APICHA Programs Update

July/August 2010 Edition
Editor-In-Chief: Patricia Arvisu
Editorial Committee: Devika Patel, Diana Roygulchareon, Savith Sampath and Malvin Vien

Upcoming Events

Program Highlights

APICHA Medical Services Achieves Highest Level Recognition as Medical Home

By Dr. Robert Murayama, CMO

We are pleased to announce that the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) recently awarded APICHA Medical Services Level 3 recognition as a Physician Practice Connections®–Patient‐Centered Medical Home (PPC‐PCMH). Recognition is awarded from levels 1-3; APICHA has received the highest level of recognition achievable. NCQA’s Physician Recognition Programs identify practices who deliver superior care using standards firmly rooted in medical evidence.

NCQA Recognition highlights APICHA’s commitment to provide quality health care to our patients and demonstrates that we have incorporated quality improvements into the fabric of our daily lives. Our recognition status – the highest level achievable– was awarded after rigorous evaluation by NCQA on many aspects of our Medical Services practices and performance, including, Access and Communication; Patient Tracking and Registry Functions; Care Management; Patient Self‐Management Support; Electronic Prescribing; Test Tracking; Referral Tracking; Performance Reporting and Improvement; and Advanced Electronic Communications. Receiving a score above 75 qualifies a medical practice as a Level 3 medical home. APICHA received a score of 82.5.

The patient‐centered medical home is a model for care provided by physician practices that seeks to strengthen the physician‐patient relationship by replacing episodic care based on illnesses and patient complaints with coordinated care and a long‐term healing relationship. The American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Osteopathic Association have jointly defined the medical home as a model of care where each patient has an ongoing relationship with a personal physician who leads a team that takes collective responsibility for patient care. The physician‐led care team is responsible for providing all the patient’s health care needs and, when needed, arranges for appropriate care with other qualified physicians. A medical home also emphasizes enhanced care through scheduling, expanded hours and communication between patients, physicians and staff.

Needless to say, we are all extremely proud of this achievement, not only in terms of what it means to us, but what it means to our patients – that they can be confident in the quality of health care they receive at APICHA.

Staying Cool in a Sea of Red: Gay Pride 2010

By Jarron Magallanes, LGBT Program Manager

Imagine Manhattan Pride: dozens of companies, community-based organizations, dance troupes, families, social groups, students and cultural groups all marching in proud unison yet each with a distinct personality. This year nearly 60 APICHA volunteers, clients and staff marched from E 39th Street down to the West Village—a slight deviation from previous years where the parade extended well past 50th Street in midtown. Despite the near-90 degree heat and humidity, APICHA marched with loud and boisterous energy and enthusiasm. Staff member Larry Tantay mobilized the APICHA contingent which was a part the people of color order of the march. Immediately behind partner agency SALGA (South Asian Lesbian & Gay Association), we danced and marched to the rhythm of Bollywood music that blared from their float.

In the past two years working in the LGBT Program, the most impressive was this year’s participation and enthusiasm. This year APICHA distributed nearly 8,000 “APICHA Gay Pride 2010” fans to fellow marchers and the thousands of onlookers who were able to fan themselves with the different colors of APICHA’s cardboard fans. Each fan was printed with a different color of the rainbow and read “Gay Pride 2010/APICHA Medical Services” to highlight the agency’s commitment to a healthy LGBT community. “We were very surprised to have run out of fans by the time we hit 23rd Street. People were asking for more well after the march,” said APICHA case manager Timothy Au.

From a spectators’ view the APICHA contingent was a harmonious mass of red. The inability to distinguish staff from volunteers, gay from straight, clients from counselors signified one thing: we were all unified as APICHA—members and allies of the LGBT community moving forward.

ROSE for Women

By Diana Roygulchareon, Women and Youth Program Manager

In June, the Women’s Program conducted its very first series of Resources and Ownership of Sexual Health & Empowerment (ROSE) workshops of the year, held at APICHA. The program is a continuation of the thus renamed Center for Disease Control DEBI intervention SISTA, which focuses on providing a platform for discussing issues affecting sexually active women, specifically in the Asian and Pacific Islander community. The aim of the workshop is to create a motivational and empowering discourse that would benefit the women directly and for their own personal growth. Participants were engaged in hearing stories from Asian women leaders, learning about how HIV impacts women, and learning different communication styles to make better choices.

As the workshop began, it was a relief to find a diverse group of Asian American women open to sharing their personal experiences and learning about safer sex practices. Participants were thrilled by the workshop series, as it gave them the opportunity to talk about their struggles as Asian-American women such as breaking cultural norms and traditional gender roles.  For instance, the women related different sexual experiences and the traditional role of submission in sexual relationships. From this, the facilitators and participants discussed ways in which to negotiate safer sex with their partners or how to take personal precautions before any sexual activity. One participant said, “It was nice to have other Asian-Americans who went through the same struggles as myself. It was nice to find out that you are not alone.”  This feeling of empowerment permeated throughout the workshop as we witnessed the women grow in self-esteem and gain knowledge to practice safer sex.

Seeing their excitement for upcoming workshops and hopes for later ROSE reunions was particularly gratifying as we in the Women’s Program plan future events and workshops. By providing women with a sense of solidarity and a safe space for open communication, ROSE has the potential to truly make a difference in the A&PI community.

* ROSE is a five-session workshop series on HIV/AIDS, ethnic and gender pride, sexual behavior and responsibility, and techniques for better decision-making. For more information on ROSE and any other upcoming Women’s Program events, please e-mail wp@apicha.org . The workshop series can also be conducted in various Asian languages, including Mandarin, Cantonese, and Japanese.

Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 9:30am-5:30pm
Clinic Hours: M/T/F:  9:30am-5:30pm, W/Th: 9:30am-7pm
HIV Testing Hours: M/T/Th/F: 10:30am-4:30pm, W: 1:30pm-6:30pm
To make an appointment for testing, please call Infoline: 866-APICHA9 (866-274-2429)
To make an appointment for medical care, call: 212-334-6029

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