The mission of Asian Pacific
AIDS Intervention Team (APAIT) is to positively affect the quality of
life for Asian and Pacific Islanders living with or at-risk for HIV/AIDS
by providing a continuum of prevention, health and social services,
community leadership and advocacy to the Southern California region.
Asian Pacific AIDS
Intervention Team (APAIT)
is one of the nation's largest providers of HIV/AIDS prevention and
care services for the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) communities.
Based
in
Southern California, APAIT has been providing culturally and
linguistically appropriate services to API's since 1987. APAIT delivers
these services through a very dedicated, compassionate and talented
group of individuals.
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(Photo: Womens Program
Coordinator Fiona Ao and Assemblymember Eng)
The
Asian Pacific AIDS Intervention Team (APAIT) commemorated National
Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day with a press conference on
Friday, March 12, 2010 at the Asian Youth Center. The panelists included
Dr. Rosemary Veniegas, HIV researcher, UCLA; Doreen Garcia, Executive
Director, Casa De Las Amigas; Nancy Sekizawa, Certified Addiction
Specialist, APAIT; and Karla Ferreira, APAIT's Miss Quest 2009.
The event highlighted the impact of HIV/AIDS on women of color in the
San Gabriel Valley. The goals of this event were to: 1.) Increase
HIV/AIDS awareness among women in San Gabriel Valley, 2.) Highlight the
correlation between substance use and HIV/AIDS, 3.) Increase HIV testing
in San Gabriel Valley and 4.) Reduce the stigma of HIV in the
community.
California Assemblymember Mike Eng provided closing remarks and urged
the audience to continue to support the fight of HIV/AIDS for those
impacted, especially women of color.
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Jerry Rodriguez is the new Health Educator for the
HIV Education for At-Risk Transgenders (HEART) program. HEART is a
peer-led, skills building intervention designed to reduce the HIV risk
behaviors among Asian and Pacific Islander transgender women. Jerry has
two years of experience working with transgender youth in the Brooklyn,
New York foster care system. Prior to that, she worked as a Community
Liaison for the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center. She is dedicated
to empowering transgender women to live healthy and successful lives.
Ms. Rodriguez is currently working on her Bachelors of Arts in Creative
Writing at Antioch University of Los Angeles.
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Within the
last year, the San Gabriel Valley Crystal Meth Coalition has seen many
firsts, including creating many new collaborations. Originally
funded and managed as one of eight task forces for Los Angeles County,
the San Gabriel Valley Crystal Meth Coalition saw the involvement of
over 25 organizations including drug and alcohol facilities, Community
Based Organizations, clinics, youth centers, foster services, agencies,
churches, schools and school districts, colleges, health, mental health,
and parole departments. Though there is no current funding, it is
volunteer run.
Over the course of the year, the Coalition conducted 18 crystal
meth-related trainings for the San Gabriel Valley community, totaling
807 training participants. Some other trainings of note were for
the Pomona Unified School District and the Parents and Teachers
Associations of three high schools in the area.
On February 20, 2010, the Coalition helped coordinate the first ever San
Gabriel Valley Youth Summit at Garvey Intermediate School in Rosemead,
with over 300 students participating in 36 workshops, presentations, and
performances. Congresswoman Judy Chu and Assemblymember Mike Eng
attended.
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(Photo: THAIS Executive
Director Nongyao Varanond and presenter Cathryn Dhanatya PhD, UCLA.
Dhanatya presented Globalization in the Age of Selling Sex and
Disease: Thailand, a Case Study)
On February
26th, the Sex, Drugs and Psychosis Symposium took place at the
University of Southern California. The symposium was part of the Asian
Pacific AIDS Capacity and Training Services (APACTS) program of APAIT.
APACTS is funded by Office of Minority Health to help integrate
HIV, mental health and substance use services. The invitation-only
event was coordinated by APAIT, Asian Pacific Healthcare Venture and the
Asian American Drug Abuse Program. APACTS educated staff from Search
to Involve Pilipino Americans, Chinatown Service Center, Koreatown Youth
Community Center, Korean Resource Alliance, Thai Health and Information
Services, South Asian Network, Kananfou Samoan Church, Guam
Communications Network, National Organization for the Advancement of
Chamorro People, United Cambodian Community, Japanese Americans Citizens
League and Pacific Asian Counseling Services.
The one day
symposium covered an array of stimulating topics including working with
limited English speaking Chinese sex workers, research on substance use
among Asian Pacific youth and discovering family dynamics in among
young gay men.
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Website:
http://www.apaitonline.org
Main Email:
apait@apaitonline.org
Newsletter Email:
newsletter@apaitonline.org
Business Hours:
M-F 9:30 AM - 5:30
PM
L.A. County Office
605 W. Olympic Blvd.
Suite 610
Los Angeles, CA 90015
tel: (213) 553-1830
fax: (213) 553-1833
Orange
County Office
12900 Garden Grove Blvd.
Suite 214A
Garden Grove, CA 92843
tel: (714) 636-1349
fax: (714) 636-8828
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