UPAC

What UPAC does

UPAC (Union of Pan Asian Communities) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit behavioral health organization headquartered in San Diego that provides person-centered mental health, addiction treatment, counseling, recovery, and community violence prevention services across 20 distinct programs throughout San Diego County. The organization was founded in 1974 and serves 7,000+ unique clients and 34,000+ adults and children annually, with a clinical and case-management workforce that delivers services in more than 30 languages and dialects and across 440 cultural backgrounds. Service lines are organized into four categories: (1) Adult and Older Adult Mental Health Programs (Counseling & Treatment Center, East Wind Clubhouse, EMASS, Positive Solutions, Promise Wellness Center); (2) Addiction Treatment and Recovery Programs (Medically Assisted Treatment, Adult Addiction Treatment, Teen Recovery Center, Alternatives to Incarceration, Expanding Horizons for Transition Age Youth, Problem Gambling Treatment); (3) Children and Adolescent Mental Health Programs (Children's Mental Health, Multicultural Community Counseling); and (4) Community Engagement and Violence Prevention Programs (Community Violence Response Team, Youth Success Initiative). Mission priorities are the strengthening and empowerment of diverse, underserved, and vulnerable San Diego communities.

UPAC operates as a contracted-services nonprofit with two primary funding streams: government contracts — primarily from the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency under the Live Well San Diego initiative — and charitable donations and grants from institutional funders including the San Diego Foundation (Unity Fund grant), corporate supporters (San Diego Gas & Electric, AT&T, City National Bank, Wells Fargo, Kaiser Permanente, Dignity Health), and foundations such as Price Philanthropies and the Port of San Diego. Pricing is not publicly disclosed as the organization serves low-income, under- and uninsured populations through government and philanthropic channels; no fees, SaaS, or transactional revenue mechanics apply. The go-to-market is community-led: clients are reached through direct community engagement, referrals from healthcare providers and social services, and word-of-mouth within the multicultural communities served. UPAC is led by President & CEO Wendy Urushima-Conn (recognized in 2025 among the San Diego Business Journal's 500 Most Influential Leaders), maintains an active presence on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, and runs an annual Leadership Awards Gala as its flagship fundraising and brand-building event.

Name

UPAC

Legal name

Union of Pan Asian Communities

Website

https://upacsd.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

UPAC (Union of Pan Asian Communities) is a San Diego-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit behavioral health organization operating 20 programs that deliver mental health, addiction treatment, and violence prevention services to 34,000+ underserved multicultural individuals annually in more than 30 languages.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Behavioral Health Services

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (62142), Child and Youth Services (62411), Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities (623220)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093)

akta.pro primary industry

Peer Support, Recovery Coaching & Sober Living Services (HLAFACAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Behavioral Health for Children & Adolescents (Youth Services) (HLAFACAL), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Wraparound & Community-Based Behavioral Support (ABA-Adjacent) (EDAKAHAO)

Keywords

• Behavioral health services
• Mental health counseling
• Addiction treatment programs
• Youth development programs
• Multicultural community services

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Contracts: UPAC operates as a nonprofit behavioral health organization receiving funding through government contracts, primarily from San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency and other public sources to provide mental health and addiction treatment services.
2. Donations and Grants: The organization receives charitable donations and grants from foundations such as San Diego Foundation and corporate partners to support specific programs and services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

UPAC is a multicultural behavioral health organization that provides person-centered mental health counseling, addiction treatment and recovery, and community violence prevention services across 20 programs in San Diego County. Its core services target adults, older adults, children and adolescents from diverse, underserved and vulnerable communities, delivered in more than 30 languages and dialects across 440+ cultures. The organization combines clinical mental health, substance use disorder treatment, youth development, and crisis response under a culturally responsive, holistic care model.

Product overview

UPAC (Union of Pan Asian Communities) is a multicultural Behavioral Health Organization providing person-centered, holistic mental health and community services throughout San Diego County. The organization operates 20 programs across four main service categories: (1) Adult and Older Adult Mental Health Programs including Counseling & Treatment Center, East Wind Clubhouse, EMASS, Positive Solutions, and Promise Wellness Center; (2) Addiction Treatment and Recovery Programs including Medically Assisted Treatment, Adult Addiction Treatment, Teen Recovery Center, Alternatives to Incarceration, Expanding Horizons-TAY SUD, and Problem Gambling Treatment; (3) Children and Adolescent Mental Health Programs including Children's Mental Health and Multicultural Community Counseling; and (4) Community Engagement & Violence Prevention Programs including Community Violence Response Team and Youth Success Initiative. The services prioritize culture and ethnic identity, serving clients in more than 30 languages and dialects across 440 different cultures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Counseling & Treatment Center (CTC) Adult and older adult mental health program providing counseling and treatment services, including psychiatry and therapy for underserved multicultural adults in San Diego County.
• East Wind Clubhouse Adult and older adult mental health program providing clubhouse-based recovery and support services, with a structured day-program model for adults with mental health needs.
• Elder Multicultural Access and Support Services (EMASS) Mental health program specifically designed for older adults, providing multicultural access and support services tailored to elderly clients from diverse cultural backgrounds.
• Positive Solutions Adult and older adult mental health program offering positive behavioral solutions and support for multicultural adults facing mental health challenges.
• Promise Wellness Center Adult and older adult mental health program focused on holistic wellness and recovery, integrating mental health and wellness services for multicultural adults.
• Medically Assisted Treatment & Resources Addiction treatment program providing medically assisted treatment options and recovery resources for individuals with substance use disorder.
• Adult Addiction Treatment and Recovery Program Comprehensive addiction treatment and recovery program for adults addressing alcohol and drug dependencies, delivered in a culturally responsive setting.
• Expanding Horizons-TAY SUD Substance use disorder program specifically for Transition Age Youth (TAY), offering expanding horizons opportunities for youth aged roughly 16-25.
• Teen Recovery Center Addiction treatment and recovery program specifically designed for teenagers, providing recovery support tailored to adolescents.
• Alternatives to Incarceration Addiction treatment program providing alternatives to incarceration for individuals with substance use disorders, offering treatment pathways in lieu of jail time.
• Problem Gambling Treatment Specialized treatment program for individuals struggling with problem gambling addiction, delivered as part of UPAC's addiction recovery continuum.
• Children's Mental Health (CMH) Mental health program specifically designed for children, providing culturally responsive mental health services for kids from diverse backgrounds.
• Multicultural Community Counseling (MCC) Children and adolescent mental health program providing multicultural community-based counseling services for youth and families.
• Community Violence Response Team (CVRT) Community engagement program providing immediate response and support for community violence incidents, including crisis intervention and follow-up case management.
• Youth Success Initiative (YSI) Community engagement and violence prevention program focused on empowering youth success through mentorship, employment pathways and community engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• 7,000+ unique clients served annually
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Family Health Centers of San Diego: Large community health center network serving San Diego County with integrated primary care, behavioral health, and social services to underserved populations. Comparable in serving overlapping clients and competing for the same county contracts and grant funds.
• Kaiser Permanente Community Health: Integrated managed care system that both funds community clinics like UPAC and operates its own multilingual behavioral health programs. Comparable as a San Diego County behavioral health provider competing for in-language Medi-Cal members and corporate philanthropic partnership dollars.

Regional players

• Caminar: Bay Area nonprofit providing behavioral health, housing, and community-based services to individuals with mental health and substance use challenges. Comparable behavioral health service model to UPAC but operating in Northern California rather than San Diego County.

Direct peers

• San Diego Youth Services: San Diego-based nonprofit providing mental health, housing, and youth development services to vulnerable children and families. Directly comparable to UPAC's Children & Adolescent Mental Health and Community Engagement portfolios, serving overlapping client populations and funders in the same geography.
• McAlister Institute: San Diego-based nonprofit operating residential and outpatient substance abuse treatment, prevention, and recovery programs. Directly comparable to UPAC's Addiction Treatment & Recovery Programs (Adult, Teen Recovery Center, MAT, Alternatives to Incarceration, Problem Gambling) within the same county-funded service ecosystem.
• Mental Health America of San Diego County: Regional behavioral health nonprofit providing outpatient mental health services, prevention, and advocacy across San Diego County. Closely comparable to UPAC in service mix, target population, and government/nonprofit funding model.
• NAMI San Diego: Affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness serving San Diego County through support groups, education, and advocacy for individuals with mental illness and their families. Comparable to UPAC in mission, regional scope, and dependence on county-level partnerships.
• Community Research Foundation: San Diego County nonprofit operator of multiple community-based behavioral health programs and clubhouse models funded by county and state contracts. Directly comparable in operating mental health outpatient, residential, and clubhouse services within the same regional funding ecosystem.
• Asian Counseling and Referral Services (ACRS): Seattle-based multicultural behavioral health and social services nonprofit serving Asian Pacific Islander and other diverse communities with counseling, addiction recovery, youth programs, and violence prevention. Strongest functional analog to UPAC's multicultural behavioral health model outside San Diego.

Others

• PROMISE Health (formerly Children & Families First / similar): Adjacent San Diego behavioral health safety-net providers serving overlapping priority populations in mental health and addiction services. Thematically comparable as ecosystem participants sharing the same county referral and contracting relationships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UPAC_SD
• Facebookfacebook.com/upacsd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/upacsd
• Instagraminstagram.com/upac_sd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UPAC