During May, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health recognizes Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month as part of our commitment to understanding the health needs of this diverse population.
Included in the Asians and Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders (Asian and NHOPI) population is a wide variety of subgroups, each with their own unique health disparities. These disparities can also be observed when comparing Asian Medicare beneficiaries to Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders beneficiaries. We are committed to making sure these vulnerable populations can effectively get and use health care through policy and equity initiatives.
National Mental Health Month
May is also National Mental Health Month, which gives CMS OMH an opportunity to highlight the importance of mental health for the Asian and NHOPI communities as these communities are generally less likely to seek professional help for mental health issues due to barriers such as accessing care because of linguistic, cultural, or insurance-related obstacles. Recent increases in anti-Asian discrimination and violence compounded with other pandemic-related stressors have severely impacted the Asian American community furthering the need to bring attention to these issues.
This month allows CMS OMH to continue to strive towards our goal of improving the health of all minority populations. Below are resources that you can share with your patients during this month and more.
Resources
- Read the newly released Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Disparities in Health Care in Medicare Advantage stratified report, which highlights the racial and ethnic differences in health care experiences and compares the quality of care for men and women.
- View CMS OMH’s Quality Improvement & Interventions to find evidence-based interventions that can contribute to reducing health disparities and lowering cost.
- Review our Data Highlight, Understanding the Health Needs of Diverse Groups of Asian and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander Medicare Beneficiaries, to learn more about the diverse health needs among subgroup.
- Share From Coverage to Care (C2C) Consumer Resources and Prevention Resources to help patients learn to make the most of their health coverage. These resources are available in a variety of languages including Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese. Use the Roadmap to Behavioral Health to understand how to use your coverage to improve your physical and mental health.
- View the C2C COVID-19 Resources webpage to find COVID-19 resources that you can share with patients, including resources in 8 languages that you can share on social media. Download and share C2C Telehealth Resources to help you and your patients make the most of virtual care.
- Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) Behavioral Health Equity webpage for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander to find behavioral health resources.
- Review the Special Enrollment Period Partner Toolkit for Marketplace fact sheets and resources in several languages.