Our mission is to educate, support, empower and advocate for Asian and Pacific Islander (A&PI) communities—particularly A&PIs living with or at risk for HIV/AIDS.
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Learn About the NATIONAL HIV/AIDS STRATEGY:
A&PI Wellness Center Advocates for Inclusion of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in the National HIV/AIDS Strategy
After over a year of planning, the White House formally released the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS), a targeted plan to address the HIV epidemic in the United States. To develop the strategy, the Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) hosted 14 community discussions, soliciting input from more than 5,000 people in person and online. The strategy specifically prioritizes high-risk populations (defined as gay and bisexual men, African Americans, Latinos/Latinas, and substance users) in an effort to achieve three primary goals:
- Reducing the number of people who become infected with HIV
- Increasing access to care and optimizing health outcomes for people living with HIV
- Reducing HIV-related health disparities.
Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center has played a key role in advocating for the inclusion of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the NHAS. While we are pleased the NHAS acknowledges our community and calls for a stronger understanding of the impact of HIV on A&PIs, we know we must continue to advocate on behalf of the A&PIs in the US as the strategy moves toward implementation.
Check our website for updates on our advocacy activities as the NHAS moves to the implementation phase.
Read more about the NHAS:
SAN FRANCISCO—Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center and the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) today applauded the Obama Administration for releasing the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) to improve management and coordination within the federal government and across federal, state and local agencies and community groups. The organizations commended the Administration for acknowledging the need for better surveillance of the HIV epidemic in emerging populations such as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) communities, but also called for actions that go beyond surveillance.
Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities are often inaccurately categorized as low risk. However, the most recent data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show AA and NHPI men and women have the highest percentage annual increase in new HIV infections, higher than any other racial or ethnic group. Preliminary projections indicate the HIV infection rate in AA and NHPI communities will surpass that of Latinos by 2015 and African Americans by 2020 if left unchecked.
National HIV/AIDS Strategy: Community Reaction
"I have read through the Strategy and I am hopeful...And yet, this Strategy is more than necessary to focus our collective efforts, so that every corner of our country is supported, activated and resourced to stem this epidemic."
A&PI Wellness Center was an active participant in providing input into the creation of the Strategy. We helped the White House Office of National AIDS Policy to convene the San Francisco Community Discussion and a specific national meeting with Asian & Pacific Islander community leaders. Our staff, our clients and our community members were present at the 14 community discussions across the country.
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