Influenza A (H1N1)

So I've been flying...a LOT. I went from the US to Korea (layover) to Malaysia and every country I went to, they made me fill out a Health Information Card due to the widespread fear of Influenza H1N1. HUGE HUGE FEAR! I was temperature checked as I passed through...they put some device near my chin. The US is one of the countries that they consider to be dangerous along with Canada, Mexico, Korea, France, and many others that I can't remember off the top of my head. If you came from those countries, Kuala Lumpur's airport signs will ask you to "kindly report to the Health Desk." The guy next to me on the plane (as well as many others) were wearing masks to avoid catching Influenza, although I don't really know how much that would help.

I knew it was hugely talked about in the U.S., but I didn't know it was THAT huge to the point where each airport passenger has to fill out cards in all the countries and they have banners directing people to health information desks...especially if you have flu-like symptoms or come from those at-risk countries.

Anyone know more about it? What's the deal?

Student Ambassador Program

Dearest Students and Friends:

I'm excited to let you know that E4FC is now accepting applications for our new Immigrant Student Ambassador Program.

The purpose of this new pilot program is to inspire, train, and mobilize Bay Area immigrant college students to be courageous, effective, and informed advocates for immigrant students nationwide.

Students accepted into the program will receive training in public speaking,media relations, campus organizing, and federal/state policy affecting immigrant college students; receive stipends of up to $600 (depending on their involvement in the program); and will be invited to apply for funds (up to $500) to support their organizing/advocacy efforts.

Who's eligible to apply?

- Foreign-born
- Lived in California for 3 or more years of high school career
- Enrollment in a college or university in Fall 2009
- San Francisco Bay Area residency. Must fulfill at least one of the following: 1) Previous graduation from a San Francisco Bay Area high school, or 2) Current enrollment in a San Francisco Bay Area college or university
- Previous community or extracurricular involvement
- Commitment to being an advocate for immigrant college students

Qualifying students will need to submit a written application, a personal essay of 500-1000 words, two recommendations, and evidence of birth outside the United States. Applications are due Friday, June 26, 2009.

More information about the program and the application can be found on our website and downloaded here:

http://e4fc.org/images/E4FC.09.AmbassadorApp.pdf

Please share this with other students who might be interested!

Thanks,
Kathy

Scholarship for Viet youth in East Bay

Please see link for info on a scholarship for Vietnamese youth who are graduating from HS in the East Bay. Feel free to share with your youth and forward to your networks.


http://www.vacceb.net/english/scholarship.php

How Health IT Would Have Changed My Childhood

Growing up in a nuclear, immigrant family, it seemed so natural to live among boxes - a symbolic state of perpetual transition, cultural flux and limbo. Whether at the kitchen table or in the bedroom, my brother and I always fought with what should have lived in a storage unit. No amount of outright complaint, rationale or protest would convince my father to purge his stash of historical accoutrement. Needless to say, my father’s pack rat tendencies always got the best of him (and us). However, the amorphous mass of old pay stubs, Thai newspaper articles, and grade school memorabilia would almost always produce the right piece of documentation when summoned.

A month or two before the start of every academic school year, I carried home a notice to my parents to provide the school with my immunization records, an enrollment pre-requisite. In hindsight, as I ask myself why, maybe it was because I transferred schools every so often as my parents searched for a “better” program. I guess it was possible for schools to misplace records from previous years. Additionally, it would probably be much too rational for school districts consider the successful completion of the previous grade as a proxy for having completed all immunizations. These fair assessments aside, without fail, the amoeba of “stuff” which housed the secret past of my immunity fell short every time. So, like clockwork, my father and I went back to our primary care provider – a different physician and insurance plan every time – to perform a panel of titers to assess whether or not I received an MMR or Hepatitis vaccination.

What appeared to be a minor childhood nuisance is indicative of a sick health care system, one that is built upon a system of documentation and paperwork that set patients up for failure, adding to the increasing burden placed upon immigrant families. Performing unnecessary screenings and procedures and over prescribing creates medical waste. The 2001 Institute of Medicine (IOM) Report, “Crossing the Quality Chasm,” outlined ten rules for a system re-design, one of which called for the elimination of waste – both in resources and in patient time.

My public health vision of medical practice is centered on the individual – where a system of intricate feedback loops create multiple interactive, transformative touch points, linking individuals to community based organizations and resources, local health departments, health care providers, various clouds of population health data, peers and other support systems. The implementation of Health IT in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 has the potential to usher Asian America into a new era – one that renounces paper records, promotes home health care and self-management skills, and encourages wellness empowerment.

However, we’re not there yet. We are far from 100% adoption and implementation of Health IT. But, I look forward to an age when the individual will own the entirety of their patient data and the creation, delivery, and communication of such systems are developed for and informed by immigrant Americans with limited health literacy and have limited English proficiency.

Maybe then, immigrant children won’t have to weigh the pursuit of an education against the sting of a needle at every turn of a corner.

Maybe then, immigrant parents will begin to share in decision making with physicians, trust the health care system, and have a tool to better manage their health and the health of their families.

Maybe then, we will start to live a culture of wellness and healthful living.

(And maybe then, my father will actually finally throw out some boxes!)

For tips on locating old immunization records, check out these hints from the San Diego County Immunization Initiative.

-S

Sean Arayasirikul, MSPH, CHES, is a Queer Asian Americanist of Thai background and the Health Policy and Health Literacy Fellow of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. He is also a Scholar in the CDC/AMIA 10x10 program in Public Health Informatics.

Today in the Washington Post: "Doctor Uses Some Foods as Medicines." In the article, Daphne Miller, a doctor, relates a story where she prescribes mushroom ginger soup for a patient with a cold. It's something that I do too, such as getting carrot/orange/ginger juice for a cold or rushing over to the Mexican restaurant around the corner for chicken soup when I have a hangover. Studies also support this idea. Also, it's interesting how some flu medicine such as Theraflu Warming Relief mimics soup.

Along those lines, I recently read over some health advice that Kimya Dawson posted on her blog in light of the swine flu. In addition to suggesting immune-boosting foods such as miso, garlic, turmeric, etc there is also advice on common sense preventative measures such as wearing a surgical mask and staying hydrated.

These themes also seem to connect to a larger trend in public health, especially global health, where access to water, sanitation and food are becoming more important, rather than only technology and modern medicine. For example, Gardens for Health International was "founded on the belief that a comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment plan requires access to adequate, nutritious food." What's telling is that water and sanitation is only now gaining momentum in the developing world, whereas in the United States, it has been a priority since the 1800s.



"Loose Lips" by Kimya Dawson
they think we're disposable, while both my thumbsopposable, spelled out on a double word and triple letter score...

Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Empowerment Series- teleconference interviews

Dear community-

visualizAsian.com is proud to announce the launch of its Asian American
Pacific Islander (AAPI) Empowerment Series!

It's a series of FR*EE teleconference interviews with leading AAPIs from
politics, pop culture, business and more, as a way to inspire and
empower other AAPIs to follow in their footsteps.

We're kicking off the series during Asian American Pacific Islander
Heritage Month with an interview with Former Transportation Secretary
Norman Y. Mineta.

Not only is Mineta the first Asian American to be appointed to a Cabinet
position (Secretary of Commerce under Bill Clinton), he is also the
longest-serving Secretary of Transportation in U.S. history (under
George Bush). He was a co-sponsor, along with Congressman Frank Horton
(R-NY) of both the 1978 House Resolution establishing Pacific/Asian
Heritage Week and the 1992 bill that expanded the week into "Asian
Pacific American Heritage Month."

SECRETARY MINETA'S LIVE INTERVIEW WILL BE HELD ON THURSDAY, MAY 21 at 6
PM PDT (9 PM EDT).

Register for the interview at:

http://visualizasian.com/aapi-empowerment-series-signup.html.

You can join the interview live over the phone (long distance charges
may apply) or for free via the webcast. You can also submit questions
for Secretary Mineta before and during the interview through the
webcast. If you can't make the live event, register anyway to access the
recording.

http://visualizasian.com/aapi-empowerment-series-signup.html

We hope you'll join us on the call! Feel free to spread the word...

Best regards,

Erin Yoshimura and Gil Asakawa

visualizAsian.com

See. Do. Become.

Don't Fry Day

Posted by: "Roxanna Bautista" rbautista@apiahf.org roxbautista
Tue May 19, 2009 6:57 pm (PDT)


Learn about "Don't Fry Day" - Protect Your Skin Today and Every Day at www.skincancerprevention.org

To help reduce rising rates of skin cancer, the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention has designated the Friday before Memorial Day, May 22, 2009, as Don't Fry Day .

Our goal is to encourage sun safety awareness by reminding everyone to protect their skin while enjoying the outdoors.

This year, the National Council is specifically emphasizing "Slap on a Hat" -encouraging everyone to wear protective clothing like a wide-brimmed hat to provide important protection from too much sun.

Did You Know?

Each year there are more new cases of skin cancer than the combined incidence of cancers of the breast, prostate, lung, and colon.

Did You Know?
Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. More than 1 million skin cancers are diagnosed annually.

Did You Know?
It is estimated that one American dies every hour from skin cancer.

Did You Know?
One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime.

Did You Know?
Melanoma is the second most common form of cancer for young adults 15-29 years old.

Did You Know... if YOU spread the word about "Don't Fry Day" then more people will KNOW?

We invite you to get involved in raising sun safety awareness. Every voice, action, or effort is another step towards reducing and preventing skin cancer. Join the "Don't Fry Day" campaign to encourage your friends, neighbors, relatives, colleagues, and everyone to be safe in the sun.

Here are some simple ways to be safe in the sun. Remember, Slip, Slop, Slap®...and Wrap and plan activities away from the midday sun:

- Slip on a shirt;
- Slop on sunscreen (SPF 15 or higher);
- Slap on a hat; and
- Wrap on sunglasses to protect the eyes and sensitive skin around them from ultraviolet light.

For more information, including additional statistics and other resources, visit the Council's site: www.skincancerprevention.org

The National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention is the united voice of 45 organizations, associations, and agencies dedicated to reducing skin cancer morbidity and mortality in the U.S. National Council members represent some of the nation's premier researchers, clinicians and advocates for melanoma and skin cancer prevention.

Graduation with Daddy

It was a good weekend. I wish I could have spent more time with him, but I was also studying for a final a few hours after the Public Health graduation. Anyway, I realize I didn't know anything about him. My parents have been divorced since I was 5 or 6, and I grew up living with my mom. When we were in elementary school, my dad would take us out every weekend...and eventually that has decreased to lunches and dinners on holidays and birthdays and when I'm visiting home. I wanted to find something fun or entertaining for him to do, and I had not a clue what he liked. I chose to go to Oakland because there was popular restaurants at Jack London Square and free outdoor dance lessons for the Rumba that day. We tried it a little bit. Father-daughter dance...I've never had one of those. It made me feel kind of emotional. I had really never done anything with my father besides lunch and dinner. No playing sports, no teaching me how to drive a car, no helping me with homework, no- a lot of things. My mom took on a big burden. I don't wanna say it's purely his fault though. It is what it is. My mom tries to avoid him every chance she gets and only reluctantly talks to him when she has to.

Then we went back to Berkeley. He liked it near the college with people constantly up and about and with your occasional dose of weird people singing or screaming or yelling. Based on his comments, I've discovered that he likes lively places. He goes to get yogurt with his friends back at home too just like we do here. He really respects educated people, like people with their PhDs and Master's. All he ever got was his AA degree. He told me a little bit about how he met my mother and how he gave her a pen for her birthday. He told me that my mom was a good wife and a good mother and told me to thank her for raising us.

So many questions unasked and so many stories untold. I don't know why this is, that we sometimes in our hectic lives forget to ask our parents things...lots of things. Or maybe because we're afraid to ask or to used to the culture of keeping things to yourself, not disclosing too much, not treating parents like friends and asking them too many direct questions. My mom and I talk a lot, and she told me that her and her mom never had this type of relationship, and she claims that is one of the reasons why American culture is good.

I was so scared to ask my mom how my parents got divorced, and never asked her until last year. I didn't even know my mom's refugee story until I was writing a paper on it while studying abroad. I didn't even know my dad helped get provisions for the boat he was on from a US ship because he had self-taught himself English in Vietnam. I found that out from my uncle in Vietnam.

My challenge to you today: Ask your parents a question. Spark a conversation. Listen to their stories.

Divorce

Yesterday, I graduated...well not really, I walked though. I have one more final on Wednesday. Cursed UC Berkeley--terrible scheduling.

Anyway, my dad came to see me walk. I'm walking two graduations: the Public Health major commencement and the Southeast Asian graduation. I really wanted both of them to attend the Southeast Asian graduation because it is a much more personal commencement and because I was gonna be a student speaker. However, my parents are divorced, so it was kinda agreed (I was hoping that we could all be civilized adults and come to the same one, but my mom said no) that my mom would attend the one next Saturday and my dad would attend the one this past Saturday. My mom is now remarried. I was talking to my friend about this dilemma before, and my friend said, "Why don't they just both come to your graduation? Shouldn't it be about you?" I replied, "They can't" (although I was thinking the same thing...why can't we all just be civilized adults about this?). He responded with, "Why not? White folks do it all the time." I think about shows like Reba (in which the father cheats on the mother, remarries, and they live as neighbors and all friends) and think to myself, Can that really happen? I've never seen an Asian family do it. Maybe because it would threaten the family structure too much? What do you think?

My stepdad is insecure about his position in the family, and when my dad talk about my family, he only mentions my mom, never my stepdad. They're both in denial that the other exists and they never talk about each other to my siblings and me.

Something rarely talked about in the Asian American community is single-parent households. How common are they?

I feel like for traditional people, it's still something pretty shameful. My uncle in Vietnam said that him and his wife fought and had stuff happened (I kinda felt like he was implying cheating), but they still stayed together because that's what you do. He claimed too many people in America get divorced (50% is what it was when I last checked). 1 out of 2 chances you're gonna get divorced.

My maternal relatives never mention my dad. Maybe he's a taboo topic now.

OCA/Verizon Scholarship

OCA and Verizon are teaming up to provide OCA's first scholarship for students currently attending college. Ten (10) $2000 scholarships are available to college students.

Eligible applicants must meet all of the following criteria:
Identify as being part of the Asian Pacific American Community (please see FAQ for more specific details)
College student entering their Sophomore, Junior and Senior Years (Graduate students are not eligible to apply)
Demonstrate financial need
Be a permanent resident or U.S. citizen
Have a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale)
Specific Majors (listed in the application)
Applications can be found on http://www.ocanational.org. Deadline to submit or postmark applications is June 30, 2009.

Please no phone calls concerning the scholarship.

Best regards,
Douglas Lee
OCA, Senior Program Manager