Sign Up

Are you interested in joining? Or just want to be on the mailing list?

If yes, please email us at info@kalusugancoalition.org with the following…

Name
Organization/School
Address
City/State/Zip
Daytime Phone
Email

About

Project AsPIRE (Asian American Partnerships in Research and Empowerment) is a health initiative that brings together community members and academic researchers to improve cardiovascular health, particularly hypertension, for Filipino Americans living in New York and New Jersey.

To accomplish this, Project AsPIRE will develop the following:
» A culturally and linguistically appropriate community health worker intervention
» Community health needs and resource assessment on cardiovascular health
» Infrastructure to facilitate partnership building between academic institutions, concerned individuals, community based organizations, and healthcare agencies

This health initiative is made possible by a 3-year planning grant from the National Institutes of Health, National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD).

This grant is timely and significant for the Filipino community. Filipino Americans exhibit high rates of hypertension and are therefore at high risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke. Studies have demonstrated consistently higher rates of hypertension among Filipino Americans compared to other Asian subgroups, Whites, and African Americans. Other studies suggest that disease management is poor among hypertensive Filipinos due to several factors, including the need for culturally and linguistically appropriate screening and educational materials, limited knowledge of health care systems, and lack of health insurance. Unfortunately, there are very few interventions that have been developed and implemented for this population to address these concerns.

Under this grant, a patient navigator intervention will be developed in partnership with community members to ensure its cultural and linguistic appropriateness. Using patient navigators is increasingly being viewed as a low-cost approach for improving community health and well being, reducing health disparities, and bridging the cultural and social barriers between underserved communities and the health care system. The patient navigators, who are representative of the target community, will assist Filipino Americans to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke by connecting them to the health care system and helping them control their blood pressure.

Partners

The Project AsPIRE team comprises of the Kalusugan Coalition and academic researchers from the NYU Center for the Study of Asian American Health and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The team has strong backgrounds and extensive experience in health and social service delivery, research, coalition building, marketing & public relations, education, and community organizing. Many of the team members are fluent in English, Tagalog, and other Filipino dialects.

Together, this partnership is committed to better understanding the health care needs of the Filipino American community, facilitating their access to culturally and linguistically appropriate healthcare services, and improving the overall health status of the community at large.