For immediate release
September 13, 2012
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Press contact: Deborah Wang (330) 645-5805; dwang@asiaohio.org
ASIA and APPEAL hold Healthy Eating, Active Living Workshop in Cleveland
CLEVELAND–Asian Services In Action, Inc. (ASIA) partnered with Asian Pacific Partners for Empowerment, Advocacy, and Leadership (APPEAL) to host a Healthy Eating/Active Living (HEAL) Community Workshop at ASIA’s Cleveland office on September 5, 2012.
The HEAL Community Workshop was convened in response to the economic growth of Cleveland’s AsiaTown neighborhood and its accompanying population increase. The workshop brought together key AsiaTown stakeholders to examine the impact of healthy eating/active living public policies on urban Asian American communities. Workshop participants included representatives from AsiaTown’s ethnic communities, Sisters of Charity Foundation, MetroHealth Center for Health Disparities, St. Clair Superior Development Corporation, University of Akron School of Social Work, and Global Cleveland.
APPEAL Executive Director Rod Lew, MPH, facilitated the HEAL Community Workshop and led participants in a discussion on how HEAL policy framing can improve the health and well-being of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. AsiaTown stakeholders expressed strong support for more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly streets, additional public space for recreation and socialization, and taking measures to improve public safety.
“There’s a growing recognition across the fields of public health and community development that good health emerges by addressing the intersection of our social and built environments,” said Michael Byun, Executive Director of ASIA. “The HEAL Community Workshop ties directly into that. We want to raise broader awareness that health begins where we live, work, worship, and play.”
Fact sheets on the importance of place for Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL) are now available under the Health Care & Health Policy Resources ASIA’s website. Fact sheets can be downloaded in English, Chinese, Ka’ren, Korean, Nepali, and Vietnamese.
With these resources, ASIA hopes to advance and increase awareness of strategies to support healthy choices and lifestyles in Ohio’s Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) communities. Community members can read about why place matters for AA and NHPI health in the following languages:
“Community Members: Invest in Healthy Asian American Communities in Ohio”
Policymakers and those seeking more detail about the economic benefits and public savings of HEAL policy initiatives may refer to a longer fact sheet in English: Policymakers: Invest in Healthy Asian American Communities in Ohio.
All members of the public who support making healthy choices the easier choices in Ohio’s AA and NHPI communities are encouraged to print out and sign The HEAL Promise, also available in English, 中文 (Chinese), Ka’ren, 한국말 (Korean), Nepali, and tiếng Việt (Vietnamese). Signed postcards may be mailed to ASIA at 730 Carroll St., Akron, OH 44304.
These HEAL resources were developed in partnership with Asian Pacific Partners for Empowerment, Advocacy and Leadership (APPEAL) as part of the Empowering Communities for Health Opportunity, Equity and Sustainability (ECHOES) Project, a national network initiative funded by the Affordable Care Act under the Community Transformation Grant (CTG) Program.
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Asian Services In Action
Founded in 1995, Asian Services In Action’s mission is to is to empower and advocate for Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders (AAPIs); and to provide AAPIs access to quality, culturally, and linguistically appropriate information and services. ASIA serves over 10,000 people annually. Follow ASIA on Facebook and Twitter!
Asian Pacific Partners for Empowerment, Advocacy and Leadership
Asian Pacific Partners for Empowerment, Advocacy and Leadership (APPEAL) is a national organization working towards social justice and a tobacco-free Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) community.