Congressman addresses plight of Asian-Americans along Gulf

Congressman Mike Honda (D.-Calif.) writing for Asian Week: "Approximately one-half of Louisiana’s 30,000 Vietnamese have taken refuge in Houston, a gigantic displacement that is being assisted by the community’s established leadership.Other APA (Asian Pacific American) groups have faced similar disruption, including hundreds of Laotians and Cambodians who are being housed in temporary shelter in Louisiana’s Wat Lao Thammarattanaram. Leaders of the Laotian community, along with the Red Cross and other relief organizations, are working hard to provide necessary assistance for these evacuees. As caregivers mobilize to care for victims, I am concerned that many APAs will not get necessary treatment due to long-standing disparities in health care. There is a lack of language access, for example, which underscores a persistent failure of services in this country. Such disparities are very real, and they exist throughout American society. Specific services such as providing linguistic and culturally competent care are essential to addressing all the wide-ranging needs within the various APA communities. . . . For my part, I am trying to address healthcare disparities in this country through 'Healthcare Equality and Accountability Act,' legislation I introduced on July 28. As Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), I will continue to coordinate with both the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to push Tri-Caucus efforts to address the needs of the minority communities that have been adversely affected by Hurricane Katrina, and to address the disparities that threaten to create permanent divisions in our country."