Archive for October 21st, 2009

ASIA Launches Innovative Partnership with the County and City Boards of Health

October 21st, 2009

Cleveland, Ohio – Asian Services In Action was awarded a grant $37,004 from The Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation to support the Asian Health Access Initiative (AHAI). The funding will enable ASIA to form a unique partnership with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health (CCBH) and the Cleveland Department of Public Health (CDPH) to address childhood lead prevention and breast and cervical cancer prevention programs.

The Asian Health Access Initiative (AHAI) is a project to save the lives of Asian Americans by ensuring language is not a barrier to quality preventative health services. The project will train volunteer bilingual community health outreach workers (CHOWs) who will assist low-income families with young children to prevent childhood lead poisoning and low-income, uninsured women to prevent breast/cervical cancer. Bilingual CHOWs will “connect” clients to information, free screening, treatment, and follow-up services provided by CCBH and CDPH. With Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation support, AHAI will link 200 low to moderate income and limited English speaking Asian Americans to these and others services to delay major illnesses and to prevent early deaths. AHAI reduces duplication of services by harnessing the language and cultural “know how” of ASIA with health prevention and education resources of CCBH and CDPH.

“We are thrilled about this new partnership with the public health departments of Cuyahoga County and the City of Cleveland. AHAI offers us, CCBH, and CDPH the opportunity to leverage resources and to complement each other’s services to ensure that all Cuyahoga County residents who are at high risk for lead poisoning and breast and cervical cancers are identified and treated,” said Michael Byun, ASIA Executive Director.

The issues of lead poisoning and breast/cervical cancer are great:
• 90% of all new Asian refugees are resettled in the inner-cities of Cuyahoga County; many in neighborhoods that have aging housing stock where lead contamination is high;

• Asian American women have the third highest incidence of cervical cancer, higher than Whites and similar to Blacks (National Cancer Institute, 2001); one alarming report found that only 28% of women from one Asian ethnic group surveyed had heard of a Pap test (Kim et al., 1999).

• One report showed that among Korean American women, English language proficiency is closely associated with mammogram utilization; and according to the Census, Koreans are one of the most linguistically isolated Asian ethnic populations (Juon, et al., 2000).

• 39% of the Asian American population are limited English proficient (LEP) compared to 8% of the total population; over 50% Vietnamese, Hmong, Cambodian, Laotian, Taiwanese, Korean, Bangladeshi, and Chinese Americans in our region spoke less then “very well” English (U.S. Census, 2000).

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ASIA, Inc.
Founded in 1995, Asian Services In Action’s mission is to empower Asian American and Pacific Islanders in Northeastern Ohio to access quality, culturally, and linguistically appropriate information and services. ASIA serves over 4,000 people each year. www.asiainc-ohio.org

Cuyahoga County Board of Health (CCBH)
More than 220 outstanding public health professionals including Dieticians, Epidemiologists, Health Educators, Nurses, Social Workers, Registered sanitarians and Administrative staff strive for excellence in multitude of health program and service in Ohio’s largest health district. Our mission is to prevent disease and injury, promote positive health outcomes, and provide critical services to improve the health status of the community. Learn more at www.ccbh.net

Cleveland Department of Public Health (CDPH)
Cleveland Department of Public Health (CDPH) is the local public health agency for the City of Cleveland. Formally established in 1910, the department is charged with improving the quality of life in the City of Cleveland by promoting healthy behavior, protecting the environment, preventing disease, and making the City a healthy place to live, work, and play. www.clevelandhealth.org

Posted by Michael Byun | Filed under Announcements

ASIA receives grant from NAWHO’s National Asian Immunization Project

October 21st, 2009

Cleveland, Ohio – Asian Services In Action was awarded a grant from The National Asian Women’s Health Organization (NAWHO) to increase vaccination among Asian seniors for pneumococcal disease and influenza in northeastern Ohio.

NAWHO’s National Asian Immunization Project (NAIP) is a groundbreaking cooperative agreement with CDC, which allows for the first comprehensive national outreach effort to Asian American communities about the importance of immunization. Through this project, NAWHO will work with ASIA to reach Asian Americans and their health care providers and eliminate missed opportunities in vaccinations and vaccine education.

Since NAIP’s inception, the project has served over 41,000 Asian Americans, who have accessed immunization information through community forums, health fairs, and other community activities. Another 2.8 million Asian Americans were exposed to immunization information through Asian media. Over 1,700 health care providers were educated about the need to inform Asian American patients about vaccine-preventable diseases, particularly Hepatitis B, pneumococcal disease, and influenza.

“Given the recent concerns over H1N1 and the flu season already upon us, we are extremely pleased to receive this support to assist the most vulnerable among our Asian American population,” said Michael Byun, ASIA Executive Director.

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NAWHO
NAWHO is a national non-profit health organization with a mission to achieve health equity for Asian women and families. Our goals are:
• To raise awareness about the health needs of Asian Americans
through research and education;
• To support Asian Americans as decision-makers through leadership
development and advocacy; and
• To strengthen systems serving Asian Americans through partnerships
and capacity building.
Founded in 1993, NAWHO has served as a powerful voice for the health of Asian American women and families. We have provided research and information about the health of Asian Americans to the public health field, as well as critically-needed health education to the Asian American community. Through innovative programs and groundbreaking partnerships, NAWHO has broken the myth of the Asian American “healthy model minority” – improving breast cancer screening outreach, increasing awareness of diabetes risk, and closing the gaps in immunization coverage. Viewed as a results-oriented organization that is able to create innovative solutions and carry out new strategies for change, policy makers and opinion leaders have time and again recognized NAWHO as an effective leader in Asian American health. www.nawho.org

Posted by Michael Byun | Filed under Announcements

ASIA Self-Sufficiency Program Client Featured by the United Way of Greater Cleveland

October 21st, 2009

The following article is an excerpt from the United Way of Greater Cleveland website at http://www.uws.org/community/ying_lee.asp.

New country, new language, new life
for Chinese refugee

Fourteen years ago, the Lee family applied to immigrate from China to the United States. After a lengthy process, they were approved and left their homeland to begin a new life in America. But, they had to leave one family member behind, as during the approval process, Ying Lee turned 21, and as a legal adult was not permitted to accompany her family.

Ying remained in China, completed her education — obtaining a bachelor’s degree in business administration — and became pregnant with her first child. She also continued to pursue the dream of joining her family in the US, and was able to do so in November 2007.

Because they liked the weather (not too hot, not too cold, no hurricanes or earthquakes), the Lee family chose to settle in Cleveland. When Ying was finally able to rejoin her family, she was six months pregnant, highly educated, but virtually unable to communicate — she had little knowledge of written or spoken English, and as a result, was not able to work, or even drive a car.

Fortunately for Ying, years earlier, her mother had become involved in a local church, through which she met and befriended Susan Wong, the manager of self-sufficiency services for Asian Services in Action, Inc. (ASIA). ASIA was started in 1995 by four Asian immigrant women under the premise that with the right support to individuals and families, the Asian community in the Cleveland area will flourish and thrive.

Almost immediately upon her arrival in Cleveland, Ying was able to benefit from ASIA’s Newcomers Family Support Center. Funded partially by the United Way of Greater Cleveland, the center provides individuals with pre-employment, employment retention, and employment and family development services; conducts assessments for other wrap-around services; and offers classes.

Ying met with an intake specialist, who determined her needs and discussed goals and opportunities. Three primary needs were identified — to address the language barrier, to find health care for Ying and her soon to be born child, and to find employment.

The first step for Ying, and most others who are new to the Cleveland area, was to attend the English as a Second Language (ESL) classes offered at ASIA. Classes are held for four hours each morning, Monday – Friday, for four months. ASIA was also able to assist Ying with obtaining health benefits, and completing forms and paperwork in preparation for the birth of her baby.

The Newcomers Family Support Center also provided leads on employment opportunities for Ying. Her first job, in a Japanese restaurant preparing sushi, was short-lived, due to the impending birth of her son. Following the birth of her son in February 2008, Ying worked for a short time in a local bakery, and also volunteered at ASIA — babysitting the children of other refugees who were attending ESL classes.

Today, Ying is focusing on continuing her education and taking care of her son. She has completed two levels of ESL and is now able to communicate and function much better. To further enhance her communication skills, she will begin Level 3 ESL classes in the near future, with a long term goal of pursuing higher education in early childhood education or nursing. And while she no longer spends a part of each day at the ASIA offices, Ying knows exactly where to turn for help with adjusting to her American way of life.

ASIA’s mission is to empower Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Northeastern Ohio to access quality, culturally and linguistically appropriate information and services. To learn more, go to www.asiainc-ohio.org, or call 216-881-0330 (Cleveland) or 330-535-3263 (Akron).

The United Way of Greater Cleveland is committed to creating hope and opportunities by providing funding to 202 area health and human services programs which in turn provide support to more than 400,000 Greater Cleveland residents every year. Please give generously to the United Way campaign. Pledge securely online at uws.org.

Posted by park | Filed under News