The Wayne State University School of Medicine's chapter of the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA) will be recognized by the Association of Chinese Americans, Organization of Chinese Americans Detroit Chapter (ACA) next month for bringing health awareness to the Asian community in the Detroit area.
"This award is very special to APAMSA, since it recognizes our organization, our medical students and volunteer physicians, and our e-boards for all the hard work and time we have dedicated toward our goal of improving Asian-American health and health education in Detroit," said Edward Kim, a second-year student at the School of Medicine and health screening coordinator with the APAMSA.
The ACA will present the award Oct. 4 at its 36th annual "Global Voices for the Future" celebration and fundraising event, to be held at the Hyatt Regency Dearborn.
Mr. Kim said the School of Medicine's 40-member chapter will receive the honor in appreciation of its efforts to offer health screenings to the Chinese American community in the metropolitan Detroit area.
For the last several years, the chapter has organized health screening events with Wayne State University medical student and physician volunteers at ACA community centers. The free screenings are designed to provide people with Body Mass Index readings, blood pressure levels, and blood glucose and cholesterol measurements.
The chapter offers monthly health screenings at the ACA community center in Madison Heights and weekly blood pressure checks at the ACA community center in Detroit. The group is scheduled to offer three screenings at the Central Alliance Church in Detroit.
"The work this group does is invaluable," said Shenlin Chen, executive director of the ACA. "Every month, rain or shine, the students show up to conduct the health screenings. We have many people who are uninsured or under-insured, and the screenings assist them and provide some preventive care."
The APAMSA, founded officially in 1995 by Asian American students, works to promote awareness of and action against health disparity issues facing the Asian Pacific-Islander community in the greater Detroit area, as well as the nation.
"We hope to provide a medium in which both practicing and aspiring health professionals can learn to sensitively and accurately treat not just Asian-Pacific Islanders, but any persons of different cultural backgrounds they may meet in their careers," Mr. Kim explained.
The WSU chapter has also worked in conjunction with the Healthy Asian American Project and other community leaders to provide health screenings, and hepatitis B education and immunizations to the Korean, Vietnamese, Hmong and Filipino communities.
APAMSA takes part in annual cultural events on the medical campus to raise awareness of the large Asian Pacific American community of Detroit. Members do so by scheduling speaker presentations that target important health issues, such as the prevalence of hepatitis B and its connection to liver cirrhosis and cancer. The WSU chapter also hosts annual medical trips to China that allow students to gain a unique perspective on health education, health care and cultural differences within the Asian community.