COVID-19, Health Equity, and the Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian Communities: 2 Workshop times, free

It is clear that communities of color have been hardest hit by the COVID virus. Less is known, however, about infection and vaccination rates in the different populations that make up the Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian (AA/PI/NH) communities. In at least 16 states that do disaggregate their data, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders have the highest mortality rates in those states, including California, Minnesota, Washington state, and Colorado. Additionally, during the pandemic there have been reports of increases incidents of xenophobia, and violence against AA/PI/NH community members, particularly women. Finally, the “model minority” myth leads to poor health outcomes for these populations.

A planning committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is convening a public workshop on how the COVID-19 pandemic has uniquely affected the Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian (AA/PI/NH) communities. The workshop will feature invited presentations and will explore: the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and hate crimes targeting Asian populations on their health and wellbeing, including vaccination and testing participation rates, mental health consequences, access to cultural and linguistically competent services; and lessons learned from the long history of bias against the AA/PI/NH communities. Without addressing health outcomes for these communities, health equity for all cannot be attained.

The planning committee, made up of a diverse set of individuals, will organize the workshop, select and invite diverse speakers, and moderate the discussions. A proceedings-in-brief of the presentations and discussions will be prepared by a designated rapporteur in accordance with institutional guidelines.

A video recording of the workshop along with slide presentations will be posted here following the workshop (please allow one business week).