APICHA: The First 10 Years

1992-96 Growing the Capacity to Serve

Mission of APICHA

Could one organization build a Pan-Asian community consciousness about HIV and AIDS - working across forty-nine ethnic groups? APICHA showed that it can be incrementally done. Carefully building it's staffing, programs, and base of support, APICHA has created a climate of concern and acceptance that can increasingly fulfill its promise: to combat AIDS.

We Are Community: Each Age, Gender, Sexual Orientation is Included

In 1992, APICHA structured its Department of Education very much as it is today - a progam for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, a program just for lesbians - Persimmon Space, a program for men having sex with men who don't identify as gay, and programs for heterosexual women, young people ages 15 to 24, and volunteers. Part time, paid bilingual health workers in APICHA's programs are trained to relate to their communities with extensive education not only in HIV and AIDS but on other key issues of health and safety as well.

Growth of APICHA

The staff soon increased in size. George Moy came on board to take care of administrative and financial matters while others toiled in community development, health education, client services and volunteer coordination. APICHA and George developed an almost daily technical assistance relationship with Community Resource Exchange, which provided practical and thoughtful help from setting up the books to Board development. George stayed with APICHA until spring 1997. Haruko Brown ably served as Board chair during this period of intense growth and development, and he was succeeded by Darryl Wong in April 1996.

APICHA received its first government grant from the U.S. Conference of Mayors in 1992, soon followed by a contract with the New York City Department of Health and the New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute, Bureau of Community-Based Services. Funders in addition to the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Foundation included the Joyce Mertz-Gilmore Foundation, New York Community Trust, Okamoto USA, Inc., Out of the Closet Foundation, Espoir Foundation, Henry van Ameringen Foundation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Health Resources and Service Administration.

In 1996, APICHA was awarded a 5-year Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) grant from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to develop and evaluate a program which aims to integrate HIV services and reduce cultural and language barriers for Asians and Pacific Islanders living with HIV. The program, called the BRIDGES Project, uses bilingual case managers and part-time, highly trained, paid bilingual peer advocates, to help clients negotiate the service system. In addition, the program uses formal links and provider trainings to improve the service system.