health

LOS ANGELES, CA --   The Asian Pacific American Legal Center, a member of Asian American Center for Advancing Justice, welcomes long-time public interest attorney Doreena Wong as the project director for APALC's Health Access Project

Wong, a long-time civil rights lawyer and expert on health policy and language access issues, spent the prior 11 years as a senior staff attorney at the National Health Law Program (NHeLP), which is a national public interest law firm focused on health care issues.  Wong is also a well-known social justice advocate who has helped to found several Asian/Pacific Islander lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights group, including API Equality-LA. 

She has also worked at other notable civil rights and public interest organizations, including the Asian Law Caucus in San Francisco, the ACLU of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, the National Women's Law Center in Washington, D.C. and a Los Angeles civil rights firm specializing in enforcement of consent decrees in race discrimination cases.

Karin Wang, the Vice-President of Programs & Communications at the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC), will be honored today as the 2011 Woman of the Year for the 49th Assembly District. 

APALC, a member of Asian American Center for Advancing Justice, is the nation’s largest legal and civil rights organization serving Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.  Before her current position, Wang directed APALC’s immigrant rights project and helped file a landmark civil rights complaint against Los Angeles County on behalf of limited English speaking welfare recipients, leading to major reforms to the department’s services to immigrants and payment of $1.7 million in back benefits.  Wang also ran the first Los Angeles field office of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, enforcing federal civil rights laws across the Southwest and the Pacific.

 "I was born on January 13 1906, so I suppose I am 103," he chuckles. "But you can call me 104 because that's what I am in the Chinese way."

Throughout the long interview Zhou displayed an unflagging modesty. Perhaps it is because he is currently writing about Confucius, for whom humility was such a key trait.
"Yes, I visited Einstein a couple of times," he says matter-of-factly. "But I didn't understand relativity at all so we just chatted about everyday things."

LOS ANGELES, CA– On December 7, 2010, a group of former and current Filipino American hospital employees filed a lawsuit against their employer, a hospital located in the Central Valley, for discrimination and harassment on the basis of national origin. The complaint was filed in the United States District Court, Eastern District of California. The action was filed against Central California Foundation for Health d/b/a/ Delano Regional Medical Center and Delano Health Associates, Inc. (collectively referred to as “DRMC” or “Defendants). The employees are represented by the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (“APALC”), a member of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice.

The complaint states that DRMC discriminated against its Filipino American employees because of their national origin and subjected the Filipino American workers to severe and pervasive workplace harassment. DRMC prohibited Filipino American employees from speaking Tagalog and other Filipino languages under a broad-reaching English-only policy. DRMC singled out only Filipino American employees in enforcing the policy.

CSU Fullerton - Eleven students and their professor spent the past year engaged in a community project that has resulted in heightened awareness of sexual and reproductive health issues in the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in Orange County.

Through a $9,000 grant from the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, Tu-Uyen N. Nguyen, assistant professor of Asian American studies, conducted a year-long service-learning course that produced surveys and delivered results in the form of health education campaigns.

“Prior to taking the class, I had little awareness of reproductive health issues that Asian American and Pacific Islander women face,” said Juliane Nguyen, a senior health science and Asian American studies major, who is continuing work on the project. “I didn’t know what to expect from this class at first, but I was very interested about learning how many factors affect health. I learned about reproductive justice and how women are still fighting to have sovereignty over their sexuality, gender and reproduction.”

Here is some interesting news that was passed to me recently.

to my surprise this article was on the Wallstreet Journal website, wallstreet is probably the heart of Corporate America and it would probably be the last place that cares about the dignity of the Chinese people; let alone expose any political propaganda on anti-China campaigns.

But if you want an example of classic American xenophobia, racial profiling and even the "Yellow peril" it is all in this commercial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTSQozWP-rM

From the original blog source Fear Mongering 101: Anti-China Campaign Ads 

UC Davis Cancer Center is now home to the National Center for Reducing Asian American Cancer Health Disparities, the only such national center for Asian-Americans designated by the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities to research populations disproportionately affected by the disease.

The $5.6 million research grant builds upon more than a decade of accomplishments by the Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness Research and Training (AANCART) that has increased cancer awareness and builds community-centered research capacity to address cancer issues among Asian-Americans.

The center will continue to function as a consortium of organizations, including UC Davis, UC San Francisco, Chinese Community Health Resource Center in San Francisco, Hmong Women’s Heritage Association in Sacramento, UCLA, University of Hawaii and the University of Washington.

China Daily - BEIJING, July 14 (Xinhaunet) -- Looking good trumps health concerns as cosmetic lenses attract the eyes of the trendy, Todd Balazovic and Wang Wen report

New Studies Show Huge Health Disparities Among Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Asian Immigrant Populations

Critical Avenues to Prevent Cancer Overlooked; Immigrant Women at High Risk of Death from Breast Cancer
WASHINGTON

VANCOUVER - Vancouver's Chinese community had a defiant message for Winter Olympics organisers when it was suggested they should cancel their longstanding Lunar New Year parade - 'no way in hell'.

The city's 36th annual parade, which will usher in the Year of the Tiger, will go ahead as planned on February 14, two days after the start of the February 12-28 Olympics.

City councilor Kerry Jang said there had initially been suggestions from VANOC, the Olympics organising committee, to either cancel or postpone the parade "over security and other concerns".

"The Chinese community said ‘no way in hell'," said Jang, a third-generation Chinese-Canadian.

"They went to city hall and said ‘forget it, we're having it'. So we had a compromise."

He said he was expecting about 20,000 people or more to attend this year's festivities which will start earlier than usual.

By Professor Hyeouk Chris Hahm

Working with diverse immigrant populations who suffered from various mental health disorders in New York City, Professor Hyeouk Chris Hahm had a first-hand look at health disparities among Asian American communities. As a psychiatric social worker for 10 years, she saw a growing prevalence of young Asian American adults dealing with substance use and sexually transmitted disease (STDs). This led her to question the factors associated with risky health behavior patterns, as well as the protective factors of those behaviors including substance use and HIV/STDs risk behaviors among young Asian Americans.

Company Supports Asian/Pacific Islander Community in Promoting Hep B Awareness

SAN FRANCISCO - Subaru of America is joining the San Francisco Hep B Free campaign as the official vehicle and partner by donating the use of a 2010 Subaru Legacy detailed with full color artwork promoting the campaign theme which calls on everyone to "B a Hero" in preventing liver cancer and the hepatitis B disease.

Hepatitis B causes up to 80 percent of all liver cancers, and disproportionately affects 1 in 10 Asian and Pacific Islanders. A safe and effective vaccine prevents infection and liver cancer caused by hepatitis B. The most important step towards eliminating hepatitis B disease is by bring tested for infection in your doctor's office.

Transcript - REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT AAPI INITIATIVE EXECUTIVE ORDER SIGNING

East Room

3:46 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Well, good afternoon, everybody. Please be seated. Welcome to the White House. I'm glad you could join us today as I proudly sign this executive order reestablishing the President's Advisory Commission and White House Initiative on Asian American and Pacific Islanders.

Now, when we talk about America's AAPI communities, we're talking about the industry and entrepreneurship of people who've helped build this nation for centuries: from the early days, as laborers on our railroads and farmers tilling our land, to today, as leaders in every sector of American life, from business to science to academia, law and more.

ScienceDaily -  Although Asian-Americans as a group have lower rates of thinking about and attempting suicide than the national average, U.S.-born Asian-American women seem to be particularly at risk for suicidal behavior, according to new University of Washington research.

The study shows 15.93 percent of U.S.-born Asian-American women have contemplated suicide in their lifetime, exceeding national estimates of 13.5 percent for all Americans. The finding comes in a study published in the current issue of the journal Archives of Suicide Research. Lifetime estimates of suicide attempts also were higher among U.S-born Asian-American women than the general population, 6.29 percent vs. 4.6 percent.

USAsianwire - More Than 6,000 Attendees Expected Gala Awards Dinner Will Recognize Top Companies, Business Leaders and High-Profile Individuals For Their Achievements and Contributions to the Asian Community Lead Academic Sponsor is Columbia Business School;  Lead media sponsor is The New York Times; Participating Career Expo Employers Include Booz Allen Hamilton, BP, Monsanto, Federal Reserve, McDonalds, New York Life, Dell, Raytheon, Volkswagon, Moody's Investors Service, Pepsico, State Farm, United Health Group, Among Others

The 2010 APM Calendar with photography by Jeff Sheng is available for sale now on amazon.com keyword 2010 APM
100% of the production profits from the sale of the calendar go to the Asian Pacific Health Care Venture, a non-profit community health center that provides low cost medicine to the working poor and uninsured in over ten, mostly Asian languages.
The calendar features Survivor winner Yul Kwon, filmmaker Edward Gunawan, and actors Daniel Ichikawa and Ji Han.

"This calendar is a great way to increase visibility of Asian American men's bodies in a society that disproportionately focuses on "white" beauty, or Asian American women," said photographer Jeff Sheng. "Not only are we making something that will monetarily benefit an Asian American community health center, but we are hoping to combat the lack and invisibility of string, good-looking Asian male imagery out there in American culture."
 

Asian Week - A night on the town with music, dinner, and friends, a benefit for SF Hep B Free 

Two beautiful up and coming Asian Pacific American female musicians - Odessa Chen and Alice Tong, have joined the San Francisco Hep B Free Campaign to help promote awareness about the impact of the hepatitis b virus (HBV) on Asian Pacific Americans.  The two will be performing at “An Unexpected Encounter: A night on the town filled with music, dinner & friends” on Friday Aug. 21, from 6 to 9pm at Jillians, located at 101 4th St., inside the San Francisco Metreon. 

NAM - Last year, Frank Chang spent about $1,500 on non-surgical cosmetic procedures. This year, the 35-year-old Chinese American may go a step farther.

“I may be getting a lift for my eyes,” said Chang. “The reason I am not doing it yet is because I am a bit afraid of the pain.”

Chang said if he were happy with the results, he would continue to do more surgical procedures “in a healthy way.”

Chang is one of an increasing number of Asian-American men defying a cultural stigma to engage in cosmetic surgery in order to improve their appearances. Experts say what is motivating men to seek plastic surgery may be the need to raise their chances of surviving a job market that is increasingly favorable of younger workers, and to be competitive in romantic relationships.

It's never been easy to be part of the huddled masses. The Statue of Liberty may not be choosy about the wretched refuse she allows in the door, but Americans haven't always been so hospitable. Immigrants from Ireland landed in the U.S. in the 1850s only to find shop windows festooned with signs reading "No Irish Need Apply." The Chinese toiled to build our transcontinental railroad in the 1860s only to see the infamous Chinese Exclusion Act signed in 1882, suspending further immigration. The unwritten rule was simple: pretty much anyone was welcome, except the newest group — or at least the one arriving in the greatest numbers — who would have a harder go of things. All that's changed, though, right? In our new postracial world, haven't we risen above such petty prejudice? Actually, no, we haven't. But the good news is, we're doing better than you might expect.

NEW YORK (26, 2009) – Asian CineVision (ACV) announced the award winners of the Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF) tonight at Chelsea’s Clearview Cinemas in New York. Executive Producer Liliana Chen bestowed the honors to five filmmakers as part of the Festival’s closing ceremonies.

First announced was Iemi Hernandez-Kim, director of the short film Ayi’s Story and winner of the One to Watch award, an audience voted award that recognizes talent in filmmakers under the age of 21. Ayi’s Story follows the journey of a teenaged girl from Brooklyn to numerous destinations in China, capturing her experiences in documentary and video-journal style.

Kim Snyder, director of the short film Crossing Midnight, won the award for Excellence in Short Filmmaking. Her documentary on the efforts of health workers to treat Burmese refugees deals with the issue of human rights through the lens of medicine.

UCSF - Daniel Ranch, MD, a pediatric nephrology fellow at UCSF, donated one of his kidneys to his wife of five years, Kana Kornsawad, MD, a research coordinator who, like Ranch, works in the Nephrology division of UCSF Department of Pediatrics.

As a pediatric nephrology fellow at UCSF, Daniel Ranch, MD, has witnessed time and again the transformative power of a donated kidney.

On April 28, he traded his lab coat for a hospital gown and gave one of his own kidneys to the person who already has his heart: his wife of five years, Kana Kornsawad, MD.

“I had always been an advocate for organ donation, and I knew the risks and benefits, so it was easy to make a decision very quickly,” said Ranch, 34, who had watched his wife’s health decline slowly but steadily since she first discovered blood in her urine in 2000.

SEFRE - Asian Men Redefined Calendar is an all-volunteer calendar photographed and produced by dannydan. 50% of the calendar profit benefits Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center (A&PI Wellness Center), the oldest non-profit HIV/AIDS services organization in North America targeting Asian & Pacific Islander (A&PI) communities. The rest of the profit goes back to the calendar production for the following year. The 2010 calendar is the fourth installment of Asian Men Redefined production featuring 13 new Asian & Pacific Islander men from all over the United States. Every year, the new models were chosen by a panel of judges consisting of friends who have helped the calendar production & some of the models from the previous years. Please visit our website at http://www.asianmenredefined.com/.

3rd Annual 2009 Giving For All Seasons Fundraising Gala

Join us for a summer evening under the stars on Thursday, July 23rd at the Grammy Museum Terrace at L.A. Live at 6:30pm. The program includes the 2009 grant distribution to our 29 affiliate agencies. Honorees include Mike Eng and Edison Chinese Connection. Buy your tickets today!

Join the Asian Pacific Community Fund (APCF) in celebrating its 3rd Annual Giving For All Seasons Fundraising Gala on Thursday, July 23, 2009 at the Grammy Museum Terrace in LA Live. Parking information is available here.

Reception starts at 6:30 pm. Program starts at 8:00 pm and includes the 2009 Grant Distribution to our Affiliate Agencies and an Awards Present ation. Attire is Cocktail or Business.

LA Times - Judy Chu can trace the beginnings of her career as a San Gabriel Valley activist and political leader back to the early 1970s and her freshman year in college.

As the young math major, intent on a career in computer science, was crossing the UC Santa Barbara quad one day, someone thrust into her hand a flier about a new Asian American studies course. She decided to give it a try.

"It was like a light went off in my head," Chu recalled. She learned about the history of Asian immigrants and their children, the discrimination and stereotypes they endured and their contributions to American life and culture.

One of the guest speakers was Pat Sumi, a third-generation Japanese American whose activism included registering blacks to vote in Mississippi and Georgia and organizing protests against the Vietnam War.

No joke! Coke will be launchign their new Green Tea Coca Cola that is basically Coke mixed with Green Tea flavours.

Green tea-flavored Coca-Cola will hit Japanese stores June 8, Coca Cola (Japan) Co. spokesman Katsuya Sato said Thursday. It contains tea antioxidants called catechins, leaves a slight green tea aftertaste and is mainly targeted at health-conscious women in their 20s and 30s, Sato said. 

"We wanted to cater to people who are looking for something that tastes good but is also good for health and beauty," he said.

Repost of an article released last year adressing the white male privilege and the fall of corporate America.

The Color Line - Make no mistake, all the available evidence suggests that the American political economy is headed for a major crash.  Some are even speculating that this is the end of American economic dominance in the world’s financial market.  But don’t be deceived by the blame-the-victim rationalizing that’s being floated now.

Let’s be clear about what policies and which people are behind the current financial crisis: neoliberal policies and the overwhelmingly majority of economically privileged white men who created, implemented and benefited from those policies.

Neoliberalism refers to a set of policies that encourage “less government” and unfettered (and unregulated) capitalism.   The key elements of neoliberalism include:
1) the rule of the market,
2) reducing government expenditures on social services,
3) deregulation,
4) privatization, and
5) gutting the notion of “the public good.”

Science Daily - Immigrant populations in Europe face an increased risk of diet-related diseases as they adjust to a 'Western' lifestyle, according to scientists at the University of Leeds.A recent study shows that the dietary habits of immigrants change when they move to European countries. According to the research, immigrant populations replace the healthy components of their native diet with the worst aspects of western diets, such as processed and fast foods.

The risks are greater among younger generations of the immigrant groups, as they are more likely than their elders to eat less healthy foods found in their new country.

Dr Santosh Khokhar at the University of Leeds' School of Food Science and Nutrition examined changes to the diets of African-Caribbeans, Chinese, Mexicans, Moroccans, Surinamese, South Asians and Turks living in Europe.