May 19, 2006 is the 2nd National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

In New York City, there has been a 30% increase in new HIV/AIDS cases among Asian & Pacific Islanders since 2001

For immediate release: Thursday, May 18, 2006

For more information, Contact: Nalini Tiwari (917) 345-2282 or nalini@devitofitterman.com

New York, NY-- Research has shown that while the number of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses has declined in all racial/ethnic groups in the last several years, there has been an increase of 30% in the number of Asian & Pacific Islanders living with HIV/AID in New York City. As of March 31, 2005, there are 1069 Asian & Pacific Islanders living with HIV/ADIS in New York City. This raises the question of whether or not the messages of prevention, testing and treatment are being dispersed effectively.

To raise further awareness of the increase in HIV/AIDS among Asians & Pacific Islanders as well as initiate open discussion about prevention, testing and treatment, the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, Asian Pacific Islander Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Chinese American Planning Council, Family Health Project, NYU Center for the Study of Asian American Health, The South Asian Health Project have all collaborated to present a forum at the Schwartz Auditorium, NYU Medical School (30th Street, between 1st Avenue and FDR) from 1:30pm to 4pm. Speakers are:

John Chin Ph.D., New York Academy of Medicine
Rita Chow MD, Medical Director - Immigrant HIV Project, St. Vincent’s Hospital
Francisco Sy MD, DrPH, Chief - Office of Community Based Participatory Research - NIH
Charles P. Wang, Founder - China AIDS Fund
ManChui Leung, Director - HIV Program, APIAHP

Also on May 19, the first-ever panel discussion devoted to health issues of Asian and Pacific Islanders organized by The Affirmative Action Advisory Committee of the New York State Department of Health will be held in Albany. APICHA's Medical Director, Dr. Victor Inada, will moderate the discussion titled "Memoirs of a Geisha. NOT!” This breakthrough discussion will challenge stereotypes that create barriers to healthcare for Asian & Pacific Islander women. Panelists will include Therese Rodriguez, Executive Director of APICHA, Marianne Yoshioka, MSW, Ph.D. - Associate Professor of Professional Practice in Social Work at Columbia University and Bhavana Nancherla, Operations Coordinator for Sakhi for South Asian Women. The panel will be presented to the management and staff of the New York State Department of Health in Albany with a simultaneous broadcast to regional offices.

“There are many Asians and South Asians in the U.S. who are battling HIV/AIDS, who need community support and compassion,” said Shazia Naz Anam, Founder of the South Asian Health Project. “The 2nd National API HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, May 19th, shows that we can come together locally and nationally for people living with HIV/AIDS and for preventing an increase in HIV/AIDS cases.”

“It is important for Asian & Pacific Islanders to realize that there is an increase of HIV/AIDS within the community and that it affects everyone including children,” said Sumon Chin, Director, HIV/AIDS Services at the Chinese American Planning Council. “Policy makers and advocates need to work together to educate our communities about the resources that are available for testing, counseling and treatment.”
For additional information contact:

The South Asian Health Project: Shazia Naz Anam at (212) 684-2970 or shazia@southasianhealth.org

APICHA: Kevin Huang-Cruz at (212) 334-7940 or khuang-cruz@apicha.org

The South Asian Health Project (the Health Project)

Founded in 2002 in New York, the South Asian Health Project (www.southasianhealth.org) started with a vision to eliminate health disparities among minority communities, viewing healthy life and access to medical care as a right and as an issue of social justice. As an emerging community-based organization, the Health Project aims to ensure that all individuals of South Asian origin are provided with the opportunity to achieve a healthy mind and body as well as a good quality of life. The Health Project recognizes that its mission “Achieving Health Equity for individuals of South Asian origin through individual and community empowerment” can only be fulfilled through empowerment of the individual, family and community and that such empowerment requires both education and advocacy.

The Health Project also provides opportunities to develop and implement new and innovative strategies such as shifting dialogue from disease and treatment to healthy lifestyles and prevention; beyond needs and deficits to strengthening community assets. The initial geographic areas for programs are New York and New Jersey where one quarter of all South Asians in the U.S.(400,000+) live.

Asian Pacific Islander Coalition on HIV/AIDS (APICHA)

Founded in 1989, APICHA (www.apicha.org) has over fifteen years of experience providing holistic and culturally competent HIV/AIDS services targeted to Asians and Pacific Islanders. APICHA currently offers a continuum of services using a one-stop shop service delivery model. These are:

Health Education and Prevention Services: Peer-delivered outreach, group and individual risk reduction interventions to promote behavioral change and self-efficacy; community events; social marketing campaigns to encourage support for safe behaviors; translations and interpretations for Asian & Pacific Islanders with limited English skills and Infoline (1-866-APICHA9) – a toll free service staffed by bilingual peer counselors who speak Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Tagalog, Japanese, Bengali, Urdu, and Thai.
Health Care Services: Free and affordable HIV primary care, screening and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases (STD), HIV testing and counseling, dental health referrals, and mental health assessments.
Support Services: Case management, food and nutrition, acupuncture, support groups, legal assistance, and emergency financial assistance.
Research, Policy Analysis and Advocacy: Activities that address gaps in knowledge about Asian & Pacific Islanders health and current policy issues through APICHA’s initiative or conducted in collaboration with research institutions and/or consulting researchers and other AIDS service organizations.
Capacity Building Assistance: Workshops and technical assistance to Asian & Pacific Islanders - serving CBOs and health departments are provided in partnership with the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum.