COVID-19 Resource Hub

New! COVID-19 Impacts on Mental Health Podcast Series

This compelling podcast series features conversations with AAPCHO members and partners focused on the impacts of COVID-19 on mental health among community members, providers, and other health center workforce. We uncover powerful stories and insights that illuminate the challenges, strengths, and progress made to support mental health among Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders.

Overall Series Themes

Throughout this series, our guests revealed several recurring themes, experiences, and lessons learned that health centers can operationalize to support their workforce as well as the patients they serve. Across various episodes, we witness the importance of:

Collaborative Support: Reliance on a good support network (family, friends, co-workers, community, etc.) to promote mental health and well-being;

Collective Healing: Giving adequate space and time to heal and process grief by creating safe spaces to share stories and experiences as well as fostering resiliency, empathy, and connection amongst the community;

Culturally Tailored Care: Highlighting the value of multilingual and culturally responsive healthcare services and recognizing that diverse communities require individualized approaches to care;

Empowerment Through Boundaries: Finding balance in personal and work life to prevent burnout. The need for individuals to set boundaries, recognize the strength in sensitivity, and advocate for equitable working conditions;

Adequate Compensation for Emotional Labor: Compensating healthcare providers and other staff members for the added emotional labor of their work that is often left unpaid and unrecognized;

Pathways to Health Careers: Inspiring a new generation of passionate individuals to pursue a career in healthcare and making those pathways to enter the workforce more accessible by providing more entry-level opportunities and reducing structural and institutional disparities that make it harder for minoritized racial and ethnic groups to enter the mental health field; and

Recognizing Privilege: Acknowledging that mental health services are not always easily accessible and that there may be several barriers to seeking support. Addressing the social drivers of health should be the first step in meeting patients’ basic needs, as it sets the foundation for dismantling systemic obstacles and fostering a healthcare environment that prioritizes inclusivity, empowerment, and holistic well-being.

See full episode details and descriptions below.

View the other episodes in the series: https://soundcloud.com/user-207279422

Find alternate ways to access the episodes: https://bit.ly/CHERNResources

This series was brought to you by the COVID-19 and Other Infectious Diseases Health Equity Response Network (CHERN). The CHERN Initiative is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and was developed in partnership between AAPCHO and the Pacific Islander Center for Primary Care Excellence (PI-CopCE). To find out more, email us at training@aapcho.org.

Individual Episode Details and Descriptions

The Power of Storytelling to Support Mental Health and Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic

How Health Centers Can Support Mental Health Providers Through Burnout and Beyond

Belonging and Community: Mental Health Supports Beyond the Four Walls

Navigating Collective Trauma and Community Healing with the Spirit of Aloha

Further Mental Health Resources for AA and NH/PI Populations

• Voices Unheard: Uncovering the Mental Health Impact of COVID-19 on Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander and Southeast Asian American Youth, Southeast Asian Resource Action Center, July 2023
• A Community Assessment of Psychological Distress in Pacific Islanders Across San Francisco Bay Area Churches During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, February 2023

Support to Address Workforce Burnout

• COVID-19 for the Health Center Workforce – The Weitzman Institute and Association of Clinicians for the Underserved has curated a list of resources for health center staff, including those on crisis counseling and self-care, managing workflows, clinician burnout, and more.
• Wellbeing for Refugee Service Providers during COVID-19: Am I Ok?
• 59 Mental Health Resource for Health Care Providers – Nursing License Map curated mental health resource for health care professionals and students
• Bringing self-care to CHWs – A curriculum by the National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants

Recent Updates Regarding the Public Health Emergency:

• Kaiser Family Foundation surveyed Medicaid enrollees during and after the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) and subsequent unwinding of insurance enrollment. The findings are available in a report entitled The Unwinding of Medicaid Continuous Enrollment: Knowledge and Experiences of Enrollees. The report details patient experiences of the renewal process and the expected impacts of the unwinding.
• National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants (NRC-RIM) published an in-language resource guide for the end of the COVID-19 PHE. NRC-RIM also collaborated with Migrant Clinicians Network and the International Rescue Committee to convene a webinar on How to Support Refugee, Immigrant, and Migrant (RIM) Communities Before and After the End of the PHE.
• Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) shared resources for  Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Renewals and for reaching kids and families during the back-to-school season about Medicaid renewals.
  • Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign
  • Returning to Regular Medicaid Renewals: Monitoring, Oversight, and Requiring States to Meet Federal Requirements
  • Summary of State Mitigation Strategies for Complying with Medicaid Renewal Requirements

Previous Resources for the End of the Public Health Emergency:

• Telehealth Policy Changes After the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, Department of Health and Human Services (Feb 2023)
• Coronavirus Waivers and Flexibilities, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (Updated February 23, 2023)
• Unwinding and Returning to Regular Operations after COVID-19, Medicaid.gov (Updated Jan 2023)
• Medicaid and CHIP Continuous Enrollment Unwinding Toolkit
  • Also available in Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.
• Georgetown University’s 50-State Unwinding Tracker
• How Much Could COVID-19 Vaccines Cost the U.S. After Commercialization?, Kaiser Family Foundation (Dec 2022)
• Need information on gaining insurance coverage? Visit:
  • Medicaid’s “Renew Your Medicaid or CHIP Coverage“
  • Healthcare.gov’s Local Search Tool for support on applying
  • Accessibility Requirements for Medicaid and CHIP (Updated February 2023)

If you have questions, would you like to contribute resources to this page, and/or require technical assistance, please email preparedness@aapcho.org.

Recent News and Updates to the COVID-19 Vaccines:

• On Wednesday, August, 9, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced Wednesday, August 23, 2023 as the last day for health centers to order vaccines through HRSA. Health centers may continue accessing COVID-19 vaccine supplies through their state and local jurisdictions to prepare for Fall vaccination efforts. Updated COVID-19 vaccination recommendations for all age groups is expected in the mid to late September timeframe after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorizes or approves an updated COVID-19 vaccine.
• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the COVID-19 Vaccine and Treatment Bridge Access Program, a resource to ensure uninsured communities maintain access to free COVID-19 prevention and care. Questions about the Bridge Access Program can go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at policyisdbridge@cdc.gov

Federal and National Resources for COVID-19 Vaccines:

• COVID-19 Vaccine Commercialization Transition Guide, HHS (July 6, 2023 )
• COVID-19 Vaccination Program Operational Guidance, CDC (Updated April 25, 2023)
• Factors Associated With COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance Among Patients Receiving Care at a Federally Qualified Health Center, Journal of Primary Care and Community Health (June 2023)
• Identifying, Disposing, and Reporting COVID-19 Vaccine Wastage, CDC (Updated July 21, 2023)
• Updated COVID-19 Vaccines for Use in the United States Beginning in Fall 2023, FDA (June 16, 2023)

Recent News and Updates to the COVID-19 Testing:

• As of May, 31, the free COVID-19 at-home test kit program has ended. Testing options are still available at a location near you. To learn how to access low- or no-cost COVID-19 tests provided by the federal government, browse the resources below:
• Testing locations and options: 
  • Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response Test to Treat sites
  • CDC Increasing Community Access to Testing (ICATT) locations
  • Department of Health and Human Services community-based testing sites
• Testing guidance and patient education resources: 
  • View the extended expiration dates on existing at-home test kits
  • Read the guidance for patients with Medicare part B and Medicaid
  • Download an in language summary of testing costs

Asian-American, Native-Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander COVID-19 Public Education Campaign in partnership with We Can Do This. Check out the frequently asked questions for patients handout, including about their risk for severe COVID-19 and the treatments available to them. Handouts are available in Chinese (Traditional), Chinese (Simplified), English, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese.

Visit the Kaiser Family Foundation Medicaid Enrollment and Unwinding Tracker.

• Download the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research 2023 California Health Interview Survey Preliminary COVID-19 Estimates Infographic
• View the 2023 California Health Interview Survey Preliminary COVID-19 Estimates Dashboard
• Read the Extent of At-Home Covid-19 Testing, and Attitudes Toward Vaccination and Masks in California article

Visit the National COVID-19 Resiliency Network or call Multilingual helpline: (877) 904-5097

AAPCHO is a Strategic Partner of Morehouse School of Medicine’s National COVID-19 Resiliency Network (NCRN) where you can get zipcode-based recommendations on where to find COVID-19 tests, vaccines, transportation, food, and find local organizations for other support.

AAPCHO encourages all health centers to visit the Health Center Resource Clearinghouse to access compiled resources on COVID-19 from 20 National Cooperative Agreement organizations and partners.