ASIAN AMERICAN, NATIVE HAWAIIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER CONSULTATION AT THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION

Last week, A&PI Wellness Center and Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) participated in an historic meeting with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention. This meeting marked the very first Community Consultation convened by the CDC focused on the emerging HIV/AIDS epidemic among Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) communities.

A&PI Wellness Center and APIAHF’s advocacy efforts on behalf of the AA and NHPI communities resulted in this important two-day meeting—attended by over 35 organizations, community leaders, health department representatives and researchers—on April 29th and 30th, 2010 in Atlanta, GA. We are extremely pleased with the CDC's response to developing a deeper understanding of HIV/AIDS issues in AA and NHPI communities. The CDC is committed to developing an HIV/AIDS epidemiological profile for AA and NHPIs, and are considering inclusion of sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis and viral hepatitis, to draw a clearer picture of current health and funding disparities. This alone is a huge win for our communities, as data drives resources for research and programs, a key focus of ongoing collaboration with the CDC. In the Pacific Island Jurisdictions, the CDC has committed to assess the current funding structure for health departments and Ministries of Health across HIV, STDs, TB and viral hepatitis.

These commitments are truly historic. Almost 30 years into the epidemic, AA and NHPIs are finally receiving the attention that we deserve! Look for more ground-breaking updates from us in the near future.