Item 10: Draft Recommendation — original pdf

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ASIAN AMERICAN QUALITY-OF-LIFE ADVISORY COMMISSION (AAQoL) RECOMMENDATION 20250318-10 Date: March 18, 2025 Subject: Asian American Community Health Navigators Motioned by: Drafted by: Padmini Jambulapati (Vice Chair), Alpha Shrestha Seconded By: Asian American Community Health Navigators Description The Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission recommends that the City increase funding for Community Health Navigator (CHN) services to address the growing needs of Austin's diverse Asian community. Since the pandemic, demand for CHNs has surged, and one- time grant funding has allowed for services in several Asian languages, including Arabic, Burmese, Chin Tedim, Mandarin Chinese, Korean, Nepali, Hindi, and Vietnamese. If this funding expires, essential services for vulnerable populations will go unfunded, creating a significant gap in care. CHNs are critical for helping non-English-speaking residents navigate the healthcare system, schedule appointments, understand insurance, and complete paperwork. These trusted community members, who share cultural and linguistic ties with the populations they serve, play a key role in ensuring access to mental and physical healthcare. Without continued funding, hundreds of high-risk individuals will lose vital bilingual and cultural support. The lack of language access in healthcare often isolates non-native English speakers, leading to poor health outcomes. In 2024, 92% of CHN clients required help reading hospital materials. Without the city council’s continued funding, many refugees and immigrants will struggle to access necessary healthcare. With 10 out of the top 15 languages spoken by Limited English Proficient (LEP) residents in Austin being Asian languages, and a lack of Mandarin services, continued investment in CHNs is crucial. Expanding funding ensures all Austin residents can access essential care, improving the health and well-being of the entire community.  Currently, there are 2 city contracts for these services, 1 ongoing and 1 one-time. Recommendation The Commission recommends that the city exercises expediency in the contracting process to ensure organizations providing the contracted CHN services have contracts for ongoing funding. Currently, a delay in new contracts has put funding for these services in a precarious situation with unknown timelines for extensions and when requests for proposals will occur. The commission also recommends that overall funding be increased to expand Community Health Navigator (CHN) services for Limited English Proficiency (LEP) communities within the Asian American population. This funding will support navigation services for highly needed language-specific groups such as Pashto, Farsi, Tagalog, Urdu, Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), and Nepali, who are at risk of losing critical assistance due to current grant funding. Alignment with Council Strategic Priorities Health & Environment: Enjoying a sustainable environment and a healthy life, physically and mentally. A. Health conditions among the public B. Accessibility to quality health care services (physical and mental) Department Austin Public Health Vote For: Against: Abstain: Absent: Attest: