Asian Pacific Development Center (APDC) was founded in 1980 after a large number of refugees began to resettle in Colorado after the Vietnam War. A group of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) leaders consisting of social workers, attorneys, psychologists and psychiatrists living in Denver became concerned about these newcomers and their high prevalence of mental health issues, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. To address this need, the group formed APDC and opened a mental health clinic—recruiting and training AAPI community members to provide culturally and linguistically responsive assistance. APDC has evolved through the last 40 years to meet the growing needs of our communities.

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Asian Pacific Development Center is powered by its rich heritage of AANHPI advocacy and exists today to serve and support all immigrant, and refugee communities with a whole health, community-based engagement approach through health, education, and advocacy.

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Our vision is for our communities to be healthy and empowered.