Since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been a significant increase in the number of verbal and physical acts of violence against members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. According to a recent NYPD report, there were 131 hate crimes targeting Asians in New York in 2021 as compared to only 28 in 2020 and only one in 2019.
This dramatic rise in racist attacks prompted the wellness team at Flushing Hospital Medical Center to create the BRAAVR (Building Resilience Against Anti-Asian Violence & Racism) program. This community wellness program was designed to help people who have been impacted, either directly or indirectly, by anti-Asian racism, receive counseling and support from culturally competent, multi-lingual mental health professionals. The program is available to all, regardless of their ability to pay. Services are provided in-person, through the mobile crisis intervention program, or virtually through the telehealth program.
On Monday, May 23rd, in recognition of Asian American Heritage Month, Flushing Hospital held a press conference to officially launch the BRAAVR program and invited Congresswoman Grace Meng to join them for the announcement. The Congresswoman has been a strong advocate for addressing anti-Asian hate and mental health awareness in the Asian community. Among Congresswoman Meng’s many accomplishments to combat anti-Asian hate was the enactment of her COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. The bill was overwhelmingly passed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives and signed into law by President Biden in May of 2021.
During her remarks, Congresswoman Meng pledged her continued support for Flushing Hospital and thanked the wellness team, led by Dr. Daniel Chen, Chairman of Psychiatry. After the program, Congresswoman Meng was given a tour of Flushing Hospital and was very impressed with all the modernization projects taking place, including the New Beginnings Mother-Baby Unit.
The event was well covered by multiple Asian media outlets including The Korean Channel, Sino Vision, and NTDTV. In addition, New York 1 News covered the BRAAVR program in their “Around the Boroughs” segment. To see the clip, click the following:
Congratulations to the wellness team on their efforts to provide this important service to our community.