Annotation: African American Family Services (AAFS) provides culturally-specific, community-based mental health, chemical health, and family preservation services to African American youth, adults and families. A.A.F.S. consists of three divisions, including the Institute on Black Chemical Abuse, the African American Counseling Center, and the Institute for Resiliency and Culture: A Movement for Youth. AAFS provides referrals and inquiry responses and produces an electronic newsletter.

Web Site: http://www.aafs.net

Keywords: Blacks, Drug abuse, Mental health, Minority health, Substance abuse

Annotation: The American Indian Institute (AIII) was established in 1951 as a nonprofit American Indian service, training, and research organization. The institute provides assistance to American Indian, Alaska Native, and Canadian First Nation tribes and bands in the areas of health and wellness, education, culture and language preservation, tribal leadership, and business and economic development. The institute delivers its services through publications, references information, workshops, seminars, conferences, referrals, on-site consultation, and technical assistance on a state, regional, national, and international basis.

Web Site: http://aii.ou.edu

Keywords: American Indians, Education, Minority groups, Minority health, Research

Annotation: The American Public Health Association (APHA) is the oldest and largest organization of public health professionals in the world, representing members from a broad array of occupations in public health. APHA brings together researchers, health service providers, administrators, teachers, and other health workers in a multidisciplinary environment of professional exchange, study, and action. APHA is concerned with a broad set of issues affecting personal and environmental health, including federal and state funding for health programs, pollution control, programs and policies related to chronic and infectious diseases, a smoke-free society, and professional education in public health. The association actively serves the public, its members, and the public health profession through its scientific programs, publications, annual meeting, awards program, educational service, and advocacy efforts. Its Web site includes a wide variety of resources, including the Community Solutions to Health Disparities database. Publications include the monthly American Journal of Public Health, manuals, directories, books, pamphlets, and a newspaper, The Nation's Health. Services to consumers include referrals, reference information, and access to searchable databases.

Web Site: http://www.apha.org

Keywords: Public health, Access to health care, Community programs, Consumer education, Environmental health, Guidelines, Health promotion, Information sources, Mental health, Minority health, Model programs, Professional societies, Program evaluation, Publications, Standards

Annotation: The Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) works to influence policy, mobilizes communities, and strengthens programs and organizations to improve the health of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. The forum advocates for accurate representation of the health needs of Asian and Pacific Islander communities; performs community sensitive research to better inform health policy makers and providers; forges coalitions for the development of national health policies and programs; empowers individuals and communities to pursue parity in health status, to ensure a multicultural and multilingual approach to health services delivery; and fosters strategic linkages to promote improvement in the health of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans. APIAHF sponsors conferences, maintains an online resource database, hosts listservs, and publishes public health alerts. Materials are available in Asian and Pacific Islander languages.

Web Site: http://www.apiahf.org/

Keywords: Advocacy, Asian Americans, Minority groups, Pacific Islanders, Public health programs

Annotation: The Asian Pacific American Medical Students Association (APAMSA) is a national organization that aims to address those issues important to Asian-American medical students. APAMSA works to bring together Asians and others interested in the health issues that affect Asians. The association is interested in promoting the health and well-being of the Asian community and in helping all health care workers who work with these communities understand how to care for the Asian patient in a culturally sensitive manner. APAMSA also provides a forum for APA medical students to meet, exchange information and experiences, and develop personally and professionally.

Web Site: http://www.apamsa.org

Keywords: Medical education, Medical students, Asian Americans, Minority health

Annotation: The Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO) is a not-for-profit national association representing community health organizations that serve Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and oher Pacific Islanders in the United States (particularly those who are medically underserved). The organization works to promote advocacy, collaboration, and leadership and to provide community responsive, financially affordable, and culturally appropriate primary health care services through member community health clinics. AAPCHO's resources and services range from translated health education materials for patients, to maps detailing areas with medically underserved AAPIs, to listservs that electronically link individuals from across the country. Materials are available in Asian languages.

Web Site: http://www.aapcho.org

Keywords: Asian Americans, Minority groups, Minority health promotion, Minority health, Access to health care, Information dissemination, Pacific Islanders

Annotation: The Black Community Crusade for Children (BCCC), coordinated by the Children's Defense Fund, works to mobilize the African American community on behalf of children and families. The organization promotes local, state, and national initiatives and policies that ensure a healthy start for every child and that support efforts to revitalize communities. Activities include public education campaigns, leadership training programs, and the dissemination of data, information, and research findings in print and multimedia formats. News updates, BCCC publications, and resources are available on the website.

Web Site: http://www.childrensdefense.org/programs-campaigns/black-community-crusade-for-children-II/

Keywords: Blacks, Leadership training, Minority health

Annotation: The Black Women's Health Imperative seeks to improve the health and wellness of Black women by providing health resources and information, community health and wellness education, promoting advocacy and health policies, and interpreting and issuing reports on relevant research about the health status of America's Black women. It offers these services: ask the expert; physician locator service; public education forums; education campaigns; public awareness surveys and polls; interactive assessment tools; e-newsletters; and healthy living resources.

Web Site: http://www.BlackWomensHealth.org

Keywords: Public health programs, Blacks, Developing countries, Health promotion, Information services, Minority groups, Women's health

Annotation: The California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN) works to eliminate health disparities by advocating for public policies and sufficient resources to address the health needs of all communities of color in the state of California. The network consists of four organizations representing different ethnic groups—the California Black Health Network, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, The California Rural Indian Health Board, Inc. and the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California. CPEHN's website provides access to policy briefs, webinars, race and ethnicity data, and a multicultural health library.

Web Site: http://www.cpehn.org/

Keywords: Advocacy, California, Health care reform, Minority groups, State organizations

Annotation: The Center to Address Disparities in Children's Oral Health (CAN DO Center) at the University of California San Francisco School of Dentistry addresses socioeconomic and cultural disparities in oral health. The center is funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research to launch new programs to prevent early childhood tooth decay. The programs include new research to compare methods to prevent dental caries in children, as well as efforts to integrate and implement current scientific understanding across a variety of primary care and social service settings. UCSF also serves as the Data Coordinating Center for three of NIDCR-funded centers: UCSF, Boston University, and University of Colorado, Denver.

Web Site: http://www.ucsf.edu/cando

Keywords: Child health, Minority health, Ethnic factors, Ethnic groups, Health status, Oral health, Public health, Racial factors, Research