On May 8th, the South Asian Public Health Association (SAPHA) joined the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) Coalition members: Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO), Papa Ola Lōkahi, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA), APPEAL -- Asian Pacific Partners for Empowerment, Advocacy and Leadership, Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC), Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC), and National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF) in Washington DC for a roundtable discussion with Secretary of Health, Xavier Becerra, and moderated by WHIAANHPI to discuss critical issues concerning health equity for the AANHPI community. It was inspiring to see the Secretary's commitment to addressing these challenges and promoting a more just, equitable and accessible healthcare system. You can read more about this event here.
In addition to this, SAPHA was invited to the White House to attend a special screening of 'American Born Chinese,' where President Biden and Ke Huy Quan spoke about the struggles and accomplishments of the AANHPI community.
SAPHA President, Samira Khan, was also invited to be a panelist at the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) Legislative Leadership Summit for the 'Breaking the Stigma: Addressing Mental Health in our Community' panel on May 9th and discussed the crucial role of understanding the barriers to addressing mental health in the AANHPI community in order to promote overall well-being and equity.
A full video of this panel can be accessed here.
Lastly, On June 7th, SAPHA was honored to partner with the Indian American Impact Summit again this year on the health panel titled “A South Asian Health Agenda” alongside VOT-ER and ASANA Voices. SAPHA President Samira Khan was invited to moderate the session featuring esteemed panelists Dr. Sejal Hathi, The White House Senior Policy Advisor for Public Health; Dr. Alka Kanaya, Professor of Medicine at UCSF and Principal Investigator at MASALA Study; Dr. Ashwin Vasan, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and Dr. Meena Seshamani, Director for the Center for Medicare. The conversation touched upon various topics of concern for South Asian Health, with an overall theme of a need for an integration of health policy and research with community outreach. By bridging these essential components, we move closer to the goal of attaining health equity and making a profound, tangible impact. It was also great to have representation from previous and current SAPHA Board members (Gayatri Malhotra and Anmol Sharma respectively) at the Summit. Over the past 24 years, SAPHA has been run entirely by volunteers and operated virtually. It is the unwavering dedication and passion of colleagues like these that have allowed SAPHA to grow and to sustain momentum and create a meaningful impact.
