Mountain View, Calif. — March 22, 2022 — After delays due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, El Camino Health's Chinese Health Initiative (CHI) is celebrating a decade of service to the community. Since 2011, CHI has supported El Camino Health in promoting culturally sensitive care, addressing the unique health needs of the Chinese and Chinese American communities across Santa Clara County and beyond.
"We are the first and only program of this kind in the Silicon Valley, and we're proud to be a leader in giving local families access to inclusive care," said Jean Yu, manager of CHI. "We've grown over the years, but our mission remains the same, and that has been to improve the health and well-being of the Chinese community with health education, medical screenings, resource referral, and culturally appropriate patient experiences."
Since its launch, CHI has provided nearly 4,000 medical screenings for hepatitis B, osteoporosis, hypertension, diabetes and stroke in an effort to help address the troubling health disparities in the Chinese community. In addition, more than 15,600 members of the Chinese community have attended CHI's nearly 300 workshops in person or online, reaching a global audience during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today, CHI currently has more than 125 doctors in its network who speak Mandarin, Cantonese, or other Chinese dialects who deliver workshops, offer consultations at health fairs, or contribute to "Ask-the-Doc" medical columns in support of CHI's mission. CHI has published more than 237 "Ask-the-Doc" articles in the World Journal, a major Chinese language newspaper in San Francisco.
"It's incredibly important for Chinese families to establish care teams that understand their culture, values, and lifestyle, and thanks to this network, we’ve been able to help thousands of families gain access to physicians and other resources that help address their needs," said Yu. "We hope to continue this work for years to come."
Aside from its physician network, CHI has developed several other resources that help Chinese and Chinese American patients. They partnered with El Camino Health's spiritual care program to launch the patient ambassador program where they trained Chinese-speaking volunteers who visit with Chinese patients to support their care. CHI also worked with Chinese American Coalition for Compassionate Care to provide El Camino Health’s clinicians training on culturally competent end-of-life care, and introduced congee, a comforting traditional rice porridge on the inpatient menu.
The El Camino Health Foundation will host a Red Envelope Celebration, a benefit to honor the Chinese Health Initiative's 10th Anniversary on Saturday, March 26, at 5 p.m. at the Los Altos Golf & Country Club located at 1560 Country Club Drive in Los Altos. Tickets are still available. To purchase tickets, please contact Kirsten Krimsley at 650-988-4189 or via email at kirsten_krimsley@elcaminohealth.org.
Learn more about the CHI at El Camino Health.
(The photo above was taken in October 2019)
About El Camino Health
El Camino Health provides a personalized healthcare experience at two not-for-profit acute care hospitals in Los Gatos and Mountain View and at primary care, multi-specialty care, and urgent care locations across Santa Clara County. For nearly sixty years, the organization has grown to meet the needs of individuals and communities it serves. Bringing together the best in new technology and advanced medicine, the network of nationally recognized physicians and care teams deliver high quality, compassionate care. Key service lines include behavioral health, cancer, heart and vascular, mother-baby, neurology, orthopedics, spine, urology and women's health. The hospitals have earned numerous awards for clinical excellence, including being named a top 100 hospital in the nation by Fortune/IBM Watson Health and Newsweek, Best Maternity Care Hospital for Los Gatos hospital by Newsweek, and earning a 5-Star Overall Hospital Quality Rating from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). El Camino Health has earned four consecutive American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet Recognition for nursing excellence and quality patient care.
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