{"id":62700,"date":"2024-02-14T12:43:38","date_gmt":"2024-02-14T20:43:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=62700"},"modified":"2024-02-19T12:44:38","modified_gmt":"2024-02-19T20:44:38","slug":"lacdmh-celebrates-first-anniversary-of-tea-time-serving-the-aapi-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=62700","title":{"rendered":"LACDMH Celebrates First Anniversary of \u201cTea Time,\u201d Serving the AAPI Community"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>This program, created in the wake of tragedy, provides mental health awareness and support to older adults.<\/em><\/h3>\n<p><strong>LOS ANGELES, CA ( February 14, 2024) <\/strong>\u2014 Today, the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH) is celebrating the first anniversary of its\u00a0<em>Tea Time<\/em>\u00a0program in Monterey Park. In just 11 months,\u00a0<em>Tea Time&#8217;s\u00a0<\/em>average attendance grew roughly 260% from an average attendance of 50 people a day in February 2023 to 180 in December 2023. Additionally, the program has referred more than 160 people for an intake appointment with LACDMH services.<\/p>\n<p>The program serves predominantly Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) older adults on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Langley Senior Center (400 W. Emerson Ave.) in Monterey Park. LACDMH staff opens the door to mental health support by having casual conversations over green tea and snacks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are so grateful that\u00a0<em>Tea Time<\/em>\u00a0has been a welcome and popular addition to the community who has wholeheartedly embraced this program, which has served as a bridge to offer hope and healing,\u201d said Dr. Lisa H. Wong, LACDMH Director. \u201c<em>Tea Time<\/em>\u00a0provides a safe and familiar space where anyone can meet and talk without judgment or fear. Programs like this are the types of culturally sensitive approaches we can provide, recognizing the needs of the diverse residents and communities we serve.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The program was created in response to the tragic Lunar New Year mass shooting in Monterey Park on Jan. 21, 2023, which resulted in 11 deaths and nine injuries.\u00a0<em>Tea Time<\/em>\u00a0originally provided a supportive community so individuals could collectively grieve the deadliest mass shooting in Los Angeles County. Now, it is a place to break down barriers and address stigmas in a safe environment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany older adults in the\u00a0AAPI community have a stigmatized view of mental health,\u201d said Ryan Nam, a clerk with the East San Gabriel Valley Mental Health Center who has been working at\u00a0<em>Tea Time\u00a0<\/em>since the beginning of the program. \u201cTo discuss the importance of mental health, we share that mental health is about how you feel in your heart \u2014 if your heart has depression, sleeplessness, or loneliness \u2014 that is all part of our overall mental health and well-being. Through these types of discussions, we have made significant inroads in breaking down barriers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nam, and his\u00a0<em>Tea Time<\/em>\u00a0partner, Trung Du, a Community Health Worker also with the East San Gabriel Valley Mental Health Center, have found success by being present to listen twice a week and by speaking with residents in their native languages \u2014 the duo is fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese and English.<\/p>\n<p><em>Tea Time<\/em>\u00a0will continue in Monterey Park throughout 2024, and similar programs are expected to be announced for other communities throughout Los Angeles County. To learn more or participate in\u00a0<em>Tea Time<\/em>, contact the East San Gabriel Valley LACDMH office in Covina at (626) 430-2900 or the Langley Senior Center at (626) 307-1395.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This program, created in the wake&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-62700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ca-local"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62700","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=62700"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62700\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62701,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62700\/revisions\/62701"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=62700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=62700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=62700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}