Green & Healthy Communities
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Asian Americans for Equality is committed to making our neighborhoods and communities good places to live, work, play, do business, and raise families. We are involved in several coalitions and initiatives to make this happen. For more information on any of these initiatives, please email sustainablecommunities@aafe.org or call (212)979-8381 ext.126.
1. NYC Coalition for a Smoke-Free City
AAFE recently joined the New York City Coalition for a Smoke-Free City and is advocating for smoke-free policies.
Smoking kills 25,500 people every year in New York State, resulting in 339,646 years of life lost (CDC, 2007a). Secondhand smoke kills 2,500 New Yorkers every year. The smoking-related health care costs and lost productivity in New York total $14.2 billion each year. Every year 570,000 New Yorkers are afflicted with serious disease caused by smoking. In the Asian American community, an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 members will die each year from tobacco-related illnesses.
2. Project CHARGE (Coalition for Health Access to Reach Greater Equity)
Project CHARGE (Coalition for Health Access to Reach Greater Equity) is a health collaborative of 15 partner organizations that have come together to address health access for Asian Americans in NYC . The collaborative focuses on increasing access to public and private, employer-based health insurance. It advocates expanded services for people enrolling in public plans, including culturally competent and language-accessible enrollment initiatives and expansion of critical “enabling services,” such as language assistance, transportation, outreach, health education, and case management.
Project CHARGE is part of Health Through Action (HTA), a $16.5 million, five-year partnership between the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF). This is the first such cooperative effort to improve health and reduce health care disparities for the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander populations. The Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF ) is the coordinating agency of Project CHARGE.
Project CHARGE partners include: Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE); Asian Pacific Islander Coalition on HIV & AIDS (APICHA); NYU Center for Study of Asian American Health (CSAAH); Charles B. Wang Community Health Center (CBWCHC); Child Center of New York; Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC); Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF); Family Health Project; Henry Street Settlement; Kalusugan Coalition, Inc. (KC); Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York (KCS); MAAWS for Global, Inc.; New York Asian Women's Center (NYAWC); & South Asian Health Initiative (SAHI).
3. Immigrants and Parks Collaborative
AAFE began its involvement in the Immigrants & Parks Collaborative in 2007 through funding from the J.M. Kaplan Fund. The Collaborative works to ensure our city’s open spaces are democratic, representative of neighbors’ wants and needs, and serve as relevant resources for all New Yorkers. It consists of ten organizations working in eight parks throughout the city. Committed to fueling locally driven, immigrant-led community development by creating opportunities for civic engagement in neighborhood parks, the Collaborative encourages local government, institutions, and organizations to work together to use parks in creative ways for inclusive community development and park improvements. AAFE has been working closely with our partner Hester Street Collaborative on this initiative.
4. Environmental Partners
As a part of our environmental and green education focus, AAFE has partnered with leading community environmental organizations on key sustainability initiatives focused on ensuring that Manhattan Chinatown and immigrant communities are included in the green movement. Some of our partnerships include:
5. APA HEALIN’
In Spring 2010, the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families launched APA HEALIN’ (Asian Pacific Americans Healthy Eating in our Neighborhoods) in recognition of the importance of fostering healthier lifestyle choices among the Asian Pacific American community. AAFE is proud to be a member of the APA HEALIN’ initiative. APA HEALIN’ seeks to increase access to healthy good and safe places to play and exercise for Asian Pacific Americans in New York City. Other community partners include Adhikaar, Indochina Sino-American Community Center, Kalusugan Coalition, and Dr. Kevin Nadal. Together we will conduct a community assessment to gain a better understanding of food decisions within the family and community, as well as access to healthy food, recreational spaces, and health care.
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