The Brown Paper: Organizing the South Asian Community to Define & Disseminate Its Health Priorities

1. South Asian Public Health Association http://www.sapha.net The Brown Paper: Organizing the South Asian Community to Define & Disseminate Its Health Priorities Abhijit Ghosh, Ushma Upadhyay, Neelam Gupta, Melindah Sharma, Neil Parekh, Lina Sheth The 129th Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association October 23, 2001

2. Mission Statement • To provide a forum for professionals interested in the health and well being of South Asian Communities and to provide a forum for sharing resources among public health professionals of South Asian origin.

3. Strategy • Promote research • Shape health policy • Share knowledge • Build coalitions with other organizations • Mobilize funding opportunities • Organize public health resources

4. SAPHA Background • Established in Spring 1999 • Began with 10 members • Currently over 280 members • Members from the US and around the world • Activities in New York City, Baltimore, and Washington, DC

5. Brown Paper • To summarize and present health concerns of the South Asian American Community • Project initiated in July 2000 • Includes literature reviews and a resource guide for health services focusing on South Asian Americans

6. Brown Paper • Methods: SAPHA members commissioned to review current literature in their fields of expertise • Topics include: Domestic violence, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, mental health, access issues, cancer, children’s health, substance abuse, infectious disease, HIV/AIDS/STIs, and nutrition

7. Brown Paper: Distribution • Provide health data to policy-makers, community organizations, health and community workers, social workers, physicians, and clinicians • Reach out to community leaders and South Asian press to disseminate information • Raise awareness among SA community about health issues • Encourage future research on SA health issues

8. Brown Paper: Substance Abuse • “alcoholism is viewed as a social stigma not as an illness, but rather the person is crazy or bad.” Dr. Anthony Stephen • Organizations providing counseling services to South Asians: South Asian Network, Nav Nirman

9. Brown Paper: Elderly Care • Concern Percentage • Transportation 22% • Health Care 16% • Getting Information on • Eligibility on Medicare 14% • Loneliness 11% • Source: National Indian American Association for Senior Citizens

10. Brown Paper: Mental Health • Segmented Self: Divide oneself into separate and very different aspects that are expressed in certain situations. Rastogi 2001 study • School age children inability to cope with prejudice 1997 Das and Kemp

11. Brown Paper: Lessons Learned • Logistics: Working with people throughout the country • Internet organizing at grassroots level • Ownership of Brown Paper among SAPHA members

12. SAPHA • South Asian Public Health Association • http://www.sapha.net • To join the SAPHA listserv send an e-mail to: • sapha-subscribe@yahoogroups.com • or • ghoshab@hotmail.com