OC mental health leaders consider how to better serve Cambodian and Vietnamese refugee communities

By Ada Tseng

In the last six months, since Dr. After Dr. Clayton Chau took the helm of the Orange County Health Care Agency, his public comments focused primarily on explaining and defending the county’s medical response to the coronavirus pandemic.

But in a virtual forum on October 22nd “Let’s talk about mental health in the Cambodian and Vietnamese communities“, hosted by TimesOC, USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism and Viet Rainbow of Orange County (VROC), Chau joined a group of Asian American medical providers, officials and advocates to talk about mental health.

The forum was streamed on Facebook Live at facebook.com/timesocofficial/videos/440920580206017.

“Most of you who know me know that I have spoken very publicly about my own journey of recovery from chronic depression and PTSD related to childhood and adolescent trauma,” Chau said on the Zoom panel.

Chau and his family fled Vietnam for the United States as a refugee, and he said the reason he eventually pursued a career as a psychiatrist was because he understood how immigrants experience trauma – and are often re-traumatized while trying to to build a life in America.

You can be too misdiagnosed by doctors who do not understand their cultural background and history.

The panel was moderated by TimesOC freelancer Agnes Constante and VROC founder Hieu Nguyen. It was attended by Chau, Mary Anne Foo, founder of the Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA), Paul Hoang, founder of the Moving Forward Psychological Institute, Edwin Poon, director of behavioral health services at CalOptima, and Amina Sen-Matthews, director of Cambodia Family Health and Mental Health Program, Participant and VROC Project Manager My Nguyen.

The discussion was sparked by Constante’s presentation of her three-part TimesOC series.Improving access to healthcare for Cambodians and Vietnamese“, which was supported by the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism 2020 California Fellowship.

Sen-Matthews, a child of Cambodian refugees, said she often translated for her parents at medical appointments.

Because about a third of the clients she serves at Cambodian Family are older adults, she said she “sees her parents in each of them.”

The Cambodian Family offers workshops to educate its members on preventative health practices and provides health navigators to help patients navigate the health care system.

Nguyen shared his experiences as someone who struggled to find mental health providers who understood both his Vietnamese culture and his LGBTQ identity. He also spoke about the importance of community organizations like VROC, which provide safe spaces for him and other youth.

Hoang emphasized the importance of providers practicing “cultural humility,” reminding his colleagues that the mere fact that someone has the same ethnic background does not mean they are providing culturally sensitive health care.

“We need to be able to allow the person in front of us to be an expert in their experience and be a learner in that moment,” he said. “And allow the person to teach us and share with us and tell us their stories so we can work with them.”

Foo spoke about one of her organization’s recent cases involving a woman suffering from severe depression and suicidal thoughts. She has been her family’s main supporter and her business has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s clear from all of these stories that it’s not just about a person’s behavior and mental health,” Foo said, explaining that they worked not only with health care providers, but also with their corporate network and their children’s school district to help them to support.

“You need to integrate wellbeing and mental health into all systems… [and] Think about all the barriers to well-being, the root causes of the problems.”

Agnes Constante shares a slide during the “Let’s Talk About Mental Health in the Cambodian and Vietnamese Community” event held Oct. 22 by TimesOC, the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism and Viet Rainbow of Orange County. (TimesOC)

Actionable steps

In Constante’s series, she reported that one of the main barriers is language: 90% of Southeast Asian Americans speak a language other than English at home, while 45% have limited English proficiency.

She pointed to the need to encourage more Vietnamese and Khmer speakers to become certified by the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters and the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters.

Other panelists also offered actionable steps for the future.

Poon said it’s important for county agencies like CalOptima to “continue conversations and dialogue with community-based organizations to get feedback so that we’re not just looking at this from the traditional one-size-fits-all perspective.”

Sen-Matthews spoke about her long-term goal of encouraging Cambodian youth to pursue a career in healthcare. Currently there is only one Khmer-speaking doctor in OC.

She added that when the Cambodian family looked for a Khmer-speaking therapist, it took a year to find someone and is currently inundated with cases, especially during the pandemic.

Poon also spoke about CalOptima’s work with interns and trainees in the early stages of their medical careers in the hope that they will continue to support vulnerable communities in the future.

After listening to his fellow panelists, Chau offered a broader perspective from his perspective as an administrator.

“One area we need to address is the sustainability issue of the health system,” Chau said.

He explained that dividing funds between so many specialized programs is ultimately inefficient and unsustainable.

“It requires all agencies to come together, collaborate, integrate and find a solution that works best for the community,” he said.

While Hoang acknowledged that funding is important for sustainability, he also wanted to highlight the impact community members can have through volunteer work.

“If each of us can donate and contribute, together we can create a larger pool that can be a resource for the community,” he said. “We must continue to inspire and bring people together to address these needs.”

[This story was originally published by TimesOC.]