SCCHC E-NEWS
March 2017
  Quincy Clinic 88 Holmes Street Clinic South Street Clinic 
Greetings from South Cove! 

Dear South Cove Staff, Patients, Supporters and Friends, 

Eugene Welch

We are going through many changes, but this is not the time to panic! It is the time for us all to work together and be true to our mission.  Remember, our job has not changed in the last 45 years, and that is to take care of the legal, non-English speaking Asian immigrants with respect, compassion, and linguistic strength.   

Remember, working together we are much stronger! 

Let me thank you for all you do.

     
Sincerely, 
EW signature
Eugene Welch
CEO/Executive Director
In This Issue
South Cove is Expanding to Malden! 
A plan in the works to open a 5th clinic 

South Cove Community Health Center has been exploring the possibility of opening a clinic in Malden for some time.  According to the 2010 Census, Malden has the 3rd largest Asian population after Boston and Quincy.  A Malden clinic makes sense not only because of its Asian presence but also because South Cove's many existing patients are from Malden.  The vision of a location in Malden, first and foremost, aims to bring our services to existing patients, many of them elders who would greatly benefit from a clinic that is right in their backyard. 

We are thrilled to announce that after over a year of actively exploring different opportunities, we have finally settled on a building that has the potential to deliver our vision.   On February 23, 2017, South Cove officially purchased a piece of property on 277 Commercial Street, which we hope to begin remodeling into a state-of-the-art clinic as soon as we receive the green light from the Malden Planning Board.  The remodeled one-story clinic will have 13,782 square feet, with 76 parking spaces.  It will provide internal medicine, Ob/Gyn, pediatrics, lab and optometry care, along with a team of social services staff whose primary job function is to help patients obtain federal and/or state health coverage.  

3-dimensional rendering of the proposed Malden Clinic

We are excited, both for the health center and our patients, at the prospect of delivering culturally competent care to our existing and new patients from the Malden area.  

American Psychiatric Association Honors Dr. Albert Yeung
Dr. Yeung receives the Kun-Po Soo Award
Dr. Albert Yeung
 
Dr. Albert Yeung, South Cove's Co-Medical Director and the Head of the Behavioral Health Department, has been selected as the recipient of the American Psychiatric Association's Kun-Po Soo Award. The award, established in 1987, recognizes an individual who " has made significant contributions toward understanding the impact and import of Asian cultural heritage in areas relevant to psychiatry."   Additionally,  the award seeks  to "encourage scholarship and rese arch in culture-specific  mental health issues and treatment needs of Asian populations."  

Dr. Yeung has accepted the award and will be traveling to San Diego this May to be recognized at APA's Annual Meeting.  He will also be delivering a lecture titled "Culturally Sensitive Collaborative Treatment (CSCT) for Chinese Patients with Depression in Primary Care," based on his work at South Cove.   

In accepting this award, Dr. Yeung expressed his appreciation and gratitude to both Eugene Welch and South Cove. 

To Eugene: 
"I feel honored and I appreciate your strong support over the years, without which these work would not be possible." 

To South Cove:  
"I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to serve at South Cove.  Our patients are our best teachers." 

Congratulatory note from Eugene Welch, ED:
I'd like to express our sincere congratulations for Dr. Albert Yeung receiving another prestigious acknowledgement of his contribution toward the understanding and the impact of the Asian culture as it relates to psychiatry.  Again, to Dr. Albert Yeung, congratulations on a job well done.

Dr. Yeung has dedicated his career to researching, studying and understanding mental health issues facing Asian Americans; he is at the forefront in the treatment of depression among Asian Americans.   We cannot be more proud of Dr. Yeung and we are thrilled that his work at South Cove is being recognized on a national level.  

Dr. Qiyue Hu and Patient Interviewed on Diabetes Screening Among Asian Americans 
Implicit bias may exist in screening Asian Americans for Type 2 diabetes

WGBH, in partnership with PRI  (Public Radio International), interviewed Dr. Hu and a patient of his with Type 2 diabetes on the prevalence of diabetes among Asians and its under-diagnosis. 

According to the article, Asians are two times more likely than Caucasians to develop diabetes and yet there is a startling estimate that "more than half of Asian Americans with Type 2 diabetes don't even know they have it."  To find out why that is, Dr. Elizabeth Tung of the University of Chicago conducted a study and concluded that Asians "had 34% lower odds of being screened than whites."  When factors such as educational level, health accessibility, and insurance status could not explain the discrepancy, Dr. Tung was left to ponder if implicit bias played a role. 

Tung suggested that "either patients don't ask for diabetes screening because they think they are not at risk, or physicians don't screen their patients because they think their Asian patients are healthier and at lower risk."

WGBH, working on a story based on the findings of Dr. Tung's study, approached South Cove and sought Dr. Hu's opinion on the subject.  For his part, Dr. Hu feels the health center does a good job in terms of screening.  But he also stressed that regardless of the ethnicity of the clinician or the patient, as long as doctors follow the guidelines - ADA changed its recommendation to screen Asians at a lower body mass index two years ago - it would be hard to miss anything.    

SCCHC Upholds Its High Standards with Renewed Joint Commission Accreditation

South Cove successfully renewed its Joint Commission accreditation last October for the 6th time. Prior to last year's survey,   we were re-accredited in November 2013, which extended our accreditation to 2016, meaning that we would again be greeted with an unannounced visit as we were nearing the 3-year mark. Sure enough, on one October Monday morning, they came knocking! 
   
The 3-day survey covered everything from clinical operations to policies to board governance. The team of two, which consisted of a physician and a nurse/administrator, did their job by conducting a comprehensive examination of the health center's entire operation. They looked at policies & procedures, inspected the physical facilities and observed staff-patient interactions. They quizzed staff on health center protocols, equipment handling as well as specific knowledge related to the job. The surveyors posed tough questions and left no stone unturned. Though the process was thorough and at times draining, we felt that we had been ready and responded well to the surveyors' fine-toothed comb approach.   

At the end of the survey, the collective feeling from all involved was a sense of accomplishment and of course, a sense of relief! The Commission cited us on some items and made recommendations for improvement going forward.  We felt that the result of the survey was positive and were pleased with our overall performance.   Eugene Welch thanked all staff for their effort and a job well done!
 
 
The Joint Commission certificate "is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization's commitment to meeting certain performance standards." Obtaining this accreditation is considered the pinnacle for healthcare organizations; it means that all our systems: clinical, financial and administrative meet the high standards set by the Joint Commission. SCCHC first obtained the golden seal of approval in 2001, the most recent re-accreditation renewed our status to October 2019.  We are proud to will have been a Joint Commission accredited healthcare organization for almost 20 years by 2019 without interruption, this is a remarkable feat and a record that we hope to keep extending.   
Happy Lunar New Year of the Rooster

Cleaning houses thoroughly, shopping for new clothes and sporting a new hairdo are all indications that the lunar new year celebration is near!  In China, as well as other parts of Asia, lunar new year remains the single biggest celebration of the year and the longest, as it is a 15-day celebration.  This year's spring festival, what the Chinese refers to as the new year holidays, kicked off on Saturday, January 28, officially ushering in the year of the Rooster.

2017 is Year 4715 in the lunar calendar and the year of the Fire Rooster.  In addition to the zodiac sign that runs on a 12-year cycle, each year is also represented by an element according to the Chinese Five Elements (metal, water, wood, fire and earth) Theory.
 
South Cove marked its own new year celebration at the Washington Street clinic on February 2, with a lion dance by the Josiah Quincy School students.  The Quincy School has a lunar new year celebration every year, it has become a tradition for the lion dance troupe to pay a visit to the clinic following the conclusion of the school's celebration.  As always, the lion cubs (since the dance is performed by 5th graders, appropriately the lions are of smaller size) were a big hit with patients and staff alike. They paraded down the hallway and visited every department to symbolically ward off evil spirits and bring good luck to the clinic.  Though it was a brief 15-minute celebration, nonetheless it brought a smile to everybody as well as a cheery and festive atmosphere normally not associated with clinics.  

South Cove also sponsored and participated in the new year celebrations in Boston Chinatown and Quincy, both of which took place on Sunday, February 12, 2017. 
 
As everyone settles into the Year of the Rooster, South Cove wishes prosperity, happiness and health to all in year 4715!  

SCCHC Staff and Quincy School Lion Dance Troupe 

SCCHC Administration wishes everyone a prosperous year of the Rooster
SCCHC is Turning 45!
Save the Date: 9/9/2017

South Cove Community Health Center is turning 45! 

In 1972 a group of volunteers in Chinatown planted the seeds to what is today the premier Asian American community health center of Massachusetts! We owe our humble beginning to those who worked tirelessly to ensure adequate healthcare access to new immigrants facing language and cultural barriers. 45 years later, the health center has stayed true to its mission of serving the underserved and providing quality healthcare at low cost. 

We want to thank everyone who contributed to make SCCHC what it is today. A big celebration is planned for Saturday, September 9, 2017 at the JFK  Library and  Museum . More information will follow as the date draws near, in the meantime, please mark your calendar and save the date!
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How your donation will help us serve our patients:

 

$50 -  Fill one uninsured patient's tooth

$100 - Give one uninsured family nutrition class 

$250 - Give one uninsured woman mammogram screening

$500 - Give one uninsured patient proper medication for one year under our 340B Pharmacy program 

$1,000 - Take care of one uninsured patient for medical visits at the health center for one year
Yes! Please take me to the SCCHC Donate page!   
About Us

About South Cove Community Health Center:
Founded in 1972, South Cove is dedicated to improving the health and well being of all medically underserved in Massachusetts with a special focus on Asian Americans. This mission is accomplished by providing high quality, community-based health care and health promotion programs which are accessible, linguistically and culturally competent for these populations.

Services:
Adult Medicine (成人科) Bone Density (骨質篩檢) Ob/Gyn (婦科) Mammography (X光乳房攝影篩檢) Pediatrics (兒科)
Podiatry (足科 ) Neurology (神經科 ) Dentistry (牙科) Optometry (眼科) Member Services (會員服務) Nutrition/WIC (營養科/奶卷) Family Planning (家庭計劃) 340B Pharmacy ( 藥房 ) Early Intervention (幼兒培育組) Behavioral Health (行為健康科) Brighton/Allston After-School Enrichment Program (課餘活動中心)

Clinics:
885 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111
Tel: 617-482-7555
145 South Street, Boston, MA 02111
Tel: 617-521-6730
435 Hancock Street, Quincy, MA 02171
Tel: 617-318-3300
88 Holmes Street, Quincy, MA 02171
Tel: 617-318-3200

After-School Program:
Brighton/Allston After-School Enrichment Program:
640 Washington Street, Brighton, MA 02135
Tel: 617-787-1087

Website: