New Factsheet: What are the HIV Prevention Needs of Latino Gay Men in the US?

The Center for AIDS Prevention Studies at the University of California, San Francisco has published a new fact sheet focusing on the HIV prevention needs of Latino gay men. The factsheet is titled -- What are the HIV Prevention Needs of Latino Gay Men in the US?

The ever changing mosaic of Latino demographics in the US creates unique challenges to address health disparities of the population, especially when it comes to HIV prevention needs. Latinos are the largest and fastest growing ethnoracial minority group in the US, experiencing a 43% growth between 2000 and 2010. Data also show that Latinos are one of the fastest growing populations at risk for HIV transmission:

Download the fact sheet (pdf). Read more on the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies website.

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

May is both Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month as well as Mental Health Awareness Month. In recognition of the double significance of May, the National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA) will be hosting and participating in a series of events to help raise awareness around mental health in the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities. NAAPIMHA will host a training in San Francisco on May 14-15th on "Preparing Our Community for the Next Round of Healthcare Reform". The training is free and open to the public. It will be held at Fort Mason Center, Landmark Building A. Visit the NAAPIMHA website more information and register for the training at -- http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MDNBQRY. 

The stigma associated with mental health continues to be a major barrier to AANHPIs seeking help. Many fear that if they talk about having a problem they will be seen as weak or somehow flawed. The need to fulfill the role of the “model minority” only adds pressure to be perfect, not only from family, but now expectations come from those at work, classmates and society in general. Culture also plays a strong part in not wanting to share personal information or divulge anything that might “bring shame” to the family. Another barrier to getting proper care is a workforce that does not have enough providers who are trained to address important cultural and language issues so even if someone wants to seek help, he/she may not be able to find an appropriate provider. Read more on the NAAPIMHA website.

Read the Presidential Proclamation for Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Access AANHPI resources on the Office of Minority Health website. Visit the Asian-Pacific Islander Heritage Month website -- a collaborative project of the Library of Congress and the National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

NNED Partner of the Month

In order to highlight pockets of excellence across the country the NNED selects an organization to highlight once a month. Asian Counseling and Referral Service has been selected as the NNED Partner of the Month for May 2012 in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS) is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization offering a broad array of human services and behavioral health programs to Asian Pacific Americans in King County, Washington State. ACRS is the largest multiservice organization serving all the different Asian Pacific American communities - immigrants, refugees and American born - in the Pacific Northwest.

ACRS assists and empowers people affected by mental, emotional and behavioral problems to progress towards recovery and improve their quality of life. ACRS case managers, psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses work together as a team to provide linguistically appropriate behavioral health services to individuals and support services to their families. Treatment combines both Eastern and Western approaches and is sensitive to the unique needs of the community.

View a list of previous NNED Partners of the Month here.

Using Data to Eliminate Disparities: New Online Data from the National Survey of Children’s Health

April is National Minority Health Month. In honor of this year's theme--"Health Equity Can't Wait. Act Now in Your Community"--the Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health (DRC) announced new data available from the 2009-2010 National Survey of Children's Health and National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs. In order to better understand and advocate for minority children with special health care needs (CSHCN), the DRC website lets you compare important key indicators and outcomes for CSHCN by race/ethnicity, highest educational level in the household, and two new measures of complexity. The data allows users to view over 100 indicators of child health and well-being, including emotional and mental health. Here are a few examples of findings you can access on the DRC website:

• Among the 46% of CSHCN who experience 4 or more functional difficulties, only half have access to community based services
• The 14% of CSHCN who meet 4 or more qualifying CSHCN Screener criteria are half as likely to experience quality care within a medical home as those whose conditions are less complex
• Hispanic CSHCN are most likely to lack insurance coverage

Using Data to Reduce and Eliminate Health Disparities

Disparities continue to exist in the health status of minority CSHCN in the United States. Data showing the differences in health status and access to care among minority children in the United States are an important tool in eliminating disparities and improving the health and well-being of all children. Recently released data from the 2009-10 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs reveal that: 

• Only one-quarter of Hispanic and African American youth with special needs received sufficient transition planning whereas nearly 45% of white youth received such planning
• 71% of white CSHCN received family centered care, while only 56% of Hispanic CSHCN and 52% of African American CSHCN received that level of care.
• Access to care issues are extremely important given that Hispanic CSHCN are more likely to be affected by their conditions in their daily lives and their families are more likely to experience financial problems

Visit the DRC website. Learn more about the National Survey of Children’s Health. Learn more about the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs.

SAMHSA’s Office of Behavioral Health Equity has a New Website

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Office of Behavioral Health Equity (OBHE) has a new website. The website features a resources sections, news archives, the NNED, and populations of focus -- American Indian/Alaska Native; Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander; Black or African American; Hispanic/Latino; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender.

SAMHSA’s OBHE coordinates agency efforts to reduce behavioral health disparities for diverse populations. OBHE seeks to impact SAMHSA policy and initiatives by:

• Creating a more strategic focus on racial; ethnic; and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender populations in SAMHSA investments
• Using a data-informed quality improvement approach to address racial and ethnic disparities in SAMHSA programs
• Building on the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA’s) attention to health disparities to influence how SAMHSA does it work, including grant-making operations and policy development

Visit the new SAMHSA OBHE website.

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