|
|
The Asian
Community Health Center (ACHC) presents the Conference on Tobacco and
Chronic Diseases Among
Vietnamese-Americans on May 16 – 17. The
conference addresses the un-proportionate tobacco and diabetes risks among
Vietnamese-Americans in Minnesota and the Midwest. State and national
leaders will show the data, research, programs and cultural approaches regarding
tobacco and diabetes among Vietnamese. The gathering will result in
post-conference publication of findings and recommendations for maintenance and
improvement of community health, as well as a health care manual.
For conference
information and registration contact the Asian Community Health Center at (651)
224-6570.
Purpose
The purpose of the Summit
is to address the un-proportionate tobacco and diabetes risks among
Vietnamese-Americans in Minnesota and the Midwest.
The health status of Vietnamese
Americans has drastically changed since the first Vietnamese refugees arrived in
the U.S. after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. Reports and studies
have unveiled worrisome data of newly emerged health problems among Vietnamese
Americans. For several years, the National Cancer Institute has alerted
that Vietnamese American women have the higher death rate of cervical cancer in
the U.S. Vietnamese American males top the smoking rates in the U.S.
according to the Asian Partners for Empowerment and Leadership. Health
care providers have witnessed a rapid growth in the rates of diabetes, strokes
among Vietnamese American. The Vietnamese American aged population grows
rapidly and there is an evident of culturally appropriate health care and health
access for this group.
There is a double disparity gap
in the health status of the Vietnamese American in comparison with the larger
Asian Pacific Islander community and the mainstream population. The
identification of these disparities will be instrumental in designing
appropriate intervention/prevention measures.
The U.S. Public Health Agenda
includes a goal to eliminate health disparities among ethnic/racial populations
by year 2010. This summit is a community initiated attempt to contribute
to achieving that goal.
The
Conference on Tobacco and Chronic Diseases Among
Vietnamese-Americans shall provide:
|
Obtain community input
|
Voice from community
(consumers) on newly experienced health problems, barriers to care, including
cultural barriers and/or access to care. |
|
Input and advices from health
professionals who have to face these newly emerged health problems. |
|
|
Create a forum of discussion
by experts and community leaders
|
Pertinent researches on new
health needs among Vietnamese Americans can be presented and discussed. |
|
Community input from
pre-conference sessions will be examined. |
|
The
Conference on Tobacco and Chronic Diseases Among
Vietnamese-Americans features breakout workgroups, each focusing on a different area of
concern. Each workgroup will enable a collaborative effort to develop a
long-term strategy towards improving the quality of health care for the
Southeast Asian community.
Provided with a facilitating moderator and a select panel of subject experts and policy makers in each
group, participants will engage in a coordinated and organized effort of
collaborative problem solving on health care related issues.
Beginning with group discussions, the morning
breakout session is designed for participants to identify, organize and
prioritize key issues in defined workgroup topic areas. The results
will be documented and a summary report from each workgroup will be given at the
final plenary session.
|
Most common diseases in Southeast Asian community
(emphasis on treatment and prevention)
|
|
Health issues in New Society
|
|
Treatment of high risk health problems and
terminal diseases
|
|
Nutrition necessities
|
|
X X I, Tai Chi, Chi Qung for health maintenance
and prevention
|
|
Effectiveness of Eastern and Western medicines,
together and apart
|
|
Tobacco and life, prevention and treatment
|
|
Government policies and advocacy strategy
|
|
Public and Private resources
|
The
Conference on Tobacco and Chronic Diseases Among
Vietnamese-Americans welcomes:
| Officials of city, state and federal
governments and commissions; |
| Leaders of community-based organizations
that primarily work with the Southeast Asian community; and |
| Members of the general public interested in
the well-being of the Southeast Asian community. |
|