拯救亞裔家庭輔導中心 Help Save ACMHS！
2016-01-26 20:35
拯救亞裔家庭輔導中心 Help Save ACMHS！
敬請關注美國華裔精神健康聯盟對此事件的跟進報導。
阿拉美達縣參事會衞生委員會2016年5月9日公佈的財務審計報告稱，服務東灣社區超過四十年的「亞裔家庭輔導中心」（ACMHS）的會計部門有紕漏，缺乏長遠的財務規劃，要求備受爭議的中心行政主任Philip Sun（音譯：孫菲力浦）作出回應。
5月9日上午100多名社區成員，亞裔家庭輔導中心工作人員和支持者出席公聽會。會場氣氛熱烈，充滿了能量！代表們一個緊接著一個來到麥克風前發言，來自緬甸、柬埔寨、韓國、中國和越南等的社區代表要求監事採取行動。 亞裔家庭輔導中心醫療團隊宣稱，如果監事會沒有乾預，他們將集體辭職。 ACMHS現任董事會及執行董事雖然被要求參加聽證會，但他們拒絕參加。
公聽會現場場景。
美國華裔精神健康聯盟負責人彭一玲代表華裔社區發言。
支持者們合影。
世界日報記者劉先進採訪亞裔家庭輔導中心周陳芷茵（Esther Chow）。
星島日報記者崔林子採訪亞裔家庭輔導中心林玉愛（Joyce Lim）。
多家媒體第一時間報導了事件：
1、KGO TV-abc7news報導：
2、NBC news報導：
3、世界日報World Journal：
4、星島日報Sing Tao USA：
5、Korea Times韓國時報：
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事件回顧：
成立於1974 年的亞裔家庭輔導中心(Asian Community Mental Health Services-ACMHS)因為管理人員的失職行為，已到生死存亡的邊緣時刻。美國華裔精神疾病聯盟NAMI ACS得知這個消息非常痛心也非常難過。作為服務在Alameda阿拉米達和Contra Costa 康特拉科斯塔亞裔社區精神衛生健康的最大專業治療機構，擔負一個舉足輕重的重要角色。該機構長期不良地運作狀況讓精神健康服務資源嚴重不足的亞裔患者雪上加霜。
2016年元月26日，亞裔家庭輔導中心員工向Alameda市參事會提出了請願信--要求罷免該機構的執行董事和調查該機構的運作狀況。請願信發起人來自亞裔家庭輔導中心各階層的大部分員工。截至元月26日為止，4天的網上請願加上書面簽名聲援人數已達到千人以上。
網上請願鏈接如下：
作為與亞裔家庭輔導中心ACMHS緊密聯繫的美國華裔精神疾病聯盟NAMI ACS，我們表示對此事件表示深切地關注。
美國華裔精神健康聯盟負責人彭一玲女士元月26日向Alameda市參事會呈交的聲援信。
To： Alameda County Board of Supervisors
Re： NAMI ACS support the petition: Help Save Asian Community Mental Health Services
From: Elaine Peng 彭一玲Director, Asian Community Programs/Board Member
National Alliance on Mental Illness Alameda County South (NAMI ACS)
Date: Jan 26th, 2016
It has taken an extreme situation for staff at ACMHS to ask for the "Executive Director to Step Down". Patience and tolerance is the norm in Asian culture, and so the large number of public complaints in the Asian community and staff about ACMHS' management is exceptional, and a testament to the dire situation. ACMHS employees have tolerated internal instability for a long period of time.
NAMI's Asian Community values our partnership with ACMHS. We would like to express our deep concern about the current status of ACMHS.
We know that in these past two years, ACMHS experienced many personnel changes, it is a huge loss that so many dedicated and passionate experts have left ACMHS. Which deeply adversely affected services to consumers. Our community has been hurt. As residents of Alameda County , We feel we have the right to question the leadership of ACMHS. ACMHS needs to recruit new board members who have professional and personal lived experience with mental health services, including consumers and family members.
We want all ACMHS employees to know that NAMI stands in solidarity and support, and appreciate their courage, dignity and dedication! Their action gives us hope！
We want the public to know that NAMI's Asian Community cares about all the staff at the ACMHS. NAMI ACS knows that we at NAMI will stand beside you in your efforts to repair your agency and restore ACMHS back to an agency of quality and integrity. We encourage public interest this cause and support ACMHS staff!
NAMI's Asian Community is committed to monitoring developments, remaining true to our community based roots, and advocating for social justice. Let's collaborate towards a better future for our community!
Thanks and Respectfully,
Elaine Peng 彭一玲
Director, Asian Community Programs/Board Member
National Alliance on Mental Illness Alameda County South (NAMI ACS)
Email: chinese@namiacs.org
Phone: 510-259-9580 Ext 109
www.namichinese.org
當天在議事廳的活動片段：
亞裔家庭輔導中心員工代表Pysay Phinith在發言。
聲援者NAMI ACS 總裁Joe Rose在發言。
媒體記者在拍照。
員工代表團元月26號凌晨對外發布的新聞稿：
Press Release
January 26, 2016
Overwhelming Support to save Asian Community Mental Health Services
Oakland, CA
A petition to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors (BOS) that began only four days ago resulted in over 900 signatures from consumers, family members, staff and supporters, all with one voice to save Asian Community Mental Health Services (ACMHS), the largest community-based nonprofit in Oakland that has been providing mental health and developmental disability services to low income Asian immigrants and refugees for 41 years.
The petition calls for the removal of Philip Patrick Sun, Executive Director, and a financial audit of the agency's use of public fund, with a request for the BOS to provide a mediator for staff and consumers to dialogue with ACMHS Board of Directors.
According to ACMHS staff, during the past three years, Mr. Sun's leadership has created a hostile work environment, causing more than one-third of experienced bilingual clinicians, psychologists, psychiatrists, managers and supervisors to resign, hence severely impacting the agency's service delivery to underserved Asian communities in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. Over the past several months ACMHS managers and also staff members belonging to SEIU have filed multiple grievances with the ACMHS Board of Directors regarding Mr. Sun's problematic leadership and financial mismanagement. Staff reported that the Board has not conducted an impartial and complete investigation.
Community supporters who have signed the petition include former Alameda County Supervisor, Alice Lai-Bitker; Josie Camacho, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of Alameda Labor Council; Dr. Helen Hsu, Vice-President of the Asian American Psychological Association; Elaine Peng, Director of Asian Communities Program of NAMI, Alameda South County; Sean Kirkpatrick, Interim Executive Director of Community Health for Asian Americans, and many more community advocates.
Overwhelming support not only poured in from the Bay Area but throughout the country and all over the world with signers from California, Hawaii, Michigan, Indiana, New Jersey, Louisiana, Canada, Hong Kong and Australia.
Consumers, family members, staff and community supporters will present this petition to Alameda County Board of Supervisors today (January 26, 2016) at their scheduled meeting at 10:30 am at 1221 Oak Street, Room 512, Oakland, CA.
To view petitioners’ comments, go to:
感謝星島日報在當天發報聲援此次活動。
2016年元月28日, NBC新聞(NBC News)發布了關於此次事件的有關報導。
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