CACF Launches AAPI Health Hub to Address Language Gaps in Health Information
NEW YORK (June 23, 2022) --On Wednesday, the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families and 28 of our members and partners officially launched the AAPI Health Hub – AAPIHealthHub.org – a new digital resource that showcases clear and accessible healthcare information in 12 different languages.
The AAPI Health Hub addresses community-identified needs for multilingual health resources that are accessible to both community-based organizations (CBOs) and community members. Through the AAPI Health Hub, users can:
Connect with health-focused, culturally responsive, and language accessible AAPI community-based organizations, and
Access information on COVID-19 vaccines and treatment, health insurance options and healthcare rights in Arabic, Bangla/Bengali, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, English, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Nepali, Punjabi, Urdu, and Vietnamese.
"As we've seen since the start of the pandemic, translated health materials that are accurate and accessible are essential tools when it comes to effective public health policy," said CACF's co-executive directors Anita Gundanna and Vanessa Leung. "With the launch of the AAPI Health Hub, Asian American and Pacific Islander New Yorkers with limited English proficiency will have a trusted resource they can turn to for information about COVID-19 vaccines and treatment, health insurance options and their healthcare rights. We thank our community partners for providing essential assistance when it came to culturally sensitive translations and outreach."
Each of the 12 languages featured on the AAPI Health Hub were selected after being identified by our community partners as the languages that both represented the diversity of the AAPI community and the neighborhoods that needed the most multilingual support. To use the site, users should simply select the topic (either COVID-19, Health Insurance or Healthcare Rights) that they wish to learn about, and then click the language of your choice to find the appropriate translated resources. For users with limited English proficiency, there’s a set of translated instructions on how to navigate the site at the top of the homepage.
"This Hub could be a go-to website for people in the AAPI community who are seeking help for their healthcare needs in the language they prefer,” said Ny Nguyen, Vietnamese Lead Organizer at Mekong NYC. “At Mekong NYC, we have been helping a variety of Vietnamese members who constantly have problems understanding information on the latest health protocols, insurance policy changes and how to enroll in health insurance. Having access to the new AAPI Health Hub will not only help Mekong NYC staffers who work with the community, but also our members who are seeking information on healthcare."
"Ensuring community members have access to in-language information and resources about their health and options for care is critical in addressing health disparities in underserved communities,” said Maha Attieh, New York State of Health Lead Navigator at the Arab-American Family Support Center. “The Arab-American Family Support Center is excited to partner with CACF on their release of the AAPI Health Resources Hub to increase the knowledge of affordable and quality health access to underserved communities.”
The new AAPI Health Hub includes a particularly timely resource on the importance of the flu and COVID-19 vaccines and where and how to get them in New York City. This new flier is available in English, Simplified Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese and is viewable under the COVID-19 page of the AAPI Health Hub. With flu season around the corner, getting the AAPI community vaccinated is more important than ever.
