Profile: Association of Asain Pacific Community Health Organizations

The Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO) is a national association representing community health organizations dedicated to promoting advocacy, collaboration and leadership that improves the health status and access of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders within the United States, its territories, and freely associated states, primarily through our member community health centers.

History

AAPCHO was formed in 1987 by community health centers primarily serving medically underserved AAPIs. The goal of these organizations was to create a national voice to advocate for the unique and diverse health needs of AAPI communities and the community health providers that served those needs.

Since that time, AAPCHO has advocated for policies and programs that improve the provision of health care services that are community driven, financially affordable, linguistically accessible, and culturally appropriate.

Among other things, AAPCHO develops, tests and evaluates health education and promotion programs with national significance. The organization also offers technical assistance and training to promote the establishment and expansion of services for medically underserved AAPI communities. And lastly, as a unified voice of its membership, AAPCHO shares its collective knowledge and experiences with policy makers at the national, state, and local levels.