Oral

Health equity occurs when every individual has a fair opportunity to attain optimal health and well-being. That means addressing social determinants of health and using disaggregated data to inform program design and resource allocation. Unfortunately, health disparities exist, and health disparities cost America $1.24 trillion. Specifically, overweight and obesity rates have climbed faster for Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) children than for any other US population. Hepatitis B infection among Asian American (AA) youth is 30 times greater than the rate for white children. One in three Asian Americans are limited English proficient, and one in four Native Hawaiian Pacific Islanders is uninsured. If we want America to succeed, we must eliminate health disparities, and address health equity. Eliminating AANHPI health disparities could save America $11.4 billion in excess expenditures and another $100 million in excess indirect costs. How do we do that? By investing in AANHPI health equity today. At 18.5 million, AA + NHPIs are the two fastest growing racial groups in America. By 2050, 1:10 Americans will be AANHPI. Investing in the preventive health of America's 18.5 million AANHPIs is a wise investment in America’s health and economic future. In 2011-12, the White House Initiative on Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPI) and the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) developed 4 goals for AANHPI Health. (1) To prevent, treat and control Hepatitis B Viral infections in AANHPI communities; (2) to improve data collection in AANHPI communities; (3) to align the healthcare workforce with the needs of AANHPI communities; and (4) to improve health conditions and access to health care services for NHPIs . Our first speaker will discuss the importance of advancing health equity, language access and immigration policy. The second will discuss the value of developing the next generation of health equity leaders. The third will talk about the importance of data disaggregation. The fourth speaker will discuss new efforts to study AA and NHPI health.

Session Objectives: 1. Describe the goal of the Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2012. 2. Explain the importance of developing the next generation of Health Equity leaders. 3. Analyze the short-term and long-term implications of data disaggregation.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH) , Masters Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES)