SATHI launched in New Jersey

Assemblyman Upendra J. Chivukula, Deputy Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly

Assemblyman Upendra J. Chivukula, Deputy Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly announced the launch of the first-ever South Asian Total Health Initiative (SATHI) in New Jersey as a significant breakthrough in providing culturally competent health care for South Asians

SATHI is a new program of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Organizers coined the name SATHI, which means companion or friend in Hindi, a popular Indian language, to indicate that health is an important partner or SATHI in our overall wellbeing.

“By developing a culturally-competent approach to health care, SATHI will significantly improve the quality and delivery of health care and health outcomes for New Jerseyans of South Asian descent,” Chivukula (D-Somerset) said.

Nearly 200 people attended the launch event for SATHI addressed by senior state officials and lawmakers including Heather Howard, New Jersey’s Commissioner for Health and Senior Services, Kris Kolluri, CEO, NJ Schools Development Authority, Assemblywoman Joan M. Quigley, member of the Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee and Dr. Peter S. Amenta, Dean, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

“Today is really an exciting day for the South Asian community but also for those of us in health and senior services and who are dedicated, like Governor Corzine to addressing health disparities,” Commissioner Howard said in her keynote address adding it was great to be among so many SATHIs.

Welcoming SATHI as an incredible resource for the department of health, Howard noted that while diversity is one of New Jersey’s strengths, it also presents challenges, risks and barriers in health care. “SATHI recognizes that religious beliefs and cultural customs do affect health care decisions of our citizens and providers. Patients need help to understand health risks, health needs and health options. SATHI will help us do that in a culturally-competent way.”

Kris Kolluri, CEO, NJ Schools Development Authority and the first Indian-American cabinet member in New Jersey said this initiative captures, in many ways, the essence of what is going on in the South Asian community.

“I am here as a proponent of what this initiative represents. It recognizes the trajectory of the South Asian population within New Jersey and certainly the United States,” Kolluri said. “It informs perhaps a larger discussion President Obama and certainly Governor Corzine are undertaking of what is the best way to most efficiently and most effectively deliver health care.”

Assemblywoman Joan M. Quigley, a member of the Assembly Health and Senior Services committee applauded UMDNJ and SATHI as pioneers, noting that health care had come a long way since the time skeptics questioned why it was important to treat women’s health differently. “They realized women do react differently, have different needs, different desires, and now we have started talking about minorities in a similar way,” Quigley said. Quigley called on SATHI to share its findings with New Jersey lawmakers. “What you are doing will contribute to research, better treatment and to knowledge in general. When you find out what you need, please tell us. We want to work with you to make sure everyone gets what they need.”

“As an academic health center, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has a clearly-stated commitment to community service and the improvement of community health,” Peter S. Amenta, MD, PhD, dean, said. “We are proud to launch this initiative and cultivate new collaborations which further strengthen our community, educational and clinical partnerships.” SATHI’s Co-Directors Drs. Sunanda Gaur and Naveen Mehrotra and SATHI’s advisory board members, Drs. Poonam Alaigh, Geetha Ghai, Robert C. Like, Aparna Kalbag and Jigna Rao, Director of Drumthwacket, Office of the Governor, welcomed the support and response to SATHI as indicative of a growing recognition of the importance of such initiatives. It was SATHI’s Co-Directors, Drs. Sunanda Gaur and Naveen Mehrotra who developed the concept and goals of a South Asian Total Health Initiative. “Central New Jersey has the distinction of having the highest concentration of South Asians in the U.S.,” Gaur said “As one of the most diverse universities in the country dedicated to promoting the cultural-competency and eliminating disparities in health care, UMDNJ is a natural home for a comprehensive research based project addressing the health care needs of the South Asian Diaspora.”

A professor of Pediatrics, Dr. Gaur is Director of Robert Wood Johnson’s AIDS Program at the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick. “In the South Asian culture, health care is not a preventive concept but rather a last resort,” Dr. Mehrotra said. “SATHI will help us educate the community on the importance of preventive health care for our well being.” Mehrotra is a Board Certified pediatrician in private practice in Central Jersey and a clinical assistant professor at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

“This program reinforces the need for a more personalized approach to health care of our states diverse constituencies among which South Asians are among the fastest growing,” Chivukula concluded.

South Asians are among the fastest growing ethnic groups in the country with growth rates in New Jersey exceeding those in the nation. Statewide, Asian Indians grew at the rate of 127% between 1990 and 2000, Bangladeshis at 267% Pakistanis by 165% and Sri Lankans by 154%. In the U.S., Asian Indians grew at 105.9%, Pakistanis at 151% and Sri Lankans at 124%.

BY SUDHIR VYAS