June 18, 2026: Remembrance & Blossoming Event
One year after the closure of AIM at UHN, we remember what was lost and reaffirm our call for culturally responsive mental health care.
Please watch our remembrance video, then click here to lay a virtual flower and leave a message of support.
June 2, 2026: Member’s Statement – Reinstate AIM at UHN
Patient Voices: The Impact of AIM’s Closure at UHN
In response to the abrupt closure of the Asian Initiative in Mental Health (AIM) on June 18, 2025, a broad coalition of healthcare leaders, advocates, and community members formed the RE-AIM Coalition to demand accountability, restore vital services, and reimagine culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health care.
We invite you to join us in this growing movement to ensure equitable mental health support for all.
Our Demand & Our vision
Our Demand
We call on UHN (University Health Network) to:
- Immediately reinstate AIM (Asian Initiative in Mental Health) to its full capacity.
- Convene a cross-sector consultation forum that includes affected communities and frontline voices to ensure culturally safe, equitable mental health care for Chinese, Portuguese, and other racialized groups.
Our Vision
RE-AIM is more than a mental health initiative—it is a movement to restore healing, dignity, and cultural connection.
- A renewed Centre of Excellence in cultural psychiatry and community mental health
- Rooted in equity and lived experience
- Advancing care that is culturally grounded, community-driven, and evidence-informed
Together, we are shaping a future where mental health care reflects the diversity of those it serves.
Here are the actions you can do to help:
- Sign our current online declaration at the Change.org : https://www.change.org/supporting-culturally-specific-mental-health
- Download our email template and write to Dr. Kevin Smith, CEO of UHN (kevin.smith@uhn.ca). Please copy his Executive Assistant, Grace Ivo (Grace.Ivo@uhn.ca), and the Coalition (info@re-aim.ca).
- Stay tuned for details about the Community Forum and plan to join us.
- Keep spreading the word about why culturally appropriate mental health care matters.
- If you provided your contact information to us previously, we will continue to share updates on our campaign through email and on our website. If you have not shared your contact information, please sign up for our email updates through the Contact Us page on our website
Recent News
November 2nd, 2025 – Support Letter from Dr. Dr. Xin Yan She, MD FRCPC
Dr. Xin Yan She, Psychiatrist at Vancouver General Hospital and former University of Toronto resident, wrote to Dr. Kevin Smith […]
November 2nd, 2025 – Support Letter from Dr. Hiram Mok, MA, MB, BCh, BAO, FRCPC
Dr. Hiram Mok, MA, MB, BCh, BAO, FRCPC, Outpatient Psychiatry Executive Lead at Vancouver Coastal Health (MHSUOPS, Access & Assessment […]
October 29th, 2025 – RE-AIM Coalition Meeting
The RE-AIM Coalition met on October 29, 2025, to review progress, strengthen partnerships, and plan next steps in response to […]
October 23rd, 2025 – Transcultural Section Meeting, Canadian Psychiatric Association Conference, Vancouver
Chaired by Dr. Eric Jarvis, the Transcultural Psychiatry Section held an in-depth discussion on the closure of AIM and raised […]
October 21st, 2025 – Support letter from Dr. Roberto Lewis-Fernández, Professor, Columbia University
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/apuut0yumowivuhua1moa/Letter-in-support-of-AIM-program_FINAL.pdf?rlkey=ptbrwbgpq9onoxqjeriwvxzs9&st=8nxmx4rm&dl=0 Dr. Lewis-Fernández, senior cultural psychiatry expert—director of a cultural competence center at Columbia and past president of both WACP […]