Tina Shaw - Office of Asian & Pacific Islander Affairs

Fall Issue - November 2019

IN THIS EDITION

Veterans Day: Nov. 11, 2019	Healthcare: ACA Open Enrollment Nov. 1
National Family Caregivers Month: November	Housing: FHFA Mortgage Translation Clearinghouse
Aging: Nursing Home Ratings	REAL ID: COFA Pacific Islanders
Census 2020: Iowa Census Complete Count Committee	Food: Diabetic Asian Recipe Tool
Census 2020: Siouxland Kick-Off Event	Filipino-American History Month - October
Behavioral & Learning Disability: ADHD	Culture: Diwali - Holiday
Education & Workforce: New Online Tool - FRI Career Coach	Culture: Korean-Cuban Diaspora Film

Iowa Events to Honor Veterans - Iowa Dept. of Veterans Affairs

National Family Caregivers Month: November 2019

Celebrated each November, National Family Caregivers Month is a time to recognize and honor family caregivers across the country. Celebrating Family Caregivers during NFC month enables all of us to:

Highlight awareness of family caregiver issues
Educate and recognize family caregivers
Increase support for family caregivers

Family Caregiver Toolbox

Caregiver Action Network is the nation’s leading family caregiver organization working to improve the quality of life for the more than 90 million Americans who care for loved ones with chronic conditions, disabilities, disease, or the frailties of old age. CAN serves a broad spectrum of family caregivers ranging from the parents of children with special needs, to the families and friends of wounded soldiers; from a young couple dealing with a diagnosis of MS, to adult children caring for parents with Alzheimer’s disease. CAN (the National Family Caregivers Association) is a non-profit organization providing education, peer support, and resources to family caregivers across the country free of charge.

Iowa Area Agencies on Aging

Under the federal Older Americans Act, the Iowa Department on Aging has designated six Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) to provide information and referrals to older adults, adults with disabilities, veterans and their caregivers, and coordinate a wide range of long-term living and community support services, such as case management, congregate and home-delivered meals, employment services, family caregiver services, options counseling, respite care and transportation services.

Iowa Legal Aid

Iowa Legal Aid is a nonprofit organization providing critical legal assistance to low-income and vulnerable Iowans who have nowhere else to turn. Along with volunteer lawyers throughout the state, Iowa Legal Aid helps the legal system work for those who cannot afford help with legal issues.

Iowa Legal Aid closed approximately 15,000 cases in 2018, helping nearly 35,000 people, 15,000 of whom were children. Over 70% of the primary clients were women and 23% were seniors. Almost 32% reported having a disability. Click here to find an Iowa Legal Aid office address or phone number.

AGING: Nursing Home Ratings

Researchers at U.S. News & World Report evaluated more than 15,000 nursing homes across the country, covering every state and around 100 major metropolitan areas. This year, less than 2,700 nursing homes met the criteria of being named a "U.S. News Best Nursing Home."

Factors such as patient and resident outcomes, staffing levels and consistency all weighed heavily in whether or not a nursing home made the cut. Searchable database also included.

This year, California had the highest number of best nursing homes on the list, with 169 nursing homes receiving a high performance rating in short-term rehabilitation and 157 designated as high performing in long-term care.

Source: US News & World Report

CENSUS 2020: Iowa Complete Count Committee

Governor Kim Reynolds announced the formation of the Iowa Census Complete Count Committee (CCC) to increase awareness among Iowans about the importance of completing the U.S. Census in 2020 and raise awareness of the impacts of the Census on Iowa. It will also provide a way to share best practices from the estimated 30-40 local complete count committees already formed throughout Iowa.

The 2020 Census begins April 1, 2020 and will be available online, by phone, and by mail. Online and phone responses can be completed in numerous languages. A unique code will be mailed to each residence in advance for online or phone responses. Non-responses will generate mailed paper surveys.

To apply to the Iowa Census CCC, click here. Application deadline: November 22, 2019

Official Census Portal: https://www.2020census.gov/

Watch this short Census Video to learn the basics.

CENSUS 2020: Siouxland Kick-Off

Left to right: Peggy La, CAPI Cmsnr.; Kim Cheeks, Office on the Status of African Americans; Mayor Rod Koch, City of South Sioux City, NE; Peggy La; Miyuki Nelson, School Board Member-Sioux City Community School District; and Dan Heffernan, VP of Human Resources - Fresh Meats Division for Tyson Foods, and Ike Rayford, Local President of NAACP. Not pictured: Councilman Alex Watters, City of Sioux City and Tina Shaw, Office of Asian & Pacific Islander Affairs.

DHR Commissions representing African Americans, Asian & Pacific Islanders, Latino Affairs and Native Americans joined forces with the Siouxland Complete Count Committee and Siouxland leaders for a regional Census Kick-off Event to build awareness of the importance of a compete, accurate census count. A note of special thanks to Erica DeLeon, Director of ONE Siouxland, who was instrumental in the organization of this collaboration.

Census data is used to distribute over $675 billion annually in federal funds to the states and ultimately local communities. In Fiscal Year 2016, Iowa received $8,787,280,545 through 55 federal spending programs guided by data derived from the 2010 Census. Inaccurate data means Siouxland and other localities miss out on federal funds to expand infrastructure, improve and build new schools and hospitals, and develop resources to help children, businesses and diverse populations.

Source: Counting for Dollars 2020 Website, research led by George Washington University Institute of Public Policy.

Tyson Foods, an official census partner, will have informational booths set up in every Tyson plant on National Census Day (April 1) to answer questions and provide assistance to be counted. Sioux City plans to have computer kiosks at City Hall, libraries, Mary Treglia Community House and other community partners to ensure all residents have full access to self-report.

Visit the Sioux City Complete Count Committee portal here.

See more news from this event:

KCAU TV 1 - KCAU TV 2 - videos included

KTIV TV - video included

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are the least familiar with the census and are the least likely to report their intention to fill it out, according to a Census Bureau study released earlier this January. The analysis also found that there are five main barriers that might prevent people from participating: 1) concerns about data privacy and confidentiality; 2) fear of repercussions; 3) distrust in government; 4) lack of efficacy; and 5) belief that there is no personal benefit.

Source: 2020 Census Barriers, Attitudes, and Motivators Study Survey Report (Jan. 2019)

Related Article: Asian Journal - Dateline USA

BEHAVIORAL & LEARNING DISABILITY: ADHD

Diagnosing ADHD

A recent study confirmed the reported increases in rates of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnosis among adults, showing substantially lower rates of detection among minority racial/ethnic subgroups in the United States. Higher odds of negative outcomes reflect the economic and personal consequences that substantiate the need to improve assessment and treatment of ADHD in adults.

Source: Journal of the American Medical Association - November 1, 2019
Related Article: Healio Psychiatry

Opinion Piece (LA Times): Overcoming stigma as an Asian American with ADHD

EDUCATION & WORKFORCE: NEW ONLINE TOOL

Future Ready Iowa, a state workforce-readiness program, has an online Career Coach to help you discover jobs that align with your skills and interests. The Career Coach identifies areas for you to explore and provides information like average salary ranges and annual job openings in Iowa. It also details what education/training you need and where you can obtain it within the state. A quick six-question version or a more detailed 60-question assessment is available.

Learn more: Future Ready Iowa Career Coach

HEALTHCARE: ACA Open Enrollment Nov. 1

Open enrollment for Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance coverage began November 1, 2019 for Iowans purchasing or changing their ACA individual health coverage to become effective January 1, 2020. Iowans who wish to purchase ACA-compliant coverage need to complete enrollment between November 1, 2019, and December 15, 2019 to have coverage effective by January 1, 2020.

During open enrollment, Iowans may call 1-800-318-2596 or visit healthcare.gov for information regarding enrollment and to calculate applicable tax credits. Local insurance agents, assisters and Iowa’s navigator are available to help Iowans review which insurance plan may best fit their needs. Iowans can find local help by visiting https://localhelp.HealthCare.gov/

Read the Iowa Insurance Division Press Release for more information.

HOUSING: FHFA Mortgage Translations

Created by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in collaboration with industry, consumer, and government partners, the Mortgage Translations clearinghouse contains resources such as translated documents, borrower education materials, a standardized glossary of mortgage terms, and more. It was designed to be an easy-to-use collection of translated documents and tools to assist lenders, servicers, housing counselors, and others in helping mortgage borrowers who have limited English proficiency (LEP).

The site currently contains Spanish-language and traditional Chinese-language documents and resources. Materials in other languages will be added through 2019 and 2020. See the Language Access Multi-Year Plan (published May 2018) for more details.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2015 American Community Survey, 4.8 million Chinese-Americans currently live in the U.S. Chinese-Americans comprise 23% of the overall Asian American Pacific Islander community (AAPI) - the fastest-growing population demographic and also projected to become the largest minority population.

Source: FHFA Mortgage Translations Clearinghouse
Related Article: Yahoo! Finance - October 23, 2019

REAL ID: COFA Pacific Islanders

Citizens from the Compact of Free Association (COFA) States residing in a U.S. state or territory can now get a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license as provided in notice by the Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans - US Department of Homeland Security that introduced changes to existing regulations.

The changes allow citizens from Republic of Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia to use an unexpired passport and an I-94 form (arrival-departure records) as acceptable identity document for obtaining a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or identity card.

The changes also strike out a provision requiring COFA citizens to get an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) in order to establish identity for the purposes of obtaining a REAL ID compliant driver’s license as they are considered work-authorized non-immigrants, per the COFA Agreement.

The REAL ID Act establishes minimum security standards for license issuance and production and prohibits Federal agencies from accepting for certain purposes driver’s licenses and identification cards from states not meeting the Act’s minimum standards. The purposes covered by the Act are: accessing Federal facilities, entering nuclear power plants, and, boarding federally regulated commercial aircraft.

Source: Iowa DOT - REAL ID US Homeland Security Department - REAL ID

FOOD: Diabetic Asian Recipe Tool

The Asian American Diabetes Initiative (AADI) at the Joslin Diabetes Center created an app that enables users to digitally prepare Asian cuisine while monitoring individual ingredients. Users can select from extensive ingredient lists and drop those ingredients into interactive cookware (such as wok, fying pan and Urli) that builds nutrition information for the dish as it is being prepared.

Studies have shown that 10-16% of Asian American adults have diabetes, and diabetes is a rapidly growing health challenge among Asians and Pacific Islanders who have immigrated to the United States.

About 90 to 95% of Asians with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. The higher rate of type 2 diabetes in Asian descents results from a combination of genetic and environmental influences. Compared to a typical Western diet, a traditional Asian diet is higher in carbohydrates and fiber content, while lower in fat content. A traditional Asian diet has 70% carbohydrates, 15% protein, 15% fat, and 13g fiber per 1000 calories making diabetes management complicated.

Source: Asian American Diabetes Initiative

Online Tool: Drag 'n Cook ®

PHILIPPINES: Proclamation of Filipino-American History Month (FAHM) - October

For six consecutive years, the National Federation of the Filipino-American Associations (NaFFAA)’s initiative to annually designate October as Filipino-American History Month (FAHM) is going strong in Iowa. History was made again on October 18, 2019, with the signing of the Proclamation of FAHM by Governor Kim Reynolds in her office and presented to NaFFAA Iowa Chair, Roel Fortich Campos and NaFFAA Iowa Vice-Chair Dr. Clarence Padilla with NaFFAA officers, supporters and volunteers: Naty Balines, Lita Brannon, Dory Cajes Anthony, Malou Guieb-Campos, Je Pino-Bassenden, Maria Collins, Janice Mendoza, Steve Molitor, Benjamin Jung (Commission of Asian & Pacific Islander Affairs - Chair). The Filipino-American Association of Iowa (FAAI) was represented by Dave Legg (FAAI Secretary) and Tim Osborne (FAAI Treasurer).

A special "thank you" to Governor Kim Reynolds for recognizing the efforts and contributions of the Filipino-Americans in the state of Iowa! We are proud to be valuable, productive citizens of our communities and our diverse ideas and talents have widely enriched the mold of our nation yesterday, today, and will continue as we co-exist and unite to our tomorrow’s generation.

Written by: Malou Guieb-Campos, RN CMSRN, NaFFAA Communications Director

CULTURE: Diwali - Holiday

On October 27, South Asian Indians across the globe celebrated Diwali, one of the most notable festivals celebrated in India to mark the triumph of light over darkness, of good over evil. The festival of lights is observed on the day of ‘Amavasya’ or new moon, the 15th day of Kartik, according to the Hindi calendar. Starting at the end of the cropping season, it is often associated with wealth and happiness.

In most of India, Diwali consists of a five-day celebration that peaks on the third day with the main celebration of Diwali. In other places where Diwali occurs, usually only the main day is celebrated. Source: Almanac

CULTURE: Korean-Cuban Diaspora Film

On October 17, the Korean Language (Hangul) School in Ames, Iowa hosted a screening of "Jeronimo" - a documentary about the identity of the descendants of Koreans who moved to Cuba via Mexico after the Japanese Occupation of the Korean peninsula. The film features the true, untold story of Jeronimo Lim Kim who returned to Korea after fighting in the Cuban Revolution, as well as Koreans like him who struggled in Cuba.

The mission of Ames Hangul School is as follows: to raise children's self-esteem as a Korean by giving them the opportunity to learn Korean and understand Korean culture in the world; and to nurture bilingual understanding of multiculturalism to expand opportunities in the global society of the future.

Watch the trailer for Jeronimo

Learn more about Ames Korean Language School