236463 An Examination of Medically Underserved AA&NHOPI Communities and their Access to Care

Tuesday, November 1, 2011: 12:50 PM

Hui Song, MPH, MS , Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations, Oakland, CA
Joy Huang , Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations, Oakland, CA
Rosy Chang Weir, PhD , Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations, Oakland, CA
Winston Tseng, PhD , Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations, Oakland, CA
Jeffrey Caballero, MPH , Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations, Oakland, CA
Jacqueline Barin , Research Department, Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations, Oakland, CA
Background/ Significance Increasing community health services in medically underserved Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Other Pacific Islander (AA&NHOPI) communities (MUACs) is critical to reducing health disparities for this rapidly growing population. To support federal initiatives to improve participation of AA&NHOPIs in federal programs and to expand the number of AA&NHOPIs served by community health centers (CHCs), this project provides useful maps for government agencies and public health workers to effectively address AA&NHOPI needs. Objective/ Purpose The project will provide a detail-level assessment of health access and health disparities for AA&NHOPIs, particularly in the top five MUACs. Methods This project analyzed where AA&NHOPIs are mostly underserved utilizing a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) approach based on an index of four key indicators (population, poverty, limited English proficiency, and physician to patient ratio). This project also analyzed potential service gaps for AA&NHOPIs by mapping out underserved communities' distances to the nearest CHCs. Results The proposed presentation will include maps of CHCs serving the most AA&NHOPIs in the United States, as well as maps that display zip code level analysis of the top five MUACs, including San Francisco and Alameda counties in CA, and New York, Queens and Kings counties in NY. Discussion/ Conclusions The information is helpful for CHCs to identify gaps in health service delivery and areas for service expansion. Overall, this project will provide a better understanding of the health service needs of medically underserved AA&NHOPIs and support health centers nationwide as they strive to improve health care delivery for all.

Learning Areas:
Program planning
Public health or related public policy
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
*Describe the geographical distribution of medically underserved AA&NHOPI communities on county- and neighborhood-levels. *Analyze the socioeconomic and health characteristics of medically underserved AA&NHOPI communities. *Identify the health service gaps of medically underserved AA&NHOPI communities.

Keywords: Access to Care, Asian and Pacific Islander

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I participated in the study that will be presented at APHA.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.