Sac Bee: Language Access Is a Top Concern for Asian Communities. What AAPI Leaders Say Can Be Done

There are more than 200 languages spoken at home in California. But those with the largest proportion of speakers who don’t speak English very well are all Asian languages: Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, Khmer, and Thai or Lao. 

These language barriers present challenges for Asian communities when it comes to accessing health care, advocates and public officials discussed at a Tuesday roundtable in Sacramento. 

The Asian American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander health equity roundtable included representatives from the state AAPI Caucus and Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs, as well as federal and state agencies and community-based organizations based throughout California.

“I think we really need to take a hard look and say, ‘Hey, what, where exactly are the pain spots? And what can we really do to specifically change things up administratively in the state to be much more inclusive to folks who don’t speak English?’” Assemblyman Phil Ting said.