For Immediate Release
May 9, 2008
APIAHF Gala honors Suki Terada Ports for her work on HIV/AIDS in Communities of Color
SAN FRANCISCO - More than thirty of the Bay Area's top Asian chefs came together at Food For Thought 2008, to benefit the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF). The gala supports the policy advocacy work and health programs of APIAHF and honored Suki Terada Ports, Executive Director of the Family Health Project (FHP) and others who work to raise awareness on how HIV/AIDS affects Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities.
Recent CDC data has shown that Asians and Pacific Islanders have the highest percentage increase of HIV/AIDS diagnoses. In the five year period between 2000 and 2005, there was a 47 percent increase in new AIDS cases diagnosed among Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, the largest percentage increase among all racial groups. It has been my honor to work with APIAHF to raise the particular issues of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in the HIV/AIDS pandemic," said Ports, "Our centuries of diverse cultural and linguistic traditions - in the complicated context of HIV/AIDS - challenges our communities to respond to the effects on individuals and their families. We must also continue to engage our public officials to address the specific health issues of our communities and advocate for more funding to address this health crisis."
There are cultural, linguistic, economic and legal barriers to HIV prevention, testing, and care among Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. Cultural avoidance of discussing issues of sexual behavior, illness, and death can prevent Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders from obtaining life-saving information and services. APIAHF works to decrease these barriers to access and helps community-based organizations improve their ability to provide direct services in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
"Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women face several barriers in particular in accessing HIV testing.Women in our communities feel that they cannot discuss issues of sexual health with their families," said ManChui Leung, Director of the APIAHF HIV/AIDS Program. "Many also have difficulty in finding physicians that are sensitive to both gender and cultural issues. Many doctors often do not identify us as an at-risk population for HIV and thus do not offer HIV testing."
Suki Terada Ports served as the first Director of the Minority Task Force on AIDS, and founded the Family Health Project (FHP) to raise awareness about the impact of HIV/AIDS on women, primarily in communities of color. Recognizing the need for targeted prevention education and advocacy, she was a founder of the National Minority AIDS Council, Asian and Pacific Islander Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Iris House and Voices of Women of Color Against HIV/AIDS.
Chefs Charles Phan of Slanted Door and Alexander Ong of Betelnut served as Chef Co-Chairs of the event featuring the culinary masterpieces of some of Bay Area's finest chefs, including Khai Duong of Ana Mandara, Kelly Degala of Pres a Vi, Kham Chi Leung of Koi Palace, Dominic Ainza of Mercury and many more.
APIAHF is a national advocacy organization dedicated to promoting policy, program, and research efforts to improve the health and well-being of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities.
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