Estimated at nearly 15 million, the AA&NHPI community is the second fastest growing population in the U.S. However, the community’s health needs remain underserved, with little existing research and data to accurately measure its social/economic and health status. The research that does exist shows many alarming disparities:

• Higher rates of uninsurance: Compared to whites, Asian Americans are 1.5 times and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islanders twice as likely to lack health insurance (Current Population Survey data from 2005 to 2007).
• AA&NHPIs have one of the nation’s lowest cancer screening rates, but have disproportionately higher rates of lung, liver, stomach, breast and cervical cancers.
• Nationally, 10% of AA&NHPIs are infected with Hepatitis B compared to 0.1% for whites. Hepatitis B infection is a primary cause for liver cancer.
• Cultural and language barriers routinely prevent AA&NHPIs from accessing prevention, education and treatment services.

The Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum announced today that eight community organizations from around the country have been selected to receive community grants totaling $4.8 million. The grants are part of an $16.5 million national community investment partnership called “Health Through Action for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.”

Launched in 2006, Health Through Action is a partnership between Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The initiative marks the first time a private sector foundation has joined forces with a national Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AA&NHPI) organization to tackle health disparities in the AA&NHPI communities. Through the initiative, eight community organizations will each receive four-year grants of $600,000 to address urgent health and health care issues in their respective communities.
The eight organizations chosen to receive funding to lead their community collaboratives are:

• Asian Pacific Community in Action: With this grant, APCA intends to develop a system to track API health status, needs and utilization of health services. APCA will also develop and implement a cancer screening and prevention plan.
• Center for Pan Asian Community Services: Through this grant, the Center for Pan Asian Community Services will provide health assessments, and develop targeted health education and promotion programs with a primary focus on cancer.
• Asian American Health Coalition of Greater Houston, Inc.: The Coalition will use the funding to raise public awareness, push for policy changes, and mobilize the community. It will also work to implement culturally and linguistically appropriate cancer awareness, screening and intervention programs.
• Kokua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services: Through culturally and linguistically appropriate health services, the organization will increase access to preventative health care for AA&NHPI children and their families.
• Asian Services in Action:This statewide program will use its grant to continue to advocate for increased public awareness of Hepatitis B, with a focus on community education, screening, vaccination, treatment and research.
• Asian Health Services: AHS will use the grant to increase participation of the three least visible and most vulnerable sub-ethnic groups (Laotian, Cambodian, Mien) in collaboration with others in advocating for health policy and program services needs.
• Coalition for Asian American Children & Families: The collaborative will provide policy and advocacy training that will enable residents to educate decision makers about the need for improving health care access.

The REP would like to thank the Health Rights Hotline for directing our attention to this news release.
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