Share Your Story
We have found that the most effective way to strengthen our advocacy efforts and to advance policy change is through showcasing the personal stories behind problems we are helping address. Personal stories show policy makers how access to and quality of health care impact everyday people. They also illustrate the diversity of health care challenges people face daily and ensure that our future health care system reflect the needs of our communities.
In 2016, the Health Access Project (HAP) partnered with StoryCorps and The California Wellness Foundation on a project to capture a small slice of life as experienced by our coworkers, community-based partners, and their clients. StoryCorps believes that stories can "build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world." We couldn't agree more. We feel privileged to have been a part of this project and express our gratitude to all the participants who have wilingly allowed us to listen in during their conversations about family, community, health, and immigration.
On November 1, 2017, we launched the first series, titled Our Voices, Our Health. This series will feature three compelling stories, each in three parts for a total of nine unique posts, intended to highlight the diversity of health care challenges and experiences within California’s Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities.
Check out the first story, Matelita's Story
Featuring Matelita, Melevesi & Pacific Islander Health Partners (PIHP)
Part 1: Getting Diagnosed
Part 2: Getting Medi-Cal
Part 3: Importance of Coverage
Check out the second story, Gripped by Gambling
Featuring Carlos, Myron & National Asian Pacific American Families Against Substance Abuse (NAPAFASA)
Part 1: A Point of No Return
Part 2: Overcoming Shame & Stigma
Part 3: The Road to Recovery
Check out the third story, Healthcare On Hold
Featuring Catherine, Judy & Korean Resource Center (KRC)
Part 1: Undocumented and Uninsured
Part 2: Emergency Health Insurance
Part 3: Happy & Healthy
Over the following year, we will be adding more stories, so we invite you to return periodically. Please feel free to help us promote these stories by sharing them with your networks through social media, listservs, and other forms of outreach.
Whether you are a consumer or an advocate, we also invite you to share your own health story with us! If you would like to share your story or the story of someone you know, please fill out this form.
Here are some best practices and toolkits to get you started:
