SGU Mental Health Wellness Program
Upcoming community sessions
To register or participate in the virtual sessions, please click on this link:
The purpose of this program is to:
Better understand the unique mental health needs of the Hmong veterans, widows of veterans, and descendants.
Identify and design culturally appropriate mental health interventions to address the unique needs; and
To provide the mental health interventions that are most appropriate for Hmong veterans of the Vietnam War Era.
When the SGU veterans and their families first arrived in Minnesota in the late 1970s, the war traumas and the tragic experiences following the aftermath of the war came with them.
Loss of loved ones
Wounded soldiers and civilians
Displaced
Painful war memories
Women and girls were raped, some were killed, by Thai pirates
As newly arrived refugees to Minnesota, the SGU soldiers families and their families faced and continue to face serious challenges.
Language barriers. Initially outside family life; later across generations in the family
Loss of status: men held important positions in Laos, now in MN, they in low skilled occupations; some were unable to provide for their families
Discrimination
Depression
Cases of our veterans committed suicide by hanging themselves.
Isolation
“War has a catastrophic effect”
“War has a catastrophic effect on the health and well being of nations. Studies have shown that conflict situations cause more mortality and disability than any major disease. War destroys communities and families and often disrupts the development of the social and economic fabric of nations. The effects of war include long-term physical and psychological harm to children and adults, as well as reduction in material and human capital. Death as a result of wars is simply the ‘tip of the iceberg’. Other consequences, besides death, are not well documented. They include endemic poverty, malnutrition, disability, economic/ social decline and psychosocial illness, to mention only a few. Only through a greater understanding of conflicts and the myriad of mental health problems that arise from them, coherent and effective strategies for dealing with such problems can be developed.”
“Mental health consequences of war: a brief review of research findings”
Articles from World Psychiatry are provided here courtesy of The World Psychiatric Association, retrieved June 2026
Funding for this SGU Mental Health Program was made possible through appropriations from the 2023–2024 Minnesota Legislature and is administered by the Minnesota Department of Health.
