National Congress of Vietnamese Americans Logo

 

 

e pluribus unum - one out of many
GoogleTM
Search NCVA   Search www
HOME eREPORTER PROGRAMS RESOURCES EVENTS MEDIA CENTER MEMBERSHIP ABOUT NCVA
Navigation Include

Focus Areas

Resources

Join Mailing List

Make a Donation


About NCVA
Founded in 1986, the National Congress of Vietnamese Americans is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community advocacy organization working to advance the cause of Vietnamese Americans in a plural but united America – e pluribus unum – by participating actively and fully as civic minded citizens engaged in the areas of education, culture and civil liberties.


SPONSORS

NCVA eREPORTER - October 26, 2005

The National Congress of Vietnamese Americans' NCVA eReporter is a regular email newsletter containing information on grant/funding opportunities, events/forums/conferences, available internships and news items pertinent to the Vietnamese American and Asian Pacific American communities.

In this NCVA eReporter:

EVENTS

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

TIPS/RESOURCES

NEWS

******************
 EVENTS

ISSUES, CHALLENGES, AND STRATEGIES FOR PRISONER REENTRY

You are invited to participate in a special briefing that will highlight the findings of a newly released study, "Asian and Pacific Islander Prisoner Reentry: Characteristics, Issues and Programs."* The report includes the most comprehensive collection of information currently available on Asian American and Pacific Islander prisoners in the U.S., with a special focus on Hawaii and California. Recommendations for policy, programming, and future research will be discussed.

Speakers include:
Bill Lockyer, Attorney General for California
Dr. Karen Umemoto, University of Hawaii
Angela Oh, California Department of Justice

Monday, October 31, 2005
10:00am - 12:00noon

Asian Pacific American Legal Center
1145 Wilshire Boulevard, Second Floor
Los Angeles, CA  90017
(Parking: street or paid lots)

Join us in a conversation on:
*  the Asian American/Pacific Islander prison population
*  the issues and challenges related to reintegration upon release
*  reentry programs
*  recidivism rates
*  strategies and programs to support reentry efforts

Space is limited. You must reserve your seat to attend.
Contact Stefanie Ritoper at AAPIP, 415-273-2760 x 14 or e-mail stefanie@aapip.org

Event sponsored by Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, National Office; Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, Southern California Chapter; Office of the Attorney General, State of California, Department of Justice.

* Copies of the report will be distributed at the event.

Don T. Nakanishi, Ph.D.
Director and Professor
UCLA Asian American Studies Center
3230 Campbell Hall
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1546
phone: 310.825.2974
fax: 310.206.9844
e-mail: dtn@ucla.edu
web site for Center: www.sscnet.ucla.edu/aasc

******************

VIETNAMESE SILICON VALLEY NETWORK ENTREPRENEURS ACADEMY

November 5, 2005 (Saturday)
8:00 am - 7:00 p.m.
Entrepreneurs Academy

VSVN, the Vietnamese Silicon Valley Network, welcomes you to the Entrepreneurs Academy. Held on a quarterly basis, the Entrepreneurs Academy aims to provide engineers, scientists and professionals like you the understanding, and knowledge to turn your ideas and dreams into reality. This month we welcome Chris Larsen, former CEO/Chairman of eLoan, flanked by our usual cast of highly-respected domain experts including Michael Griego of XML Partners, Yu Hao Lin of Lin Management Group, Susan Cheng of IDG Ventures, Paul Rogers of Rogers & Meador/Haas Business School, and Michael Farn of Fenwick & West.

08:00 - 09:00     Registration and Breakfast
09:00 - 09:45     Initial Study: Concept Validation - Lin Management, Yu Hao Lin
10:00 - 10:45     Legal Structure - Fenwick & West, Michael Farn
11:00 - 11:45     Positioning & Presentation - Rogers & Meador, Paul Rogers/IDG Ventures, Susan Cheng
12:00 - 01:30     Lunch & Keynote Speaker - founder and former CEO of e-loan, Chris Larsen
01:45 - 02:30     Beta Customers & Sales - MXL Partners, Michael Griego
03:15 - 04:00     Financing - Lin Management, Yu Hao Lin
04:15 - 05:30     VC & CEO Discussion Panel
05:30 - 07:00     Wine and networking

More information:  http://www.vsvn.org/ea/ehtml/factsheet.html

Register:  http://www.vsvn.org/event_registration.htm

******************

2005 GALA FUND-RAISING DINNER - TRAFFICKING OF VIETNAMESE WOMEN AND CHILDREN

Date & Time: Friday, November 11, 2005 at 7:00 p.m.
Location: Lucky Three Restaurant (Baileys Crossroads)
5900 Leesburg Pike - Falls Church, VA 22041 - (703) 998-8888
Ticket Cost: $30/ticket or Sponsorship

Keynote speaker
Dr. Nguyen Van Hanh, Exec. Dir. ORR (Office of Refugee Resettlement)

Dateline Video
Trafficking of Vietnamese Children in Cambodia

Presentation of Awards
* International Justice Mission
* Kelly Ryan, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration

* Amb. John Miller, Exec. Dir., Trafficking in Persons, Department of State

Entertainment
* Prof. Kim Oanh & Rommie Behrens
* Snapper Tappers: tap dance by former Ms. Virginia Senior America queens & contestants
* South-East Asian Troupe: folkloric and traditional Vietnamese music & dance
* Fashion Show: Vietnamese costumes of three regions of North, Central & South Vietnam
* Ballroom Dancing with Singers:  Phuong Vi, Dinh Hung, Bao Vi, Kieu Nga, Hoang Anh

Sponsorship
Gold: $2,000+; Silver: $1,000+; Bronze: $500+; Supporter: $300 for a table of 10; Associate Supporter $100 for 3 tickets; Friend: $60 for 2 tickets; Single Tickets: $30

Funds Awarded to two NGOs in Taiwan & Cambodia providing shelter, treatment, crisis-counseling, health and legal services to victims

Checks to: VAVA, Inc., (Vietnamese-American Voters Association) a tax-exempt organization, that has provided educational, civic, health and social services to Vietnamese Americans since 1999).  Treasurer and auditor:  Xuan Lan & Ngoc Coulter

Mail to: Jackie Bong-Wright
President & CEO, VAVA, Inc.
1308 S. Washington ST
Falls Church, VA 22046

Contact: Phone: (703) 536-3186 Cell:  (703) 989-1149

******************

The CONFERENCE ON ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN LEADERSHIP ANNUAL FALL BENEFIT

You are cordially invited to attend the CAPAL Fall Benefit, our annual fundraiser to raise support for and awareness of the CAPAL scholarship and leadership development programs.

Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Reception at 6:30pm
Dinner at 7pm

Tony Cheng's Seafood Restaurant
619 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
(Gallery Place/Chinatown metro)

Our keynote speaker will be Norman Mineta, Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation.

We will also be presenting CAPAL Service Awards to Eddy Badrina, Executive Director, The White House Initiative Asian American and Pacific Islanders, and Christine Chen, National Executive Director of the Organization of Chinese Americans.

Please RSVP to Cindy Han at info@capal.org by November 4, 2005. See the attached flyer for more information.

Diamond ($5,000) 10 tickets/full-page program ad
Jade ($2,500) 10 tickets/half-page program ad
Sapphire ($1,000) 10 tickets/quarter-page program ad
Donor ($100) 1 ticket/2006 CAPAL membership
Friend: ($50) 1 ticket/2006 CAPAL membership
CAPAL Members: ($35) 1 ticket
Students: ($25) 1 ticket

About CAPAL's scholarship programs:
CAPAL offers scholarship stipends for one graduate or graduating senior fellow and three outstanding undergraduate students. These scholarships are financed by memorial funds established in honor of APA public servants who have since passed away. The Asha Jaini Emerging Leader Award, the Senator Paul Simon Scholarship, the State Farm Scholarship and the Federal Asian Pacific American Council (FAPAC) Awards were awarded to outstanding Asian Pacific American undergraduates for public or non-profit sector internships in Washington DC for the summer of 2005.

The scholarships are intended to enable outstanding college students with the potential for leadership to work full-time and learn about ways to effect public policy in order to better benefit and serve Asian Pacific American communities. Thus far, CAPAL has awarded $50,000 in scholarships over the past fourteen years and graduated 1,700 students and young professionals from the annual Washington Leadership Program, funded by civic-minded donors, both private and public.

(http://www.capal.org)

******************

CONFERENCE FOCUSES ON YOUTH AND FAMILY

Healthy Teen Network Annual Conference The theme of this year's Healthy Teen Network Annual Conference is "Leading the Charge: Making a Difference in the Lives of Teens and Young Families." Advocates for teens and their families will gather for three and a half days of networking and learning about the latest in science-based programs, policy and research. The conference will have four focus areas: research/evaluation, policy/advocacy, programs, and organizational/capacity building. The conference will be held November 16-19, 2005 in Chicago, IL.

(http://www.healthyteennetwork.org/Services/Conference/2005%20Conference/2005Conference.htm)

******************

CONFERENCE FOCUSES ON NONPROFIT RESEARCH

Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action Annual Conference Each year the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) holds an annual conference which brings together researchers, scholars, and practitioners from around the world to present and discuss papers related to issues in nonprofit studies, voluntary action, and philanthropy. The theme of this year's conference is "Nonprofits, Philanthropy and the Public Agenda: Linking Research, Practice and Policy." The conference will be held November 17-19, 2005 in Washington DC.

(http://www.arnova.org/about_conference.php)

******************
 FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

 FREE LOGO DESIGNS FOR NONPROFITS

North American nonprofits can apply to get a new logo designed gratis by the Internet logo-design firm LogoBee.com.

Philanthropy News Network reported Oct. 17 that LogoBee will donate design services worth about $425 each to three nonprofits. "By donating our services, more money is going to support individuals and communities in need," said LogoBee's Natalia Stoenko.

Business-card and stationary design also is included. Groups don't need a current logo or a design to apply.

Deadline is Nov. 28. See the LogoBee website for more details.

(http://www.logobee.com)

******************

THE U.S. HUMAN RIGHTS FUND

The U.S. Human Rights Fund (http://www.ushumanrightsfund.org/) is accepting Letters of Inquiry from domestic social justice organizations actively engaged in U.S.-based human rights work with relationships to the U.S. rights community more generally.

The U.S. Human Rights Fund is housed at Public Interest Projects, a 501(c)(3) public charity that operates  grantmaking, technical assistance, and strategic planning programs for institutional and individual donors interested in social justice and human rights issues. The fund, a field-building initiative dedicated to the full realization of human rights in the United States, seeks to strengthen the U.S. human rights movement as a whole by supporting four currently under-funded strategies: capacity-building, collaboration, communications, and applied legal and policy research.

In this initial grantmaking cycle, the fund will place particular emphasis on capacity building and collaboration/networking. Organizations interested in applying for funding must have 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, or have a tax-exempt fiscal sponsor.

Grants will generally range from $50,000 to $75,000 per year, for up to three years, although exceptional grants of as much as $100,000 per year may be awarded. However, total grantmaking during the first grantmaking cycle will not exceed $1.5 million. The fund expects to award between ten and fifteen grants, some of which will be multi-year.

Letters of Inquiry, which must be submitted online at the program's Web site, will be assessed both on their own merits and on their potential to contribute to the U.S. human rights movement overall.

Deadline: November 7, 2005 (Letters of Inquiry)

(http://www.ushumanrightsfund.org/ushrf/index.cfm)

******************

CALIFORNIA HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION

To help develop actionable approaches that improve the affordability of health care, the California HealthCare Foundation (http://www.chcf.org/) will award up to ten grants ranging from $25,000 to $75,000 to support initiatives that reduce rising costs in the short term. Instead of merely shifting costs from one part of the healthcare sector to another, the goal of these projects will be to achieve net cost savings for the overall system.

Projects funded under this RFP may include efforts to reduce healthcare costs by streamlining information exchange, improving efficiency, and decreasing costs; collaborating to reduce duplication and achieve economies of scale; aligning incentives among players in the healthcare system; and increasing transparency and promoting informed decision making. Initial funding for up to one year will support grantees as they develop ideas, partnerships, and plans for implementing appropriate strategies. Based on the success of Phase I, CHCF anticipates a future funding phase that would support implementation of selected California-based interventions.

Both not-for-profit and for-profit organizations are encouraged to apply. All proposals should make the case that proposed activities will yield sustainable savings to the healthcare system rather than one-time savings or savings that accrue to only one organization's bottom line.

Deadline: December 1, 2005

(http://www.chcf.org/grantinfo/rfps/view.cfm?itemid=115045)

******************

TAPROOT FOUNDATION

The Taproot Foundation (http://taprootfoundation.org/), which connects America's business professionals with nonprofits who need their talents and experience, has announced a new Annual Report Service Grant. The program will provide a nonprofit organization with the processes and tools to produce an annual report each year, as well an initial version for the first year.

The grant is designed to serve an organization that needs a professionally designed and written annual report and is committed to publishing annual reports regularly. The program is a good fit for a nonprofit that has a strong name and visual identity to use as the foundation for the positioning and design; the existing capacity to produce publish-ready financial statements; and a need for a finished annual report no sooner than twelve months after the application deadline for the grant.

The Service Grant will result in a ten- to twelve-page print-ready and/or pdf electronic copy of an annual report that provides an annual-report template which remains relevant for at least five years. The grant will also provide a detailed project plan for updating the report each year. The estimated value of the award is $40,000.

To be eligible for the grant, an organization must be tax exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or operate under the fiscal sponsorship of a 501(c)(3). Applicant organizations must also provide direct benefits primarily or entirely to residents in the foundation's service area: the five boroughs of New York City (Manhattan, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, and Brooklyn) and the six counties of the San Francisco Bay Area (Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Marin, and Contra Costa). Organizations must also have their headquarters within the foundation's service area.

Deadline: December 1, 2005; March 1 and June 1, 2006

(http://www.taprootfoundation.org/grants/annualreport.shtml)

******************

 BOX TOPS SUPPORT FOR PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT PROGRAMS

Box Tops for Education: Kids' Caucus Essay Contest Box Tops for Education is offering the Kids' Caucus Essay Contest, which invites students in grades 5 to 8 to submit an essay describing what they would do to increase parental involvement in their school if they were made principal for a day. In February, 52 finalists will be selected, one from each state, Washington, DC and either a U.S. territory or U.S. military based school located outside the U.S. Each finalist will receive a $1,000 grant that will be used by their schools to make their ideas a reality. Ten Grand Prize winners will then be selected to go to Washington, DC, where each student will have the opportunity to share their ideas for parental involvement in education programs with members of Congress. The application deadline is December 1, 2005.

(http://www.boxtops4education.com/news/viewnewsarticle.aspx?ART=222)

******************

CINGULAR WIRELESS SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

Cingular Wireless primarily supports community-based programs and organizations that address educational, cultural, and social issues that affect the quality of life in the communities where the company has a presence. Select national organizations are also supported. The company's areas of focus include assisting victims of domestic abuse and helping in times of disaster. Proposals should be project-specific rather than requests to underwrite operating, capital, or endowment budgets. Applications are accepted throughout the year.

(http://www.cingular.com/about/community_involvement)

******************

HITACHI FOUNDATION FUNDS FOR BUSINESS COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

The Hitachi Foundation aims to enhance opportunity and quality of life for economically isolated people by investing in path breaking practices to address community problems. Through the Business and Communities Grants program, the Foundation will support business and community partnerships that enable economically isolated people to retain and advance in their jobs, earn living wages, and accumulate savings and assets. Proposals may only be submitted at the Foundation's invitation. However, the Foundation offers a web-based system for organizations that may meet the criteria for the Business and Communities Grants and want to share initial information.

(http://www.hitachifoundation.org)

******************

TOWN CREEK FOUNDATION GRANTS PROMOTE A HEALTHY AND INFORMED SOCIETY

The Town Creek Foundation seeks a healthy environment, an informed society, and a peaceful world. The Foundation is committed to achieving its mission through public education, citizen action, and advocacy. Grants are provided in the following areas: protecting the environment; news and commentary; and promoting peace. Local nonprofit organizations in Talbot County, MD are also supported. Letters of inquiry are accepted throughout the year.

(http://www.towncreekfdn.org/)

******************
 TIPS/RESOURCES

TECHNOLOGY: WHEN MAKING BOARD PRESENTATIONS, SMALL HARDWARE PROVIDES BIG PAYBACKS

Leadership can be a critical part of any organization, in either the philanthropic or for-profit world. Although leadership is often spoken about, there is not usually much effort to look at what lies behind leadership.

In their book Leadership in Nonprofit Organizations, Barry Dym and Harry Hutson take a theoretical look at leadership, offering what they consider to be the eight major ways of considering the ways in which leaders lead.

The eight methods are:

* Trait theory. This identifies the characteristics that distinguish leaders from others.
* Style. This approach shifts the emphasis from character, which is internal, to behavior, which is external.
* Situational leadership. Its premise is that different situations require different kinds of leadership.
* Contingency theory. This is based on the belief that leadership effectiveness depends on the quality of the match between leadership style and context.
* Path-goal theory. This challenges leaders to adopt styles that best motivate employees.
* Leader-member exchange theory. This focuses on the interaction between individual leaders and followers.
* Transformational leadership. This represents a contemporary version of the great man theory buttressed by a sense of the intense connection between such leaders and their followers.
* Psychological approach. This application of psychodynamic psychology suggests that leaders are more effective when they understand themselves.

(http://www.nptimes.com/enews/tips/technology.html)

******************

GUIDE ADDRESSES COLLABORATIVE FUNDING

Community Development: A Guide for Grantmakers on Fostering Better Outcomes Through Good Process "Community Development: A Guide for Grantmakers on Fostering Better Outcomes Through Good Process" is a new report from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation that highlights the critical role of collaboration in community development initiatives. The guide draws from the lessons learned by the Foundation during twenty years of funding conflict resolution, collaboration, and civic engagement. It also draws extensively on other organizations' experiences, the community development literature, and evaluations of community development initiatives.

 (http://www.hewlett.org/NR/rdonlyres/7DC1D659-2BED-467F-9A13-5F39CFF70AFF/0/CommunityDevelopment.pdf)

******************
 NEWS

RESEARCH PROJECT: ADOPTION IN ASIAN/ASIAN AMERICAN FAMILIES

Researchers have considered the experiences of transracial intercountry adoptees, mostly from Asia, however there is no research to date that explores the experiences of Asian parents who adopt Asian children.

Asian parents who have adopted Asian children are invited to participate in this exciting project. Participants will be asked to complete a questionnaire that has been developed for the purposes of this study. The instrument has been translated into Korean and Chinese for non-English speaking respondents. However, the study is NOT limited to just Korean and/or Chinese American parents!!! Participant criteria include: a)prospective or adoptive parents of Asian or Asian American children and b)at least one parent is Asian or Asian American. Participants will also be asked to indicate if they would be willing to participate in a telephone or in-person interview so that we may capture the voices of adoptive parents.

As an Asian parent who has adopted a Korean child, I believe this research to be invaluable in informing future adoption practice and policy. Thank in advance for your consideration. I may be reached at kathleen.bergquist@unlv.edu or (702) 895-2449.

Kathleen Ja Sook Bergquist, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
School of Social Work
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Box 455032
4505 Maryland Parkway Rm CDC 1008
Las Vegas, NV 89154-5032
(702) 895-2449
kathleen.bergquist@unlv.edu

******************

October 19, 2005

WOMAN ‘RE-EDUCATED’ BY RETURN TO VIETNAM AFTER 23 YEARS
Experience highlights differences in lifestyles

By Maria Trombetta, Correspondent
The Daily Review

Last May, Trang Nguyen became a tourist in her own country when she returned to Vietnam, which she had last seen as a 9-year-old girl.

“I was very nervous going back for the first time," Nguyen said. "But getting to see my old house, my old neighborhood was a nice way to visit the past. Going back home was not a vacation. It was more like a re-educational experience."

The trip gave Nguyen the chance to explore how America has changed both her and her home countr, and led to the discovery of ways in which she might act more conventionally Vietnamese than her contemporaries who stayed in Vietnam.

Nguyen is a willowy 32-year-old with long black hair She moves with a quick, sharp confidence.

Nguyen's childhood in Vietnam was "carefree." She roamed the streets with her brother and his friends "getting lots of scars," while her mother worked full-time as a nurse.

Her father had been imprisoned after the communists took over, like many other South Vietnamese soldiers. After he was released, he left Vietnam and escaped to Thailand with Nguyen's older sister in 1980.

In 1983 the rest of the family followed. Nguyen became one of the 400,000 Vietnamese boat people who escaped by sailing into Pacific.

After spending more than a year in refugee camps in Malaysia and the Philippines, she arrived in America. The whole family was reunited and ended up moving to San Jose.

Adjusting to life in the United States was hard. Some Vietnamese traditions conflicted with the new American ideas.

"You watch all these things on TV that American kids are doing, like birthday parties, Christmas presents, Boy or Girl Scouts stuff, things we are not used to. Naturally, I thought my parents were bad for not providing this for me."

Her family had always focused on saving money, rather than spending it on gifts. A balance was finally reached, after much arguing, to keep some old traditions, and to try new things. Trang Nguyen became a "Viet kieu," one of the thousands of Vietnamese living abroad.

She has embraced the American lifestyle fully, rebelliously. She goes out with friends, she doesn't live with her family, she goes on vacations to Europe as often as she can. She follows her own dreams and goals she sets for herself, something that would have been nearly impossible if she had stayed in Vietnam.

But this spring, when Nguyen received word her uncle was very ill and decided to go visit him, she stepped upon a tight-rope, balancing between her American upbringing and her family's expectations of correct behavior.

Relatives in Vietnam "would hug you, but at the same time they were watching to see if you still know your traditions, or if you are too 'American-washed,'" Nguyen said. "They watched my mannerisms, my eating habits, my politeness, my modesty and all that. When they saw me eating certain traditional foods, they were impressed."

Even though she was trying to keep her American manner under wraps, Nguyen still got in trouble for not behaving correctly.

"Americans are smiley," she said apologetically, shrugging her shoulders. "I smiled at men, and my mom yelled at me, 'You are giving them an opportunity! They might think you are a call girl or an easy girl!' So I had that to deal with."

Some customs remain in Vietnam, but for the most part, the desire to be Western has taken hold. And Nguyen saw the impact of capitalism on the younger generation.

"They get cable that has MTV," Nguyen said with surprise, waving her hands in the air.

"Kids now spend their money on designer jeans and cell phones. Shopping centers are springing up, selling everything from video games to Italian food. Nguyen was shocked to see people buying $100 sunglasses.

Nguyen thinks the younger kids see Western stuff as being cool and very important. Since they didn't experience the war, they have a different attitude toward money than their parents. Consumerism is restructuring the way people behave, pushing culture aside.

"We were taught to worship our ancestors," Nguyen says, explaining her Buddhist beliefs. "I noticed that the younger generation, they don't practice as much because everyone is so busy working now.

"I think that that generation is (losing) the idea of respecting the family. Not only (does) it get lost in America, it is getting lost over there too."

Nguyen doesn't know how much of Vietnamese culture will change with the times. She is sticking to the traditions her parents instilled in her, while still enjoying American opportunities.

"My trip back to Vietnam gave me a chance to understand my parents better, understand my whole family," she says, nodding her head. "It made me proud to be Vietnamese. History does affect who you are. I think it is good for people to learn about their history."

(http://www.insidebayarea.com/dailyreview/localnews/ci_3130558)

******************

AALDEF Media Release

For Immediate Release: October 19, 2005

Contact: Glenn D. Magpantay, 212-966-5932, ext. 206
Lydia Lowe, 617-357-4499, Juan Leyton, 617-524-3541, ext. 307

FIRST-EVER CHINESE AND VIETNAMESE BALLOTS IN BOSTON
Court Approves of Settlement in Voting Rights Lawsuit; Asian Americans and Latinos hail decision, applaud the City of Boston and U.S. Department of Justice

Late yesterday afternoon, a panel of judges approved a settlement that requires the City of Boston to provide Chinese, Vietnamese, and Spanish language assistance to voters, including bilingual ballots and voter notices, and interpreters.  The settlement also requires mandatory poll worker and interpreter trainings, creates mechanisms to complain about poll workers, establishes an advisory task force, and permits federal examiners to monitor the elections. 

“It’s a case with national impact.  This is the first time fully-translated Chinese language ballots have been mandated by a court order.  It is also only the third case ever filed under the nondiscrimination provisions of the federal Voting Rights Act concerning Asian Americans,” according to Glenn D. Magpantay, a staff attorney at the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF).

Asian American and Latino community-based organizations and individual voters sought to join the lawsuit as parties.  Although the court denied their motion to intervene, the court did so “without prejudice” allowing them to return to the court in case of any backsliding on the agreement contained in the settlement.  The court further explicitly noted that the settlement allows for the “meaningful consultation from relevant community groups.”  AALDEF, Greater Boston Legal Services, and Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP represented the Asian American and Latino organizations and voters.

“We have called for bilingual ballots for years.  This is a tremendous accomplishment which was only possible because of immigrant voters’ willingness to speak up,” said Lydia Lowe, director of the Chinese Progressive Association.  In addition to her group, the Chinatown Resident Association, City Life / Vida Urbana, and individual voters Siu Tsang, Fung Yung, Yan Hui, and Maria Altreche sought to join the suit.  They have all long worked on voter education and registration, as well as poll monitoring.

The settlement also requires full implementation of the language assistance provisions of the Voting Rights Act for Spanish-speaking voters.  “We’re very excited because this will increase the political voice of our community,” said City Life/Vida Urbana executive director Juan Leyton.  “This is a victory for the role of communities of color in Boston.”

“Yesterday’s settlement lets the voices of limited English proficient voters in Boston be better heard,” said Andrew Troop, a partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges. “Our law firm has a strong commitment to protecting voting rights, promoting community involvement and to pro bono work generally. We look forward to working with all parties to implement this settlement.”

The community groups and individual voters applauded the City of Boston and the U.S. Department of Justice on the historic settlement.

# # #

******************

October 20, 2005

HARD FLOORS, HARD TRUTHS
By Kaitlin Melanson/ kmelanso@cnc.com

Some people like to live by the belief that what you don't know can't hurt you. Daphne Verardi couldn't disagree more.

Verardi, whose family runs the hardwood-flooring company Verardi & Company Inc. of Marblehead, was recently asked to speak at a State House briefing on the unknown hazards of hardwood-floor finishing, the most common of which include health hazards, the flammability of the products and environmental concerns.

"This is not just something that is an occupational hazard," Verardi said. "This is something that concerns both the contractor and the homeowner."

The issue came to the Legislature's attention after fumes from floor-refinishing chemicals swirled together and detonated inside a Somerville stairwell last September. The explosion's fire claimed the lives of floor sanders Toan Bui and Ha Vu, and left another man seriously injured.

Almost immediately, the incident spurred calls for increased state regulation over an industry that has virtually none. A Floor Finishing Safety Task Force conducted a yearlong study, the results of which were released at the State House last month.

The report attributed 25 fires in the city of Boston to hardwood-floor projects, with a total property loss of more than $1.5 million. Aside from the dramatic deaths, the chemicals contained in oil- and lacquer-based finishing products can lead to long-term respiratory problems, according to the study.

Of the 144 registered flooring companies in Boston, 127 are owned by Vietnamese-Americans, said Nhan Paul TonThat, executive director of the Vietnamese American Initiative for Development, a non-profit in Dorchester, where both Bui and Vu lived. Many of the workers don't receive proper training in the heavy machinery and hazardous chemicals, claimed the report, which is available at www.masscosh.org.

"A great problem is many people come over from Asia and work underneath [contractors] who are not educated in the business and throw these poor Asian workers into this dangerous situation," Verardi said. "We are trying to oversee that all those in the industry now must be licensed workers."

The report pushes the state to set up licensing requirements contingent on safety and training standards, establish an oversight committee, and limit the "use and sales of non-flammable floor finishing products with flash points at or above 100 degrees Fahrenheit."

Verardi agreed that many contractors currently in the field lack licenses as well as the specialized education they could receive at schools devoted to hardwood flooring. It is this lack of education in the field that in turn puts not only the workers at risk, but also unknowing customers who are trusting these contractors in their home, according to Verardi.

The most hazardous materials used in the hardwood-flooring business right now are oil-based finishes that contain high levels of volatile organic compounds, which when emitted into the air can cause health problems ranging from cancer and auto-immune diseases to asthma and allergies, according to Verardi. Companies are reluctant to switch over to safer water-based finishes due to both the higher cost and training needed to learn how to use the product.

"Many contractors don't want to make the switch because it cost about nine times more and it is more difficult to use if the worker is not trained," Verardi said.

Verardi feels that too many contractors are allowing the cost factor to override the serious health concerns. But she notes that, despite the cost, a switch to water-based products would result in happier customers, at least in one sense. Because the water-based products are nearly odorless, the homeowner does not have to leave his home to avoid the fumes.

Many have fought against this switch by not only stockpiling their warehouses with the oil-based products, but also convincing homeowners that they can't get the same great look from water-based finishes.

"Some contractors will tell their customers that the water-born finish isn't as nice as the oil in order to persuade their choice," Verardi said. "The truth is that water-based coating can be made to look just like an oil finish if that is what the owner is looking for."

UMass-Lowell testing concluded that the water-based finishing materials generally perform similarly to the more expensive and more flammable alternatives.

Verardi added, "Many people don't know that even after an oil-based product is dry it can take as few as 30 to as much as 90 days for it to stop admitting harmful toxins in the air of their home."

Aside from the toxins in chemicals used in hardwood flooring, the dust emitted from the process can also be harmful, she added.

"Wood dust is one of the largest known carcinogens, and we want to see that companies are responsible for containing it," Verardi said. "Our most preferred dust-containment system is a mobile unit, which is this vacuum workers carry along with their person and automatically gets rid of the dust so none ends up in the air."

Verardi admits this is a topic she is very passionate about, and her passion became even greater when a personal mentor of hers was diagnosed with nasal cancer due to the inhalation of these products.

Verardi noted, "Our company goes to prove that companies can take all these precautions to be safe and still run a [successful] business. Currently, people look at it as a case of 'if it doesn't happen to me, it must not happen at all.' But these hazards are out there, and people must know that they can be avoided."

Material from the State House News Service was used in this report.

(http://www2.townonline.com/marblehead/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=350981)

******************

October 20, 2005

SUSTAINED BY CLOSE TIES, VIETNAMESE TOIL TO REBUILD

By CHRISTINE HAUSER

NEW ORLEANS - The Mary Queen of Vietnam Roman Catholic Church, abandoned just a few weeks ago in the deluge, is now bustling with neighborhood groups planning home repairs and giving out tetanus shots. The stage where the Vietnamese residents of this city celebrated Chinese New Year has been transformed, now covered with tables laden with free hot lunches and emergency housing applications.

The hurricane and flood destroyed much more than houses and businesses in the Vietnamese enclave in New Orleans East. It also frayed the social fabric of a community of about 10,000, established by refugees who escaped communism and settled here in the 1970's and 1980's.

But in recent days, in what could serve as a model for other areas trying to reconstitute themselves after Hurricane Katrina, the Vietnamese residents have slowly started to reknit their neighborhood. They say the preservation of their traditions explains why their ties, stretched during the upheaval of the hurricane, did not break.

"We are trying to push our people to come back," Tam Tran, a 38-year-old mother, said. "We are trying to tell our children to be proud of who they are. Even if they speak a lot of English, speak Vietnamese also. And if they are in a car and see a Vietnamese elder, say, Mom, you're not stopping for them?"

The Vietnamese have formed neighborhood groups to rebuild, using the church as headquarters. One team repairs and decontaminates the houses. Others arrange tetanus shots to prevent illness, and acupuncture sessions to ease stress.

Another team buys food to make spicy stews and rice for the families who visit for the day to check on property. Friends and family members drive one another to work, church or even back and forth to cities in Texas where they have temporarily settled.

Now they are working on a plan with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to place a core group of Vietnamese into trailers in the neighborhood, planting the seeds of resettlement. But, just as when they initially settled in New Orleans, they first have to overcome cultural hurdles.

FEMA's usual policy is to provide trailers for people living in shelters. But many of the Vietnamese dispersed by the hurricane have been taken in by their own people.

"The view of FEMA was that since these people are not in shelters, they could not have priority," said the Rev. Vien Nguyen, the priest at the church, which offered a 28-acre lot for the trailers.

Stephen DeBlasio, the chief of FEMA's disaster housing operations in Louisiana, said he was aware of the deep cultural loyalties among the Vietnamese. "They were traumatized when they were mixed with other groups," Mr. DeBlasio said. "They want to remain together."

A compromise appears to be in the works. Mr. DeBlasio said he could install travel trailers with water tanks and generators, though unlike the more permanent trailers, they cannot tap into sewage, electricity and water lines. But there will be no medical care or transportation.

"It is still a ghost town," Mr. DeBlasio said, referring to that section of New Orleans East.

Father Vien said the Vietnamese could live with that for now, as long as they got priority for the trailers. They will put Vietnamese doctors on call, he said, and pitch in with transportation needs.

"We're talking about 60-year-olds knowing each other since 1975, from the same villages in Vietnam," Father Vien said. "The core around which their lives evolve is gone now. If our people can gather together, it will first help the rebuilding and then ease their need for familiar surroundings in their community and church."

Before the storm, there were more than 20,000 Vietnamese in New Orleans, the majority of them Catholic, but also Buddhists and ancestral worshipers. Afterward, most of the Vietnamese in New Orleans East fled across the Mississippi River, where the Vietnamese on the less-damaged West Bank took them in. Others went to Vietnamese areas in Houston and elsewhere in Louisiana. About 230 remain in a shelter in a Vietnamese church in Baton Rouge.

Their homes in New Orleans East are mostly uninhabitable. Tarps flap from houses, revealing ripped rooftops. Waterlogged mattresses have been hauled to the curb to be taken away. Mold creeps along walls and bubbles up on furniture. There is no electricity or water.

But life is being restored. On a recent weekend, several hundred families gathered in the church for Mass. Generators powered the microphone Father Vien used to deliver a sermon in Vietnamese, interspersing his message several times with the word "FEMA."

Parishioners who dipped their fingers in a basin for holy water at one entrance found only plaster that had apparently fallen from the ceiling.

After the Mass, neighbors reunited. "I heard you were under water," one woman said. "Yes," another answered. "Where are you staying?"

Old mixed with the new. An elderly woman wearing a traditional long, silky tunic over trousers spoke in Vietnamese, mingling with the crowd that included teenagers in short skirts and high heels, who were chatting in English.

On the stage behind the church, volunteers translated FEMA forms for housing aid into Vietnamese. Some people sat quietly in a room off the sanctuary, acupuncture needles splayed in every direction from their ears, scalp, wrists or ankles.

"What they are doing can be a model for other communities," said Cynthia Willard-Lewis, who represents the neighborhood on the City Council. "They are fighting to stay united and connected."

Several people have come forward with ideas about how to get the community back on its feet. Duc Dang, a 53-year old building contractor, suggested that the dozen or so houses not damaged by water could be inhabited by several families, giving them a base from which to work.

"People would come back even without electricity," Mr. Dang said. "All we need is a city water tank."

Another group met with representatives of a decontamination company to discuss ways of cleaning houses after the Vietnamese remove water-soaked drywall and insulation.

"It is unusual," said Mark Buren, an agent for the company, Udecon. "The American community, as it stands, typically does not have the kind of structure that the Vietnamese can put together. The whole community seems to be working together through these issues. They have amazed us."

(http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/20/national/nationalspecial/20viet.html)

******************

October 21, 2005

VALLEY FIRMS SIGN ON TO FIGHT COLON CANCER
CHIP-DESIGN FIRM XILINX SETTING THE PACE

By Michele Chandler
Mercury News

What began a few years ago as a modest workplace effort to inform employees about the importance of being screened for colorectal cancer has evolved into a major drive to transform Silicon Valley companies into ``Colon Cancer Free Zones.''

One of the most active firms is Xilinx of San Jose.

Today, the designer of programmable chips will hold its first-ever seminar for employees about the disease. A representative from the American Cancer Society will provide basic information about colon cancer, which the group projects will cause 195 deaths in Santa Clara County alone by the end of this year.

Colorectal cancer kills 56,000 Americans a year, making it the second-deadliest cancer in the nation after lung cancer.

A few months ago, Steve Haynes, Xilinx senior vice president of worldwide sales, and other company executives had themselves tested and made the results public. ``We declared ourselves `colon cancer free' to lead the way,'' Haynes said.

Becoming a ``Colon Cancer Free Zone'' means that a company encourages all employees to become aware of the risks, tests and treatments.

Oncologist and American Cancer Society volunteer Richard Adrouny helped launch the grass-roots ``Colon Cancer Free Zone'' effort with the city of Monte Sereno -- where he lives -- in 2003.

After that, other employers -- including every municipality in Santa Clara County -- also joined the effort. Now, about 33 employers, hospitals, non-profits and other groups are in the Zone, including 100 Black Men of Silicon Valley and the Vietnamese REACH Coalition, groups that distribute information at community events.

The disease has directly touched several of the firms involved in the Colon Cancer Free Zone effort.

Xilinx worker Deana O'Brien, director of European strategic accounts and a 17-year employee, died of colon cancer in 2003, Haynes said. ``She was 50, right in that age group that is susceptible,'' he said. The company's executives decided making other employees aware of colorectal cancer and how it could be prevented was the best way to keep O'Brien's memory alive.

Steve Marsey, manager of human resources for Linear Technology, said he had dual reasons for wanting his company, which makes semiconductors, to become a Colon Cancer Free Zone last summer.

``A lot of people I work with here are turning 50,'' the age where medical professionals recommend people at average risk start getting screened for colon cancer, Marsey said. Also, Marsey's uncle had been diagnosed with the disease. Marsey's uncle, who did not work for Linear, died Tuesday.

As part of belonging to the Colon Cancer Free Zone, Linear recently changed its health insurance plan to make it simpler for workers to get colorectal screening tests, Marsey said. The firm expects more employees to be screened as a result, Marsey said, and is prepared to pay the extra cost, which he estimated at about $2,500 for a colonoscopy.

Today, Xilinx launches an internal Web site filled with information about the disease and links to appropriate health organizations to further its effort to spread the word about colorectal cancer prevention to the company's 3,100 workers worldwide.

Contact Michele Chandler at mchandler@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5731.

(http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/12959457.htm)

******************

October 23, 2005

BILOXI MOXIE: REBUILDING IT BETTER

By PHILIP LANGDON

In the short span of 13 years, nine casinos came to perch on top of barges in Biloxi, Miss., transforming an old fishing and military city of 50,000 into the largest gambling center on the state's Gulf Coast. Today all of those casinos - which two months ago employed 14,000 blackjack dealers, slot machine tenders and other Mississippians - are out of commission, most of them savagely damaged by the surging waters of Hurricane Katrina. Biloxi is struggling with how to rebuild.

The casinos will certainly be back. Other parts of the U.S. economy may wither under the impact of global competition, but casinos don't go away. And when they reopen in the 3-century-old city of Biloxi, the casinos will stand on terra firma, thanks to the state's decision, shortly after Katrina, that gambling enterprises can now become "land-based," moving as far as 800 feet inland from the waters of the Gulf Coast.

The question is whether the casinos will become good neighbors - a question that might be asked of many other casinos across the nation.

I went to Biloxi to observe the Mississippi Renewal Forum, an extraordinary weeklong planning event organized by Miami architect-planner Andres Duany on behalf of the Congress for New Urbanism. Nearly 120 New Urbanist architects, planners, engineers and others from throughout the United States collaborated with local professionals and officials on strategies for rebuilding 11 communities along the coast - from the severely damaged town of Waveland, on the Louisiana border, to Pascagoula, on the Alabama line. Stefanos Polyzoides, principal in the Pasadena, Calif., firm Moule & Polyzoides Architects and Urbanists, led a team that spent one day touring Biloxi with Mayor A.J. Holloway and then devoted the next several days to creating visions of a better city.

When I flew from Hartford to Mississippi two weeks ago, one of the things that struck me - after I'd gotten over the initial shock of witnessing such widespread devastation - was the dull bulkiness of many casino, supposed centers of fun.

A casino enterprise is typically much more than a gambling hall. It is a hotel (usually high-rise), a series of venues for eating and drinking, and a large expanse of parking space. On some stretches of Biloxi's Beach Boulevard, views of the Gulf of Mexico are blocked by concrete garages up to seven stories tall - which is a shame. It seems illogical for massive parking structures and inward-focused entertainment halls to interfere with the city's greatest natural attraction - the views and atmosphere afforded by the water and the sandy beaches.

Biloxi, which the French settled in 1699, lost roughly 20 percent of its housing in the wind and flooding from Katrina. On the inland side of Beach Boulevard, many of the city's finest old homes, including one that belonged to Confederacy President Jefferson Davis, stand shorn of classical columns, exterior walls and other conspicuous pieces. In East Biloxi, home to many African Americans and Vietnamese Americans, blocks of simple bungalows and cottages from the early 20th century are in terrible condition - some of them knocked off of their foundations, if not reduced to rubble. Lost jobs and tax revenues rank high among local concerns, so community leaders are eager to get the casino industry back in operation.

Wherever possible, the New Urbanists proposed building or rebuilding the coastal communities with networks of interconnected streets - not cul-de-sacs - so that every resident who wants to can be within a quarter-mile walk of a park, a gathering place, shops, services or other amenities. "Before the hurricane, there was a devastating case of sprawl in this region," Polyzoides said. "We want to concentrate activities in downtowns, neighborhood centers, near public transportation and in other logical locations."

Polyzoides said it's essential to save as many old houses as possible; the character of the city and region depends on it. Asked how that's possible when large numbers of houses have been sorely damaged, Polyzoides said, "Preservation is not a game of facts. Preservation is a game of will. It does not matter what shape the building is in."

Daria Pizzetta, a Biloxi native who has practiced architecture in New York for the past 20 years, spent much of the week documenting and drawing the characteristics of destroyed cottages and bungalows: "what types of columns were used, which ones had the taper, which had front porches."

One goal, she said, should be to make new houses closely match the ones that were lost. "Our take," Pizzetta said, "is that if it was a neighborhood, it should remain a neighborhood and should retain the flavor of Biloxi."

The design team recommended street improvements aimed at reviving Howard Avenue, an early 20th-century commercial main street that came through the storm largely intact. The team called for installing a streetcar loop to connect downtown and other areas, and urged officials to replace an elevated section of freeway with an at-grade boulevard. A boulevard, planners said, would tie neighborhoods together and enhance both livability and property values along its route.

The design team suggested that Biloxi could eventually accommodate as many as 20 casinos. To prevent them from overwhelming their surroundings, the casinos would be built within a comfortable walk - or streetcar ride - of restaurants, stores and museums. Much of the parking would be sequestered on the interior of blocks. Nearby would be townhouses and walk-up flats - buildings no more than four or five stories, to create a comfortable human scale. Towers would be allowed only in certain areas - "not spread all over and not downtown," Polyzoides said. These and other design ideas could entice visitors to explore the city, spread their spending around and generate liveliness in sections of Biloxi that have languished in recent years. The casino complexes could anchor an urban revival.

How many of those ideas will be acted upon is up to the local community and the private sector. When the Renewal Forum concluded on Monday, it was unclear how far Biloxi would go toward embracing them. But there was no doubt that the emergency planning conclave had exposed the stricken Gulf Coast to promising ideas. Katrina, for all its fury, may have helped Biloxi and its neighbors find a better future.

Philip Langdon is senior editor of New Urban News, a national newsletter on planning and design. He lives in New Haven and is a member of the Place Board of Contributors.

(http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/commentary/hc-plclangdon1023.artoct23,0,273977.story?coll=hc-headlines-commentary)

******************

October 23, 2005

CITING MEDICAL ERRORS, CALIFORNIA SEEKS TO BAN CHILD INTERPRETERS

GARANCE BURKE
Associated Press

MERCED, Calif. - Diagnosed with a variety of ailments but unable to communicate with her doctor, Laotian refugee Ker Moua enlisted her youngest son as her medical interpreter.

The 12-year-old, Jue, was the liaison between his mother and the doctor who diagnosed her as having a prolapsed uterus, the result of bearing 14 children. She began taking her medication in the doses her son described, but soon felt so dizzy she couldn't get out of bed for two days.

"She tells me where it hurts and then we go to the doctor together. But I don't really know what a uterus is," said Jue, whose English is peppered with words from his sixth-grade textbooks and terms from the football field. "She tells me things I don't know how to say. Sometimes I tell the doctor something else."

Jue's mistranslation of the doctor's orders caused his mother to take the wrong dose of her medication. While the error did not cause lasting harm, it's exactly the kind of problem California medical officials want to correct.

The use of children as medical interpreters is a common practice in immigrant-rich states such as California, where they often are the only ones available to speak for their parents. Yet a growing number of studies has illustrated the potentially lethal consequences of faulty translations, leading health care regulators and a state assemblyman to seek an end to the practice.

In November, the California Department of Managed Health Care will hold public hearings about draft regulations that would prevent children from interpreting at private hospitals, physicians' offices or clinics. The rules would not apply in emergencies.

California would be the first state to implement such a wide-ranging prohibition, said Mara Youdelman, staff attorney with the National Health Law Program in Washington, D.C. Other states have restrictions, but none goes as far as California's proposal. Rhode Island, for example, requires that all hospitals provide interpreters who are over the age of 16, but the rule does not extend to doctor's offices or clinics.

State Assemblyman Leland Yee, D-Los Angeles, is sponsoring a bill that would prevent children from translating for their parents at public hospitals and any clinic that receives public money.

Experts say children lack the vocabulary and the emotional maturity to serve as effective interpreters. In a state in which 40 percent of the population speaks a language other than English at home, policy makers say California's proposed ban could set a national precedent.

"The federal government has acknowledged its a form of discrimination not to provide adequate interpretation," said Dr. Glenn Flores, who directs the Center for the Advancement of Underserved Children at the Medical College of Wisconsin and has testified before Congress about immigrants access to health care. "States around the country will be saying that if California finally does something about it, we can do it, too."

In the case of Ker Moua, Jue's mistranslation of her dosage did not cause his mother lasting medical harm. But that's a rarity: Two of every three mistranslations have clinical consequences, according to a 2003 study Flores published in the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Child interpreters also shoulder a heavy emotional responsibility. They are privy to confidential medical information about their parents and can be the first family member to learn of a serious illness. In many cases, they also are the ones to deliver the bad news.

"If they are the ones telling their mom she has cervical cancer, that's a problem," said Dr. Alice Chen, the medical director of the general medicine clinic at San Francisco General Hospital. "I've seen kids who walk away thinking they caused it."

That role was one of the motivations behind Yee's legislation.

"I was extremely uncomfortable when my parents asked me to interpret for them," he said. "We have got to understand that it is not an appropriate role for children."

If the efforts in California are successful, finding substitutes for child translators won't be easy.

California has more residents classified as limited English speakers than Texas and New York combined and has a chronic shortage of medical interpreters. Large public hospitals often have staff interpreters, while smaller community clinics tend to rely on their bilingual staff. Private practices might offer no translation services at all.

For relatively obscure languages such as Hmong, the system typically relies on children such as Jue.

His mother and father arrived in California in 1989, as part of a resettlement program of thousands of Hmong, an ethnic minority in Laos that aided the United States during the Vietnam War. Jue, the youngest, was born a few years later. The family soon moved to Winton, a farming town near Merced in California's San Joaquin Valley, where they make a modest living growing sweet peas, pumpkins and melon.

"I don't think my son is a good interpreter because he doesn't even know that I have diabetes," Moua said. "My way of thinking is why did I give birth to 14 children and none of them can help me?"

The new rules proposed by the state Department of Managed Care, if instituted, would require private health plans to provide patients with trained, adult interpreters. They could take effect by March.

The California Association of Health Plans, which represents the state's largest managed care plans, estimates that translating medical materials and hiring a fleet of professional interpreters could cost as much as $15 million.

Who will pay for those services is expected to be a key point of debate in the months ahead.

"This is going to be a battle," said Cindy Ehnes, director of the Department of Managed Health Care, which regulates the industry. "There is no question that hospitals are extremely concerned about additional costs."

Many hospitals already have begun using cheaper alternatives, such as telephone or video interpretation services. But health care industry representatives say the new regulations could boost costs for everyone.

"We discourage the use of children, but in an emergency they may be the only resource you have," said Leanne Gassaway, the association's vice president of legal and regulatory affairs. "You can't just add $15 million to the system and not expect premiums to go up for everyone."

The proposed rules also concern physicians worried about the costs of professional interpreters. Some could be forced to end services to immigrants who don't speak English, said Tom Riley, director of government relations at the California Academy of Family Physicians, which represents family doctors.

"You may be the doc in the trenches doing all the right things, caring for a diverse limited-English-proficient population, but you could be hit by this bill in a way that you cannot economically survive," he said.

The estimated $15 million in costs doesn't take into account the cost of Yee's bill for public clinics and hospitals.

Support for a prohibition against child interpreters is not universal.

State Sen. Abel Maldonado, R-Santa Maria, said there should be a place in the health care system for children to translate for their parents, if that's what the family wants.

He opposes Yee's bill, saying he wouldn't want his relatives forced to rely on strangers to discuss their medical information. For years, Maldonado interpreted for his father, a former guest worker who speaks only Spanish.

"To have a bill in place that would keep a person like me away from their father or mother I just can't agree with," Maldonado said. "This is abusive legislation."

 (http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/northern_california/12978888.htm)

******************
About NCVA
Founded in 1986, the National Congress of Vietnamese Americans is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community advocacy organization working to advance the cause of Vietnamese Americans in a plural but united America – e pluribus unum – by participating actively and fully as civic minded citizens engaged in the areas of education, culture and civil liberties.

Copyright material is distributed without profit or payment for research and educational purposes only, in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107
Footer Include

© 1986-2006  National Congress of Vietnamese Americans. All rights reserved.
About NCVA   |   Programs   |   Donate   |   Mailing List   |   Privacy Policy   | Webmaster