March 2015
Volume 5, Issue 5
|
Greetings!
Despite the snowy and chilly weather we have been getting, AAHI is keeping busy with several new and exciting projects. As spring approaches, we look forward to attending outreach events and working with the local community!
We would like to take this time to bid our Program Coordinator, Jasmine Vinh, a heartwarming farewell. In her two and a half years at AAHI, Jasmine helped maintain our internal/external communications, expand our outreach efforts, and strengthen our Health Promoters Program. We will miss her passion and dedication to serving the community. We wish Jasmine the best of luck in her future endeavors!
We also welcome our new Senior Program Coordinator, Udara Perera, MPH. She will be responsible for overall coordination of the Health Promoters Program and outreach activities in diverse communities. Welcome to the AAHI team, Udara!
|
Save the Date!
E.C.H.O. Workshop:
Intro to Health Data
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Senior Program Director of the Mental Health Association of Montgomery County, Karishma Sheth, speaking at our most recent E.C.H.O. Workshop
Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Time: 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Location: Great Hall, Silver Spring Civic Building, 1 Veterans Place, Silver Spring, MD 20910
It is that time of the year again! Please mark your calendars for our ninth Empowering Community Health Organizations (E.C.H.O.) Workshop, "Intro to Health Data." Join AAHI, in partnership with the African American Health Program and the Latino Health Initiative, for a free workshop on the basics of health data and why it is important.
|
Raising Awareness on Mental Health
Did you know that suicide is the tenth-leading cause of death among Asian Americans? Or that Asian American women ages 15-24 and 65 and older have the highest suicide rates among women across all racial and ethnic groups? Despite these alarming statistics, Asian Americans have the lowest utilization of mental health services (National Alliance on Mental Illness).
One of AAHI's main goals this fiscal year is to raise awareness on mental health in the Asian American community. With the support of AAHI's Steering Committee, community partners, Health Promoters, and volunteer actors, our team came together to develop new creative materials that would help bring important mental health information to the community.
AAHI is in the process of creating a photonovel and video with the purpose of reducing stigma associated with mental health among Asian Americans, as well as empowering our community to learn more about mental health. The photonovel and video were ideas suggested by the Steering Committee, which is comprised of leaders from various communities. Look out for these materials, which will be available in English, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, and Vietnamese, in the months to come!
AAHI's development of new mental health materials in progress!
|
Connecting Communities to Services
AAHI Program Coordinator, Jasmine Vinh, providing training on how to conduct small business outreach
According to the Census Bureau's Survey of Business Owners, there are over 70,000 Asian American-owned businesses in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Small business owners and employees often have limited time away from work to learn about health and seek primary care. AAHI's Connecting Communities to Services (Connect) Program aims to bring health information directly to the few employees at mom and pop stores, linking them to needed resources.
On January 22nd, AAHI worked with five dedicated volunteers from the Viet Nam Medical Assistance Program (VNMAP) to provide Asian-language Affordable Care Act (ACA) information to local small businesses. We focused on businesses located in Silver Spring and Wheaton. Through this opportunity, we were able to talk to over 35 people, distribute over 95 ACA brochures, and reach out to over 29 small businesses!
We thank our wonderful VNMAP volunteers and staff for making this Connect session possible!
|
Sincerely,
AAHI Staff
Asian American Health Initiative
Montgomery County Department of Health & Human Services
|
|
|
|
|
Upcoming Events
March 22 - Hepatitis B Initiative of Washington, DC (HBIDC) Education & Screening Day
March 28 - Chinese American Senior Services Association (CASSA) 18th Health Fair
March 29 - Viet Nam Medical Assistance Program (VNMAP) Screening, Management, Awareness, and Solutions for Hepatitis B (SMASH-B) Education & Screening Day
April 19 - Muslim Community Center's (MCC) First Inter-Faith Health Fair
April 26 - VNMAP SMASH-B Results & Vaccination Day
April 26 - Rainbow Gardens Health Fair
|
Past Highlights
January 22 - Affordable Care Act Connect Training & Outreach Session
January 25 - VNMAP SMASH-B Education Day
February 8 - Association of Vietnamese Americans (AVA) Lunar New Year Tet Festival
|
|
|
|
|
