A warm reception from our President

With approximately 200 Asian American and Pacific Islander colleagues, I had the pleasure of visiting the White House today in acknowledgment of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage. Here’s what my “thank you” note to the President will read:

"Thank you, Mr. President, for the opportunity to visit your stately home. Your hospitality in the form of your kind words and the hors d’oeuvres and beverages was most generous – particularly since you already had a lot on your plate, including an imminent national TV appearance about the war in Afghanistan.

While I didn’t get a chance to speak to you directly, I did have the chance to speak to one of your key health officials, Dr. Howard Koh – your Assistant Secretary for Health and Human Services (pictured). He was kind enough to say that he would look into my suggestion that the federal government support a hepatitis B testing day for Asian Americans. Considering that there is already an HIV/AIDS awareness day for Asian Americans, it would seem reasonable that attention be paid to the preponderance of chronic hepatitis B infection among this group as well.

I will be following up with Dr. Koh about this matter. I believe hepatitis B among Asian Americans needs to stay on the radar screen until something more is done. There are far more Asian Americans unknowingly infected with chronic hepatitis B than all Americans unknowingly infected with HIV/AIDS. We on the front lines in various communities throughout the nation fight the good fight to increase hepatitis B awareness among the general public, among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and the medical community, but sometimes one is not a prophet in his or her own land. Hearing more from our federal officials about this preventable epidemic of liver disease due to hepatitis B is critical and essential. Action can prevent more death and disability due to hepatitis B.

Again, thank you for your cordiality, and I hope that you and your family stay well. Please feel free to come visit us in Arizona, and we would be happy to share some of our Asian American and Pacific Islander hospitality in return."

- Doug Hirano, MPH, APCA Executive Director

Can We Really Eliminate Health Disparities?

For the past nine months, I’ve been meeting with some folks from other health-related organizations here in the valley. We share an interest in addressing the fact that selected groups of people systematically suffer worse health outcomes (i.e., health disparities) when compared to the general population. We are in the early stages of forming a cross-cultural institute to address the problem of health disparities here in Maricopa County. Here’s an excerpt from the draft document that we’ve been developing:

“Despite steady improvement in the overall health of the U.S. population, racial and ethnic minorities, with few exceptions, experience higher rates of illness and death than non-minorities. African Americans, for example, experience the highest rates of death from heart disease, cancer, stroke, and HIV/AIDS when compared to any other U.S. racial or ethnic group. American Indians disproportionately die from diabetes, liver disease, and unintentional injuries. Hispanic Americans are almost twice as likely as non-Hispanic whites to die from diabetes. In addition, some Asian-American subpopulations experience rates of stomach, liver and cervical cancers that are well above the national averages.”

This paragraph succinctly describes our collective problem related to health disparities. These disparities continue to exist 25 years after the 1985 landmark report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that originally called for action on health disparities.

I personally believe that with our current science, technology and health promotion evidence base, health disparities can be eliminated. However, this is not a quick fix. Health disparities are directly associated with multiple overlapping issues, including poverty, educational attainment, the physical environment, access to health services, and personal health behaviors. Race and culture matter as well. For even when all other factors are adjusted for, people of color in this country suffer disproportionately in terms of preventable disease and death.

APCA is glad to be involved with a group of agency representatives that is willing to expend the time and resources to tackle health disparities in Maricopa County, and we thank St. Luke’s Health Initiatives for supporting our group through its TAP Program. We have a large task at hand. We believe that our cross cultural institute must advocate for social and health policies that level the playing field so that everyone – regardless of race, ethnicity, disability status or sexual identity – has an opportunity for good health. We also believe that more work is needed in the health care and public health sectors to provide culturally proficient health services.

I will continue to update this blog about our efforts. Anyone interested in this initiative should feel free to contact me for further information.

- Doug Hirano, MPH, APCA Executive Director