Skip to main content

State of Cultural Competency

It was a great honor to play a part in OHSU's first hosting of the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon's annual State of Healthcare Cultural Competency Community Forum. I attended the inaugural forum in 2009 at PCC Southeast campus, and has seen the event expand and improve each year. 

 The community forum is an opportunity for health equity advocates, community members, and healthcare professionals to come together and share best practices about addressing healthcare disparities among Asian Pacific Islander communities. API groups face unique challenges in combating certain diseases like diabetes, heart disease, liver and cervical cancer, among others. Cultural and linguistic barriers prevent APIs from accessing high-quality healthcare. 

 APANO's theme for this year's State of Cultural Competency Forum was "Stronger Communities, Stronger Families." According to APANO organizers, the theme: 
"... highlights the social and environmental determinants on our families health.  We are dedicated to strengthening Asian and Pacific Islander communities in Oregon by building effective leadership, addressing the root of problems faced by our communities, and improving health and opportunity for our children and families.  Strong communities are communities with real opportunities, equal access and a higher level of civic engagement. From affordable health care and good schools, to family wage jobs and a toxic-free environment with places to play, our communities are shaped by the way we make policy and allocate resources.  APANO works for strong communities in order to support strong families, which are at the center of our Asian and Pacific Islander cultures."
The gathering brought together over 120 people from diverse API cultural backgrounds. Here are a few captures from the daylong event. See you all next year!




 
    

Popular posts from this blog

Lucky Tomorrow: Stories

Deborah Jiang-Stein's debut collection of short stories explores the lives of people who are often overlooked. From flower street vendors to families torn apart by ambition, to a woman on death row awaiting redemption amidst a tumult of memories, Jiang-Stein vividly depicts their struggles. Each story is set in various cities where she has lived: Seattle, Minneapolis, and Tokyo. While these settings differ, they share a common indifference toward human suffering. In "Lucky Tomorrow, " each vignette offers a glimpse into harsh realities that are often difficult to confront, yet are grounded in the lived experiences of those frequently unseen and cast aside. The stories convey powerful themes of longing and fleeting hopes for fresh starts that may never arrive. Although the themes are specific to the characters, they resonate with the universal human experience. As an activist and advocate, Jiang-Stein has made a significant impact through her extensive work with women...
Read more

Medicine Wheel for the Planet

Jennifer Grenz, PhD       Working toward ecological healing requires awareness of how Indigenous ancestral knowledge and living ways can complement Western scientific approaches to environmental restoration and protection practices. Dr. Jennifer Grenz (Nlaxa’pamux mixed ancestry) worked for more than two decades as a field researcher and practitioner for environmental nonprofit organizations, where she worked with different levels of government, including First Nations in Canada. "Medicine Wheel for the Planet" compiles Grenz’s most potent realizations about the lack of forward movement in addressing an impending ecological catastrophe.  A warming climate impacts not only human lives but also the natural balance that relies on reciprocal relationships rooted in deep connections to the land. She uses the metaphor of the four directions of the Indigenous “medicine wheel” to invite openness to Indigenous teachings, letting go of colonial narratives, merging lessons f...
Read more

Memento - Embracing the Darkness

Dennis "Dizzy" Doan Stories about overcoming and persevering through family dysfunction, poverty, and mental health challenges offer hope and the promise of better days. Dennis “Dizzy” Doan’s memoir Memento: Embracing the Darkness is one such story, with the added complexity of being raised in an immigrant Vietnamese family. Doan’s parents dealt with the mental and emotional aftermath of war, which forcibly uprooted them from their homeland. In the United States, they struggled to create a safe and stable life for their two sons. Doan shares his journey of finding himself, his craft, and eventually a successful tattoo business in Southern California despite personal strife and run-ins with the law. Doan is best known for developing the aesthetic language to combat anti-Asian hate that erupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. His art series titled “Model Minority” went viral, sparking conversation about Asian American identities and harmful stereotypes. In Memento, Doan showcase...
Read more