Health Disparities In Maryland's Asian American Community The Honorable Susan C. Lee House of Delegates District 16 Maryland General Assembly 7th National Conference on Quality Health Care for Culturally Diverse Populations Baltimore, Maryland October 18-21, 2010

Population Characteristics Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) represent 5.3% of Maryland residents with a population of over 300,000 The Largest Communities are located in: Montgomery County - 131,197 (14.1%) Howard County - 32,998 (12%) Baltimore County - 34,712 (4.4%) Prince George’s County - 35,935 (4.3%) Source: US census Bureau

Population Characteristics Cont. The Ethic Makeup of Maryland's Asian American Community Source: Governor’s Office and Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs

AAPI as a Growing Population AAPI are one of the fastest growing population groups in Maryland. According to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) from 2003 to 2007 the AAPI population in Maryland increased by 14% compared to a 2% increase in the overall state population. AAPI as a Percentage of Total Population for Maryland and Selected Jurisdictions: Source: United States Census Bureau & DHMH

Health Issues within Maryland’s AAPI Community Leading Causes of Death Among AAPI ( Per National Center for Health Statistics ): 1. Cancer % 2. Heart Disease % 3. Stroke - 7.8% Source: DHMH

Disparities – Liver/Stomach Cancer AAPI Rates for Liver Cancer and Stomach Cancer are the Highest of any Population Group in the United States Source: Montgomery County Asian American Health Initiative

Disparities – Hepatitis B Infection Nearly half of the 1.3 million cases of Hepatitis B in the United States are found in the AAPI population Source: Montgomery County Asian American Health Initiative

Disparities – Osteoporosis Despite being a much smaller segment of the population, AAPI women over 50 are far more likely than their African American or Hispanic Counterparts to develop Osteoporosis. Source: Montgomery County Asian American Health Initiative

Other Concerns – Access to Care According to DHMH the AAPI community is far more likely than Non-Hispanic Whites (NHW) community to lack health insurance: – AAPI are 1.7 times more likely to be uninsured than NHW – AAPI are 1.5 times more likely than NHW to have been unable to afford health care in the prior year Source: DHMH

Further Access to Care Issues AAPI are far more likely to be 'linguistically isolated' than other populations in Maryland. Percentage Distribution of Linguistic Isolation in Montgomery County Source: Asian American Health Initiative of Montgomery County

Contact Information Delegate Susan C. Lee 6 Bladen Street, Suite 414 Annapolis, Maryland Phone (Central MD): Phone (DC Area):