MOVIN’ ON UP. The Asian Health and Service Center has served about 1,538 clients in the past year alone. From preschool programs to health and wellness offerings for seniors, the center serves the diverse needs of Asian immigrant communities in the Portland metropolitan area. (AR Photos/Maileen Hamto)

From The Asian Reporter, V17, #50 (December 11, 2007), page 11.

By Maileen Hamto

The Asian Health and Service Center stays busy all week long.

On Monday afternoons, the center hosts a Chinese medicine clinic through the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland. On Tuesdays, groups of Chinese and Korean seniors gather for health classes and exercise programs. Chinese calligraphy and painting classes are taught by local masters on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. Every Friday, a women’s health group meets to discuss a variety of topics, from maintaining healthy blood sugar levels to breast health.

In the past year alone, Asian Health and Service Center (AHSC) served about 1,538 clients in two locations — one in Portland and one in Beaverton. From preschool programs to health and wellness offerings for seniors, the center serves the diverse needs of Asian immigrant communities in the area.

To improve services to clients, the AHSC Portland facility will move to a larger building next to its current location. Located on S.E. Powell Boulevard near S.E. 34th Avenue, the building is currently being renovated in preparation for the AHSC move, slated for early 2008.

The new AHSC facility is approximately 12,000 square feet, which offers more room than its current 10,000 square-foot building. The two-story building promises to be more accessible than the current one, which also includes a basement. "Our current building has a lot of stairs. In the new building, each floor allows 6,000 square feet. And there’s more open space," said Holden Leung, AHSC executive director. "We hope to bring in more activities."

A community area will be available for local nonprofits and government agencies to hold meetings and events. Leung is pleased the new building is also closer to the bus stop already used by many center clients attending AHSC programs.

"Over 60 percent of our clients in the tri-county area use public transportation," Leung says.

Timing of the move is optimal to support the growth of the center’s scope of services, says Christine Lau, chief operating officer. Since its inception as a nonprofit that primarily serves the Chinese community, the center has expanded to provide services to a number of Asian communities. Thirty-eight percent of clients report they are natives of Korea, while 37 percent cite China as their native country. Nine percent of clients are from Vietnam, and five percent come from Taiwan.

Through vigorous grant-seeking efforts, AHSC has successfully secured foundation grants that allow it to meet a wide array of unserved needs, including programs that specifically target women’s health issues and the needs of seniors and their caregivers.

A Komen Community Grant funds AHSC’s Asian Breast Cancer Survivorship Program, which targets the growing number of Chinese and Korean community members who do not have access to breast cancer survivor services. AHSC anticipates serving 60 survivors directly through support groups and reaching about 800 women through outreach and education. The Breast Health Promotion Project — funded by Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the Avon Breast Cancer Fund — helps low-income women age 40 to 64 access free mammograms and pelvic exams. The project also offers support scheduling interpreters for medical appointments, and provides materials on breast health in Korean and Chinese women.

Support is also available to caregivers through the Asian Family Caregiver Program, funded by Washington County’s Department of Aging, Disability & Veteran Services. AHSC launched a comprehensive, culturally specific caregiver education and support program for the Asian community in Washington County. The program brings culturally appropriate education and training to caregivers and their family members.

"Among Asians, family members are caregivers. Many risk burnout because no support is available. They fight a lonely battle," says Lau. "Caregivers sacrifice so much to take care of their loved ones. We tell them not to feel guilty if they want to take time for themselves. How can you take care of someone if you yourself are not well?"

Yet another AHSC program is Tea Link: A Community Engagement Program. Funded by the Northwest Health Foundation, it is a community engagement program that provides a social network for Asians isolated by language barriers in the Portland metropolitan area.

"It doesn’t matter how long a person has been in this country, many in our community need help connecting to local resources," Lau says. "We provide our clients with tools and information on a wide range of community programs and resources."

In addition, a grant from the United Way of the Columbia-Willamette supported the "Road Map to the New Horizon" community survey designed to create a better understanding about health attitudes and perceptions among diverse Asian communities.

About 720 respondents participated in the survey, which included 305 Chinese, 226 Korean, and 189 Vietnamese community members. Participants provided answers to questions about their general health status, health beliefs and behaviors, and barriers to health services, among other issues.

"The Asian Health and Service Center submitted an outstanding proposal that gave United Way an opportunity to make an important investment in the health of the Asian community," said Howard Klink, vice president of community investment at United Way. "This project produced very strong results with limited funds. The report has already begun to have a far-reaching effect on the region’s understanding of and capacity to provide culturally effective services for the Asian community."

Survey findings will be presented at a Cultural Competency Lecture at Oregon Health & Science University, slated for Wednesday, January 16. Highlights of survey findings include:

• Only 47 percent of respondents reported doing exercise to stay healthy.
• 10 to 14 percent of the total population sought acupuncture, took herbs, or visited a Chinese medical doctor.
• Korean respondents are more likely to go to church/temple or do spiritual activities as a way to stay healthy compared to Chinese or Vietnamese.
• Vietnamese participants are less likely to spend time with family or friends as a way to stay healthy compared to Chinese or Korean.
• About 37 percent of the study population use Oriental medicine between Western medical appointments and treatments.

"Our intent with the survey is to provide direction to providers and patients about how best to work together to reduce service gaps," said Leung. "Our long-term goal is to nurture community partnerships to reduce health disparities in the Asian community."

To learn more about AHSC program offerings, call (503) 872-8822 or visit <www.ahscpdx.org>.