Nearly 320,000 Cambodians live in the US, and about 1/3 of the population lives in California. Many are survivors or descendants of those who fled the country during the Cambodian genocide in the 1970s. An estimated 2 million people died under the communist Khmer Rouge led by Pol Pot, leaving survivors with emotional, physical and psychological trauma.
Barriers like language access or cultural stigma often prevent survivors from accessing mental healthcare to address the trauma. But one program in Alameda County has spent the last 20 years providing culturally sensitive mental health care to the Cambodian community, letting survivors lead the way — and participants say it works.
Guest: Soreath Hok, reporter for KVPR