The two-day Technical Assistance Conference drew about 150 participants from across the United States and the Pacific Islands, to discuss the health care needs of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.  More than 30 AAPI-serving organizations were represented, as well as a number of governmental agencies, universities, departments of health, and primary care associations.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Day 1: (10:00 am - 10:30 am)

Speaker:

• Anita Monoian – National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC)
  

Day 2: (8:30 am - 9:00 am)

Speaker:

• Garth Graham – Office of Minority Health, DHHS
  

PLENARY SESSIONS
20 Years and Beyond: Two Decades of Dedication in Providing Care for Uninsured & Underserved Communities (Day 1: 10:45 am - 12:00 pm)

Speakers:

• Sherry Hirota – Asian Health Services
• Laurin Mayeno – Laurin Mayeno Consulting
• Marguerite Ro – Asian Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF)

This session will highlight the accomplishments and milestones of AAPI serving community health centers.


Networking Roundtables: Federal Initiatives and Opportunities to Advance Community Health (Day 1: 3:45 - 5:00 pm)

Speakers:

• Anne Avery – US DHHS-CMS
• Sam Gerber – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Betty Lee Hawks – Office of Minority Health (OMH)
• Christie Onoda – Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
• Francisco Sy – National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• Carmela Clendening – Office of the Speaker, Nancy Pelosi
• Jane Kelley – National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP)
• Joanne Gallivan – National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP)
• Aranthan "AJ" Jones II – U.S. Congress, Majority Whip Office
• Caya Lewis – Office of Senator Edward Kennedy
• Victoria Tung – Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus

The networking roundtables are designed for congressional staffers and representatives from various federal agencies to share priorities, resources and activities related to Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Health and identify partnership opportunities and strategies to access resources of their respective agencies. Roundtable participants will have an opportunity to engage in discussions related to priority areas with invited speakers.

Bridging the Gap in Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Health Disparities (Day 2: 9:30 - 10:15 am)

Speakers:

• Marshall Chin – University of Chicago
• Ruth Perot – Summit Health Institute for Research and Education
• Hardy Spoehr – Papa Ola Lokahi

This session will highlight and discuss the status of AAPI health and specifically the strategies health care providers can utilize to reduce health disparity areas for AAPIs.


Empowering Our Communities (Day 2: 3:15 - 4:30 pm)

Speakers:

• Teresita Batayola – International Community Health Services
• Kauila Clark – Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center
• Emmanuel Kintu – Kalihi-Palama Health Center
  

This session will highlight AAPI communities’ past, current, and future efforts in ensuring that we continue to empower and cultivate healthy AAPI communities for generations.

BREAKOUT SESSIONS


DAY 1:
2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Community-Driven National Asian American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Health Agenda

Speakers:

• Priscilla Huang – National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum
• Deanna Jang – Asian Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF)
• Kawen Young – Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Alliance

Lack of access to health care services, lack of health insurance, insufficient bilingual service providers, limited availability of trained interpreters, and laws that place additional burdens on immigrants who are here legally, but continue to be denied resources are all reasons why health policy is a key tool for our community. Three national organizations who provide leadership on Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander health issues will participate in a panel to share concrete examples of how local community health issues in the AA & NHPI community translate to a community-driven, national AA & NHPI health agenda.

These panelists will also provide examples of how health policy has been used as a tool in our communities to identify and analyze laws, regulations, and policies at the institutional, local, state, and national levels, and to influence those policies for the health and well-being of our communities. Specifically, the importance of forming internal coalitions within the AA & NHPI community, addressing the need for language access and disaggregated data at the state and national levels, and the importance of increasing the AA & NHPI voice in the political spectrum will be addressed.


The Impact of Health Information Technology Implementation on Quality of Care at Community Health Centers

Speakers:

• Richard Bettini – Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center
• Christie Brown – Office of Health Information Technology, Health Resources & Services Administration
• Roy O. La Croix – PTSO of Washington

Intended for Community Health Center IT staff, quality improvement staff, and those interested in learning about implementing Health Information Technology (HIT), this session will describe the benefits of HIT implementation to improve quality care at health centers. HIT provides comprehensive management of medical information and its secure exchange between health care consumers and providers to improve quality. Speakers will share examples of related HIT and quality improvement initiatives, as well as describe necessary requirements and steps to consider before embarking on related HIT initiatives.


Redefining Wellness: Behavioral and Dental Health in a Primary Care Setting

Speakers:

• Teddy Chen – Charles B. Wang Community Health Center
• Courtney Chinn – Columbia University College of Dental Medicine
• Michelle Kang – Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center

Introducing mental health, substance abuse, and dental care services into a traditional primary care model has proven to be an effective approach in providing these vital services to hard-to-reach populations. This session will showcase three distinct programs that have overcome the unfamiliarity surrounding these services to successfully provide dental care, mental health programs, and substance abuse curriculums at AAPI-serving primary care organizations. Speakers will discuss both the importance of integrating these services at AAPI-serving health organizations as well as the successes and challenges they faced in delivering culturally and linguistically appropriate dental, mental health, and substance abuse services to the AAPI community.


Workforce Development: Strengthening the Safety Net

Speakers:

The way health care is delivered in this country is rapidly changing because of increased demands for services, the economics of providing affordable health care and the need to ensure quality health care. This session will provide an overview and recommendations on how to address the national health care provider work force shortage; highlight tools, strategies, and lessons learned in recruitment and training of individuals interested in further education and careers in community health; and discuss innovative efforts to strengthen CHCs’ multidisciplinary team of health care providers such as physicians, nurses and community health workers.



DAY 2:
10:30 am - 12:00 pm

Building Capacity in Chronic/Infectious Healthcare through Strategic Partnerships

Speakers:

• William Hsu – Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School
• ManChui Leung – Asian Pacific Islander American Health Forum
  
• Henry Pollack – New York University Medical Center
• Thomas Tsang – Charles B. Wang Community Health Center
  

Emergency Preparedness: Addressing the Cultural and Linguistic Needs of Individuals with Limited English Proficiency in Disaster Response

Speakers:

The challenges of meeting the health care needs of AAPIs or individuals with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) are often magnified during disaster response. This session will provide background and recommendations how emergency responders should address the cultural and linguistic needs of individuals with LEP, highlight best practices and strategies for successfully reaching LEP growing populations in a major disaster, and discuss national, state, and local advocacy efforts related to emergency preparedness and the response planning process for meeting the needs of their LEP patients and communities following natural and man-made disasters.

Getting out the Vote

Speaker:

• Pabitra Benjamin- APIA Vote
• Vida Benavides- APIA Vote
  

1:30 - 3:00 pm

Beyond These Walls: Cultivating Healthy Communities Outside of the Community Health Center

Community health centers can play a critical role in mobilizing the AAPI populations it serves against the disproportionate amount of environmental health hazards that are common to medically underserved areas (MUAs). This session highlights how three distinct programs have used individual empowerment, community education, and advocacy to counteract environmental risks found throughout the community. Speakers in this session will discuss their successful community-based projects/activities that have led to improved health and quality of life for the AAPI population in and outside of the primary care setting.


Seeing Beyond the Trees: Considerations and Benefits in Conducting Research and Evaluation with Community Health Centers

Speakers:

• Kenny Kwong – Hunter College School of Social Work, City University of New York
• Mayumi Willgerodt – University of Washington, Department of Family and Child Nursing
• Elizabeth Fien- Waimanalo Health Center
  

This session is intended for Community Health Center staff who have never conducted research, but are interested in learning what it takes to begin a research project. Session speakers will discuss the benefits of research for health centers in the short/long-term, describe what is necessary for health centers to know before embarking on research, and share examples of successful community-research partnerships, health center research resources, and lessons learned.

Opportunity Agenda

Speaker:

• Brian Smedley - The Opportunity Agenda
• Rea Panares -Families USA
  

Day 2: 10:30 am - 12:00 pm (Part I)/1:30 - 3:00 pm (Part II)

Writing a Successful Community Based Participatory Research Proposal (two parts)

Speakers:

• Natalie Collins – California Breast Cancer Research Program
• Linda Okahara – Asian Health Services
• Mary Oneha – Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center
• Geraldine Padilla – University of California San Francisco, School of Nursing
• Thu Quach – Northern California Cancer Center
• Jan Shoultz – University of Hawaii Department of Nursing & Dental Hygiene

This workshop comprises two sessions. It is primarily designed for CHC staff who have conducted minimal research and would like to further increase capacity. Topics of discussion focus on successful research proposal examples, model community-research partnerships, and the step-by-step proposal development process. Common obstacles, including how to approach an Institutional Review Board (IRB), and mistakes to avoid during the writing process will be addressed. Expectations for grant writing, research resources, and lessons learned will also be shared.



LUNCH PROGRAM

Day 1: 12:00 - 1:45 pm

Speaker:

• Samuel So - Asian Liver Center, Stanford University