Asian American Health Initiative Newsletter
 
November 2014
Volume 5, Issue 3
Quick Links:
 

Community Blog






Upcoming Events: 

 

December 7 - Viet Nam Medical Assistance Program (VNMAP) Women's Health Initiative

January 11 - VNMAP Screening, Management, Awareness, and Solutions for Hepatitis B (SMASH-B) Education & Screening Day

February 8 - VNMAP SMASH-B Results and Vaccination #1 Day

 

Check out our calendar of events for more information!

Past Highlights:
 

September 28 - Washington Spencerville Korean SDA Church 5th Health & Welfare Expo

October 4 - Korean Community Service Center (KCSC) Health Fair

October 5 - KCSC Active Care and Treatment of Hepatitis B (ACT Hep B) Vaccination #3 Day at New Covenant Fellowship Church

October 10 - DB Consulting Group/Lux Consulting Group 8th Annual Health & Wellness Fair

October 11 - Indian American Medical Association (IAMA) & Guru Gobind Singh Foundation (GGSF) 4th Annual Health Fair

October 12 - KCSC ACT Hep B Vaccination #3 Day at St. Andrew Kim Catholic Church

October 12 - Resource Information Table at Cambodian Buddhist Society's Kathina Celebration

October 25 - Chinese American Senior Services Association (CASSA) Health Check-Up #17

October 26 - Resource Information Table at International Buddhist Center's Kathina Celebration

October 26 - Muslim Community Center (MCC) Medical Clinic Annual Community Health Fair

November 4 - Empowering Community Health Organizations (E.C.H.O.) Workshop: Mental Health in Our Communities II

November 6 - Community Resources Outreach to 5 Asian Small Businesses

November 15 - Shri Mangal Mandir Health Fair

November 16 - Migrant Heritage Commission (MHC) Health Fair

November 19 - Community Resources Outreach to 8 Asian Small Businesses

Greetings!

 

Despite the cold weather kicking in, AAHI has been out and about in the community. We attended numerous health fairs, cultural celebrations, and outreach events over the past few months. It has been wonderful both reconnecting and building new partnerships within the community.

 

In addition, please join us in welcoming our new Behavioral Health Program Coordinator, Michelle Pineda, to the AAHI family! We look forward to working with Michelle in the months to come.  

 

AAHI is also currently accepting applications from students or recent graduates for our Spring 2015 internship position! AAHI interns have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in public health and be involved in a variety of projects focused on improving the health of Asian Americans.

 

Remember, you can stay connected with AAHI through our blog. You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

 
Recap: E.C.H.O. Workshop
Mental Health in Our Communities II

 

On November 4th, AAHI, in partnership with the African American Health Program and the Latino Health Initiative, hosted our "Mental Health in Our Communities II" Workshop. This was the eighth installment in our Empowering Community Health Organizations (E.C.H.O.) Project, which provides practical and professional training workshops designed to build the capacity and sustainability of community organizations.

 

The workshop was led by the Senior Program Director at the Mental Health Association of Montgomery County and the Manager of the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services Access to Behavioral Health. Our speakers focused on mental health, its connection to the mind and body, tools to help overcome cultural and linguistic barriers, as well as Montgomery County support services. Attendees also had the opportunity to discuss mental health within the context of a specific community during an interactive small group exercise. 

 

Over 100 attendees, representing about 50 organizations, attended our workshop! Thank you to our speakers, small group moderators, attendees, Steering Committee, Health Promoters, volunteers, and staff for making this yet another successful workshop. We look forward to seeing you again at our spring 2015 E.C.H.O. Workshop!

 

Visit our community blog to see photos from the workshop. The Workshop Summary is also now available online (7.1 MB).  

Click here to see a full-size version of this image.
 
It's Affordable Care Act Enrollment Season!
Why is health insurance important? Health insurance protects you and your family from large debts due to unexpected medical costs, such as medical emergencies, surgery, or a serious illness. In March 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law, expanding the affordability, quality, and availability of private and public health insurance for Americans. 

Open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act is a 90 day period, which re-opened on November 15, 2014 and will end on February 15, 2015. Those who enrolled last year through Maryland Health Connection must re-enroll by December 18, 2014 to continue their coverage with financial assistance for January 2015 onward. Medicaid enrollment is year-round.

In-person assistance to sign up for insurance will be available at various locations in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties, also known as the Capital Region. Please visit www.capitalhealthconnection.org to see a list of sign-up locations, required documents, calendar of enrollment events, and other helpful resources for the Capital Region. 
 
A Closer Look at LIEED

The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (MCDHHS) launched the Leadership Institute for Equity and Elimination of Disparities (LIEED) in July 2013. It is comprised of leaders from diverse communities as well as MCDHHS' Director and its Senior Leadership Team. LIEED's mission is to address social determinants of health with the goal of eliminating disparities and achieving equity among Montgomery County residents.

AAHI had the opportunity to sit down with LIEED's Co-Chairs, Betty Lam and Dr. Sam Mukherjee, to learn more about their vision and work in the community. 

If you were to explain LIEED to a community member who had never heard of LIEED before, how would you describe it?
LIEED was established to focus on enhancing MCDHHS' policies, practices, and programs to better serve minority communities in the County. 

How will LIEED help the community?
By focusing on a broader and systems-level approach, LIEED strives to influence MCDHHS policy for more effective and cost-efficient programming, which we hope leads to a long-term positive impact on the community. For example, in Year 1, LIEED worked closely with MCDHHS to ensure that the County's new system-wide electronic client record better captures the population's diversity using disaggregated data. The County can use this information to better describe the profile of the population, as well as adjust its practices and policies. 

What is your vision for LIEED in the next 3 to 5 years?
We are very optimistic about the concept of LIEED and its broad potential. We are hopeful that LIEED will be able to identify opportunities to work on system improvements and address social determinants of health that have long lasting impacts beyond the capacity of any one program. In the future, we wish to further expand and cover health and human services so that they will be both equitable and responsive to community needs.
 

Sincerely,

 

AAHI Staff

Asian American Health Initiative

Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services