San Francisco — During the Opening Session of its 2026 Annual Meeting, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) presented a donation of $23,912 to the nonprofit organization La Casa de las Madres. La Casa de las Madres is a local shelter for women and children that specializes in domestic violence support and prevention, offering crisis response and community education services.

La Casa de las Madres, now in its 50th year of victim advocacy, is this year’s APA Gives Back recipient. For 17 years, the APA Gives Back program has been a conduit for APA members and other Annual Meeting attendees to support a local organization in the city hosting the meeting. APA matches member and attendee donations dollar for dollar.

La Casa de las Madres resources mothers and their children with a 24/7 hotline, crisis intervention, counseling, safety planning and risk assessment, housing assistance, and more. At the individual, family, and community levels, La Casa creates resilience, facilitates the healing process, and fosters improved mental health outcomes for generations to come.

“It is an honor to be named the recipient of this generous gift from the American Psychiatric Association. At La Casa, we believe that everyone shares the responsibility to create a culture in which healthy relationships and safety are accessible to all people,” said Lusero Arias, Executive Director. “With support from the APA, we’ll deepen our efforts to ensure that survivors of domestic violence are able to reclaim their independence safely and with dignity.”

In keeping with the theme of this year’s Annual Meeting, development of the psychiatric workforce, the gift will support employees of La Casa who provide mental health services. “Physically and emotionally safe relationships are a non-negotiable factor in sustained mental health among families,” said APA President Theresa Miskimen Rivera, M.D. “The 24/7 support and wraparound approach to healing that La Casa de las Madres provides to thousands of mothers and their children reminds us that mental health outcomes are co-created in communities and that advocacy takes many forms.”

Contributions may be made during the registration process through APA’s Annual Meeting registration portal. If you have already registered and would like to donate, you can do so by logging into the Registration Resource Center and selecting “Upgrade.”

About La Casa de las Madres

The mission of La Casa de las Madres is to respond to calls for help from domestic violence victims of all ages, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. For nearly five decades, La Casa de las Madres has been at the forefront of addressing domestic violence in San Francisco. We combine immediate crisis response with long-term support to help survivors reclaim safety, dignity, and independence. Through community education and outreach, we empower individuals to recognize abuse, support survivors, and foster healthy relationships.

American Psychiatric Association

The American Psychiatric Association, founded in 1844, is the oldest medical association in the country. The APA is also the largest psychiatric association in the world with more than 39,200 physician members specializing in the diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and research of mental illnesses. APA’s vision is to ensure access to quality psychiatric diagnosis and treatment. For more information, please visit www.psychiatry.org.