A&PI Wellness Center is a multicultural health services, education, research, and policy organization. We transform lives, strengthen well-being, and lead under-served communities—of any race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, or immigration status—toward justice and health. We continue to educate, support, empower, and advocate for the most marginalized and vulnerable in our communities, particularly A&PIs and people living with HIV.

CDC RELEASES GROUNDBREAKING REPORT ON ASIAN, PACIFIC ISLANDER HEALTH

In August 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a groundbreaking report on the health of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) communities. The report focuses on HIV/AIDS, viral Hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and Tuberculosis (TB).

In April 2010, the CDC held an HIV/AIDS community consultation with 40 AA and NHPI representatives. Community leaders developed a number of recommendations, including the need for an AA and NHPI-specific epidemiological profile across the four disease groups. The National HIV/AIDS Strategy (2010) and the National Viral Hepatitis Action Plan (2011) both adopted this recommendation. "Epidemiologic Profile 2010: Asians and Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders" is the result of these recommendations.

Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center and Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum developed a joint brief summarizing the key finding of the report and outlines additional recommendations. We hope that it will be a useful advocacy tool to AA and NHPI health.

Additional reading:

Brief on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Report, "Epidemiologic Profile 2010: Asians and Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders"

Full CDC report, "Epidemiologic Profile 2010: Asians and Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders"

I AM A&PI WELLNESS CENTER – 25 YEARS OF HEALTH, HOPE, AND HOME

A&PI Wellness Center is 25 years old this year. We've grown a lot since 1987, when a small group of Asians and Pacific Islanders in San Francisco recognized that the HIV/AIDS crisis in A&PI communities wasn’t being addressed by mainstream HIV organizations. Our founders had the courage to stand up and say, "this is not okay." They found ways to create a community of health, hope, and home for A&PIs living with HIV.

Twenty-five years later, we're still meeting the needs of the A&PI community, but we've expanded our services to include more than HIV. We've diversified our staff, clients, and the communities we serve because we know that health care justice means that all underserved communities should have access to the life-saving services we provide.

So, what does it mean to be "A&PI Wellness Center"?

It means bold leadership. We stand up for what's right. It means being inclusive. We bring diverse people together to fight for better health care for ALL communities, not just Asians and Pacific Islanders.

We are a multicultural health services, education, research, and policy organization. We transform lives, strengthen well-being, and lead underserved communities—of any race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, or immigration status—toward justice and health.

We are A&PI Wellness Center.

If you share our values, you are A&PI Wellness Center, too.

THE WELLNESS CLINIC LAUNCHES NUTRITION SERVICES, COMPLEMENTARY ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE PROGRAM

Starting July 18th 2012, our Wellness Clinic services will include Nutrition Consultations with a Certified Nutritionist. Nutrition is an important part of our complementary alternative medicine program focused on healthy living. The program will soon cover other holistic treatments like acupuncture and massage therapy.

You can make an appointment with our Certified Nutritionist every third Wednesday of the month. Consultations are on a first-come, first-serve basis by appointment only.

ABOUT OUR NUTRITIONIST

Caitlin Weeks is a certified nutritionist with a focus in holistic health from Bauman College in Berkeley, CA. Caitlin's approach to nutrition includes therapeutic health coaching and whole foods. Since 2001, Caitlin successfully conquered obesity after a lifetime struggling with her weight. In 2009, she was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and is managing her illness through stress reduction, exercise, and healthy foods. Her personal experiences give her insight and compassion into the nutrition and wellness challenges her clients face. She specializes in peer counseling, thyroid health, food allergies, weight management, fertility, acne, and hormone balance. Caitlin will develop a clear and manageable program plan to meet each individual's needs.

To make an appointment, call the Wellness Clinic at 415-292-3420 x368 or email theclinic@apiwellness.org.

BANYAN TREE PROJECT AND A&PI WELLNESS CENTER LAUNCH TAKING ROOT

On May 3, A&PI Wellness Center's anti-stigma social marketing campaign, the Banyan Tree Project launched its new digital storytelling initiative, Taking Root. The launch of this new campaign coincides with the 8th annual National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.

We will be featuring a video from the Taking Root series each month here on the A&PI Wellness Center homepage. The first story, "All the Truly Important Things..." traces the development of a young medical student recently diagnosed with HIV to his current role as an HIV physician. Eric Zheng (not his real name) openly and honestly shares his pain, disappointment, and hope with us. Eric is a Chinese American gay man. We invite you to watch and share Eric's story, and we want to know how you're talking about HIV. Join the conversation on Twitter by sharing the video and using the hashtag #withoutshame.

About Taking Root: It's been said that it takes a thousand voices to tell a single story. Taking Root is grounded in the power of the individual story, but its territory extends beyond the individual. We are a multitude of voices: there is no singular Asian American or Pacific Islander experience, and the face of HIV is as diverse as the people affected by it. Through the connections forged by these individual experiences, we are able to tell a story about the ways we are affected by HIV. Together, these stories heal and it is through the telling and witnessing of them that we learn to overcome our silence and shame. As "Taking Root" grows, it will eventually include stories from AA and NHPI communities across the US and the six US-affiliated Pacific Island Jurisdictions.

Digital storytelling is a form of short narrative told in the first person and enhanced by sound, video, and symbolic imagery. These are true stories from AAs and NHPIs recounting the ways in which HIV has affected and altered their lives. The stories were developed during an intensive 3-day workshop facilitated by Center for Digital Storytelling where participants were trained to produce their own story, from developing their own narrative and producing a voiceover, to using audiovisual and editing equipment to create the final video. "Taking Root" stories will be promoted at community events nationwide and online through our social networks and partners.

Thank you to our partners: We would like to extend our gratitude to the community organizations who partnered with us for the launch of Taking Root on May 3: 518 Valencia: The Eric Quezada Center for Culture & Politics • Asian American Recovery Services • Asian Pacific Islander American Health Forum • Center for Digital Storytelling • Community Health for Asian Americans • Gay Asian Pacific Alliance • Hui Tama Nui • Native American AIDS Project • Native American Health Center • The Oakland Asian Cultural Center • OLO: One Love Oceania • Pacific Health Club • San Francisco Department of Public Health • Trikone • WORLD: Women Organized to Respond to Life-Threatening Disease • UTOPIA

After I was diagnosed as HIV-positive at the San Rafael General Hospital, I was placed into care at Gift of Love with Sister John Marie. I stayed there for two years after my diagnosis, and it helped my rehabilitation after a mild stroke I suffered due to my illness. But because Gift of Love is a hospice home and for the poorest of the poor, I could not stay; I had to look for housing elsewhere.

My move from San Mateo County to San Francisco was a source of worry and stress, and I was constantly thinking about my living situation. Around this time I was referred to the A&PI Wellness Center. I was warmly greeted by the staff and immediately assigned to a social worker.

I learned a great deal working with my social worker. The Care staff are always courteous and ready to assist in every possible way to help make my life more manageable and easier. The services that are offered at A&PI Wellness Center also help with my specific needs too. I've been able to talk about my suicide attempts and other mental health issues with Dr. Tsui, Dr. Gamez and in group sessions.

I also get to see a doctor regularly and get help with my AIDS Drug Assistance Program paperwork. I also got to sign up with other agencies like Project Open Hand and other services that have helped me continue to stay in San Francisco. I was also homeless for two years in San Francisco after being on housing waiting lists and being rejected, my social worker Dennis Mallilin helped me secure a single occupancy room at the Hotel Parkview.

I have received a wealth of information and resources at A&PI Wellness Center that have helped my transition from a hopeless future to a bright one.

In 2009, we produced a short film describing who we are and what we do, from the perspective of our clients and community members. We are honored that a few very special people agreed to be in the film, speaking on our behalf. Thank you: Cecilia, Adam, Mark, Wylie, and Tri. A big thanks goes out to Paul Wood and David Valentin from Monolithworks Corpcomm, who directed the video. Let us know what you think!