National Council of Asian Pacific Americans Applauds Enactment of California Bill that Will Uncover AANHPI Disparities 

California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed legislation that would collect better, disaggregated health data on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs). AB 1726, the AHEAD Act, will require health agencies to collect data on diverse AANHPI communities, thereby allowing for better outreach, diagnosis, and treatment. The University of California and the California State University systems also have agreed to voluntarily implement the expanded data disaggregation and reporting provisions that were included in earlier versions of AB 1726. 

“We applaud California State Assemblymember Rob Bonta for introducing this landmark legislation and thank Governor Brown for recognizing the importance of collecting disaggregated data,” said NCAPA National Director Christopher Kang. “California has the nation’s largest Asian American and second largest Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations in the country. We need this disaggregated data to know who in our diverse community needs the most help and how to deliver it. As California improves the lives of its AANHPI residents, we are confident that others will follow its lead.” 

"The passage of this legislation is a major milestone for our communities. More detailed health data has the power to reveal the needs of our communities and makes it possible to target our resources and safe lives,” said Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC) Executive Director Quyen Dinh, who also serves as Chair of NCAPA's Executive Committee. “As an organization advocating for Southeast Asian American communities that are often overlooked behind the "model minority myth," we remain committed to promoting disaggregated data across all public institutions and agencies, and look forward to working with the University of California and California State University systems as they voluntarily collect and report disaggregated data for our diverse students."

"APIAHF celebrates this legislation, which will increase our community's visibility,” said Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) President & CEO Kathy Ko Chin, also an NCAPA Executive Committee member. “We have long supported the collection and reporting of data by disaggregated AA and AANHPI subgroups in order to reveal unique health disparities and develop tailored solutions to address them among our groups. We look forward to working together with the California Department of Public Health to implement this important law." 

Earlier this month, NCAPA sent a letter to Gov. Brown, urging him to sign this bill, and this spring, NCAPA announced its strong support for the original version of the legislation. 

A coalition of four organizations, including NCAPA members SEARAC and APIAHF, along with Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC) and the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN), co-sponsored the bill and led the community effort to advocate for its passage and approval by Governor Brown. We are deeply grateful for all of their efforts.

###

Based in Washington, D.C., the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans is a coalition of 35 national Asian Pacific American organizations that serves to represent the interests of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities and to provide a national voice for our communities’ concerns. Our communities are the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the United States, currently making up approximately six percent of the population.