Tufts Medical Center last month awarded grants to five organizations that focus on Asian health as part of its annual Asian Health Initiative (AHI), this year supporting programs focused on diabetes, obesity and smoking.
AHI provides annual grants of up to $50,000 to promote the implementation of health-related programs that meet the needs of the Boston-area Asian population, according to Sherry Dong, the director of Community Health Improvement Programs at Tufts Medical.
The Asian American Civic Association, Boston Asian: Youth Essential Service, Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, Greater Boston Chinese Golden Age Center and Wang YMCA of Chinatown each received a grant for their commitment to addressing health concerns specific to Boston's Asian community.
Organizations in Chinatown received priority for the grants, Dong told the Daily in an e-mail.
"The Medical Center is situated in the heart of Chinatown, serving as a primary healthcare provider for the community," Dong said. "As such, it is quite logical to place an emphasis on the health of the community in closest proximity to us and for whom cultural and linguistic challenges make our support even more crucial."
Each year's grants focus on specific health concerns, this year's being diabetes, obesity and smoking cessation, according to Dong.
"We … develop criteria, work with our advisory committee and review local public-health data to identify health priorities for any upcoming funding cycles," Dong said.
The Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, an organization that works with mental health providers, public schools and guidance counselors, received a grant in support of its effort to raise awareness about childhood diabetes and obesity through its Family Services program, according to the organization's executive director, Elaine Ng.
The Family Services program, whose staff works with parents to help them meet their children's mental and physical needs, owes its existence to AIH, Ng told the Daily.
"Our Family Services [program] was founded through the first grant from AHI, when they first started funding," Ng said.
Ng plans to use the grant to fund varied approaches to issues in family health. A cooking class, for example, will introduce immigrant parents to healthy recipes that they can make for their children.
"I think a person's health and their ability to live a healthy life is impacted by a lot of different factors," Ng said. "Health needs are inextricably linked to other areas."
The Wang YMCA of Chinatown also received a grant for its work combating obesity. It will use the money to implement a program targeting health among teens.
"Children were seen at risk for obesity by not exercising, by eating poorly and by not getting information from their immigrant parents on what to do," Richard Chin, the director of community development at the Wang YMCA, told the Daily.
"There's a critical need for youths and teens to adopt healthier lifestyles, to offset the risks of obesity and poor nutritional choices," he added.
Chin sees the grant-funded program improving Chinatown teens' health across the board.
"Our program will try to help change teens' sedentary lifestyle, nutritional choices and lack of a health-and-wellness exercise regime," Chin said.
