Established in 1980, Asian Pacific Health Corps (APHC) at the University of California, Los Angeles, is a student run community service organization devoted to serving disadvantaged Asian Pacific Islander (API) communities that have minimal access to health care and limited financial resources. Our Faculty Advisor is Dr. Benjamin Woo. In the past, APHC volunteers have provided blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol screenings in various venues throughout the greater Los Angeles area. Today, APHC offers a broader preventive health intervention and education program to promote health awareness in diverse API communities.
In the past 32 years, APHC’s ever-evolving vision has addressed the dynamic challenges and the changing needs of our API communities. Our volunteers are trained and certified by the American Health Association and/or medical professionals in screening procedures. Volunteers are also required to complete the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) training, provide proof of immunization record, and sign the Waiver of Liability, Assumption of Risk, and Indemnity Agreement. Once adequately trained, APHC’s student volunteers made visits to health fairs, temples, and supermarkets to provide free blood pressure, BMI/body fat analysis, and health education. On average, APHC attended at least six health sites each quarter, and APHC volunteers were able to screen about 120 participants at each site within 4-6 hours.
In realizing that there is also a need for more comprehensive preventive health resources, we organize three community health fairs a year. Last year, we held one at Our Lady of Peace (OLP) in North Hills in Winter, and one at Castelar Elementary School in Chinatown (CCHF) in Spring, and one at Monterey Park (MPHF) in Fall. This year, we will introduce a new health fair during the winter quarter: the Rosemead Community Health Fair (RCHF). These health fairs offer a multi-disciplined approach to bridging healthcare disparities. The synergy of dozens of health educators ranging from dentistry to optometry to mammography constitutes a powerful new avenue to help empower our communities through better health. These health fairs, the synthesis of decades-long service to the community and culmination of months of labor, characterize a growing segment of APHC’s effort. In our goal of promoting awareness of health issues plaguing the API population on a local and national level, APHC has been successful in having a positive impact on the communities it serves.
APHC also sets out to enhance student learning experience by allowing its volunteers to interact directly with participants. Through direct one-on-one connection with participants, we are able to effectively promote health awareness while forming relationships with the community. In addition, APHC acts as a support group and provides the volunteers with a number of networking and leadership opportunities as well as pre-professional information. We assist students by establishing mentorship programs with graduate students, holding discussions on medical and graduate schools, and encouraging current volunteers to participate in leadership positions offered within the organization. Now, in its 29th year, APHC continues its invaluable work in both the UCLA community and in the local API communities.
For more information, please visit our website: http://www.studentgroups.ucla.edu/aphc/ or email us at [email protected] or visit us in Student Activity Center Suite 106E.