islander Task Force Vietnamese American Roundtable (VAR), Vietnamese Voluntary Organization (VIVO); and Yu Ai Kai. Leveraging each partner’s strengths and cultural competencies, the API CHW Network provided education on variety of health/wellness topics including mental health, chronic disease, nutrition, COVID, fall prevention and more. A community health worker is a frontline public health worker who is a trusted member of the community served. This trusting relationship enables the worker to serve as a liaison between health and social services and the community to facilitate access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery. A community health worker also builds individual and community capacity by increasing health knowledge and self-sufficiency through a range of activities such as outreach, community education, informal counseling, social support and advocacy. ❤️ To read the Santa Clara Country API Health Assessment, please visit https://lnkd.in/gv-KPUnD #aaci #ourhistory #communityhealthworkers

Medi-Cal helps you and your family stay healthy. Even if you’ve been denied for full Medi-Cal recently, see if you’re eligible now. Immigration status does not matter. Applying will not affect your immigration status. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/gThwPsyM or call AACI at 408-975-2730 ext 135. #aaci #medical #medi-cal #insurance #health

Meet Samantha, AACI Asian Women's Home's Grants & Development Lead! 🤩For 2+ years, Sam has worked to coordinate donations for our shelter for survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking, as well as managed grants by writing applications and meeting post-award deadlines. Her hard work and dedication has even won her Employee of the Month recently! 🥳 Here's what she had to say about her work: 💬 "It is a privilege to know my work indirectly helps empower survivors and their families- I get to say, 'I am passionate about and love my job!' My AACI colleagues are so kind and supportive, and I can't wait to learn and grow more together!" AACI Asian Women’s Home serves survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking regardless of their race, ethnicity, religion, immigration status, socioeconomic background, or sexual orientation. 💜 To inquire about services or to seek help, please visit https://lnkd.in/gv7EZkyV or call our free and confidential 24/7 hotline at (408) 975-2739. #aaci #asianwomenshome #awh #aaciawh #domesticviolence #dv #domesticviolenceshelter #ourteam #ouraaciteam #ourstaff #50thaaciversary #50thanniversary

Today is World Refugee Day! 📣 This day serves as an occasion to recognize the resilience and courage of refugees worldwide, as well as to promote empathy and understanding for their situations. ❤️ The theme for this year is "Hope Away from Home: A World Where Refugees Are Always Included." This theme emphasizes the importance of integrating refugees into host communities by ensuring they have access to jobs, education, healthcare, and other essential services. The goal is to provide refugees with opportunities to thrive while they are away from their home countries, fostering long-term solutions and preparing them for a safe return or successful resettlement. This year, the United Nations and various organizations are encouraging the global community to use the hashtags #WorldRefugeeDay, #WithRefugees, and #RefugeeDay on social media to amplify the voices and experiences of refugees. For more detailed information and to stay updated on events and initiatives related to World Refugee Day 2024, please visit https://lnkd.in/enQj6ahf #AACI #UNHCR #USAforUNHCR

AACI takes great pride in celebrating Juneteenth! In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are and henceforward shall be free." However, it wasn't until June 19, 1865, nearly two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, that enslaved Black Americans were notified by Union troops in Galveston Bay, Texas, with news of freedom. Over a quarter of a million Black Americans were granted freedom through an executive order on that day, which later became known as Juneteenth or Freedom Day. Today, we take a moment to celebrate the progress we’ve made while reaffirming our commitment to continuing the work of advancing equity and justice for Black Americans and for all in our community experiencing racism, oppression, and systemic bias. We also honor the resilience and accomplishments of the Black community, whose work to preserve historical narratives has driven social and personal progress since Freedom Day. As members of the AACI community, we encourage you to learn more about this vital part of our shared history and to find your own ways to contribute to the pursuit of equity, justice, and freedom. To learn more, please visit https://lnkd.in/g4EX_uUD #aaci #juneteenth