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

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.