Programs

Health Insurance
Language Access
HIV Prevention Capacity Building Assistance
Cultural Competence Training
Tobacco Control
Center for Cross Cultural Education
Chi-Town Coalition of Color against Cigarettes
Cancer Prevention
Hepatitis B and Immunization
Korean Cessation Materials
Annual Conference
Community-Based Research Data

Advocacy

AHCI aims to provide a voice for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) health concerns in the state of Illinois, advocating for improved AAPI health data collection and dissemination, inclusion of AAPIs in health-related programs, and the provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate care. AHCI is a member of the Campaign for Better Health Care and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and supports their ongoing advocacy efforts.

Health Insurance

In the coming year, we hope to analyze AAPI demographic data and Kid Care/Family Care enrollment data to identify any gaps in enrollment. In addition, AHCI is participating in the Campaign for Better Health Care’s efforts to promote universal health care in Illinois. Click here to obtain more information in this area.

Back to top

Language Access

With support from the IDPH Center for Minority Health, we are piloting a project to document language barriers to health care and to advocate for systems improvement. In collaboration with several mutual assistance associations, we will be documenting language barriers to health care and reaching out to local hospitals and clinics to overcome these barriers.

Capacity-Building and Training

HIV Prevention Capacity Building Assistance

As one of several partner agencies in a national AAPI HIV/AIDS capacity-building assistance program funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and led by the APIAHF (Asian Pacific Islander American Health Forum), AHCI is a resource for AAPI communities in the Midwest. To follow up on our 2001 HIV capacity-building conference, we hosted a regional meeting in 2002 to develop a toolkit for integrating HIV prevention services into mainstream AAPI programs. In addition, we have received support from the Cook County Department of Public Health to conduct an AAPI HIV needs assessment and to provide capacity-building assistance in suburban Cook County. In collaboration with Asian Human Services and other agencies, we have organized a Chicago AAPI HIV/AIDS Network that is working on advocacy issues. Click here to get a brochure for this program.

To look for HIV/AIDS resources in other languages, please click here.

Cultural Competence Training

With support from the Fund for Immigrants and Refugees (FIR), the Field Foundation, and the Polk Bros. Foundation, and utilizing the curriculum developed by the IDPH Cultural Competence Committee, AHCI is providing cultural competence training for health care providers in metropolitan Chicago. Click here to get a brochure for this program.

Back to top

Tobacco Control

Thanks to the American Legacy Foundation and the U.S. Office of Minority Health, we have established an AAPI tobacco control capacity-building program. In partnership with Korean American Community Services, the Chicago Department of Public Health, the UIC School of Public Health and Roosevelt University, we are piloting a smoking cessation curriculum in the Korean American community, which includes baseline data collection. In addition, we are training AAPI community-based organizations (CBOs) on tobacco control issues, sending out information to the ethnic media, and holding a youth poster contest in collaboration with several AAPI CBOs. Click here to get a brochure for this program.

Center for Cross Cultural Education

With support from the Michael Reese Health Trust, Field, Fry, and Square D Foundations, and utilizing the curriculum developed by the IDPH Cultural Competence Committee, AHCI provides the following services to health care and human service provider organizations and health professional schools.

Opening Doors Cultural Competency Training for health care providers
Since 2002, we have conducted 99 trainings reaching over 1200 providers and students. Click here for more information about the training program.
Train-the-Trainer Workshops on our Opening Doors curriculum to those interested in developing their own training program
Technical Assistance consultation on the development of cultural competence programs for health care providers organizations and medical schools.

Korean American Tobacco Cessation Helpline
Thanks to the American Legacy Foundation and in partnership with Korean American Community Services, we offer Illinois’ first Korean language tobacco cessation Helpline. The Helpline provides tobacco control education and cessation counseling to smokers and their families. Click here for more information about the Helpline.

Back to top

Chi-Town Coalition of Color against Cigarettes

With support from the Chicago Community Trust and APPEAL (Asian Pacific Partners for Empowerment and Leadership) AHCI has been able to launch a successful youth volunteer leadership program centralized in tobacco prevention and education for the AAPI community in Uptown. In collaboration with the Chinese Mutual Aid Association and the Multicultural Youth Project, our youth leaders work to provide tobacco control education for community residents and business owners, facilitate anti-tobacco workshops for AAPI youth, and coordinate community service opportunities for the public. Click here for the latest youth conducted survey of restaurants in the Argyle community.

Back to top

Cancer Prevention

Hepatitis B and Immunization

The Hepatitis B and Immunization Program (HIP) was initiated by the Asian Health Coalition of Illinois in 1997 with the goals of improving hepatitis B immunization rates among Asian and Pacific Islander children from birth to 18 years, raising public awareness of hepatitis risk factors, reducing incidence of liver disease and cancer through early recognition of chronic infection, providing health professionals with up-to-date guidelines for diagnosis and treatment. Designed to be a community-based model for health education, HIP collaborates with local Asian and African immigrant community organizations in Chicago and suburban areas.

Hepatitis B viral infection (HBV) is a serious worldwide health problem and one of the top five infectious disease killers in the world causing over causing over 1.3 million deaths annually. In the United States it is one of the most frequently reported vaccine-preventable diseases.

The distribution of hepatitis B infection rates varies with populations. Among the peoples of East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands (API), sub-Saharan Africa, the Amazon basin the disease is highly endemic, defined as 8-20%. Prevalence rates and risk factors for HBV infection among Asians, Pacific Islanders and Africans living in the United States are similar. APIs have higher prevalence than most other ethnic groups.

HIP’s medical advisor is Dr. Karen Kim, gastroenterologist, University of Chicago Medical Center. She provides updates on current hepatitis research, diagnosis and treatment recommendations to health professionals serving the immigrant and refugee communities.

The Program is presently funded by the Illinois Department of Public Health, and the Chicago Department of Public Health. HIP collaborates with many local community organizations, government organizations in Chicago and metropolitan areas.

List of community partners:

Asian Cancer Prevention Organization
Cambodian Association of Illinois
Chinese Mutual Aid Association
Chinese American Service League
Chinese American Association of Greater Chicago
Ethiopian Community Association of Chicago
Henry Booth House-Family Health Center
Healthy Today
Korean American Community Center
Lao American Community Services
Vietnamese Association of Illinois
Uptown Neighborhood Health Center-CDPH
Xilin Asian Community Center

Back to top

Korean Cessation Materials

The curriculum materials used in our Korean cessation classes are now available online as a resource to those who are interested in quitting. There are two kinds of materials available:

Educational materials for smokers and their family and friends
Forms for instructors who want to conduct a cessation course of their own (more materials will be added on an ongoing basis).

All of the materials have been translated into Korean. Click here to access the Korean version.

Education

Annual Conference

AHCI organizes an annual conference for health care and social service providers, public health officials, community leaders and others who are interested in learning about AAPI health. Previous conferences have included workshops on topics including advocacy, cancer, community-based research, cultural competence, data, depression, exercise and fitness, faith-based collaborations, funding, hepatitis B, HIV/AIDS, model programs for health outreach, nutrition, substance abuse, women’s health, and youth gangs.

Back to top

Community-Based Research Data

AHCI has received a planning grant from the American Academy of Pediatrics’ CATCH (Child Access to Community Health) Program to conduct focus groups in AAPI communities regarding issues and barriers to child immunization. In addition, AHCI plans to work with the Illinois, Cook County, and Chicago Departments of Public Health and various data registries to improve AAPI data collection and to disseminate information about the status of AAPI health in Illinois.