Holy Name Medical Center – Asian Health Services

Overview

Asian Health Services (AHS) evolved after the adept implementation and ongoing success of Holy Name Medical Center’s (HNMC’s) Korean Medical Program (KMP), formed in 2008. KMP is living testimony to the genuine need for health education and screenings through its community outreach programs to address preventive care needs. KMP physicians found certain diseases such as diabetes, hepatitis B and mental illnesses to be more prevalent in the community and developed education and screening programs specifically for those diseases.

Spurred by the success of the KMP and under the umbrella of AHS, the Chinese Medical Program (CMP) and the first hospital-based Filipino Medical Program (FMP) started in 2015 in response to the rapidly growing health care needs of these populations. Community-based education and screenings include diabetes, cardiovascular and BMI/body composition. More than 150 Asian-American physicians are part of Holy Name’s AHS network. They provide culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate medical care, in addition to being active participants in community education efforts.

At HNMC, cultural amenities help patients feel more comfortable seeking medical attention. Native-speaking customer representatives guide patients from arrival through departure, offer support, sit with patients in the recovery room, help them with referrals to specialists and assist with any billing issues. HMNC also offers Korean, Chinese and Filipino cuisine on the hospital menu, television stations and newspapers in patients’ rooms, a dedicated hotline and a network of KMP, CMP, and FMP physicians. Bilingual drivers also transport elderly people from their homes to HNMC.

Impact

Offering medical services in patients’ native language and with culturally appropriate health care amenities has inspired patients to undergo preventive screenings and helped them to be more proactive in maintaining their health. Every year, AHS provides medical services to more than 60,000 Asian Americans at HNMC’s Teaneck campus and three off-site locations in Closter, Englewood Cliffs, and Paramus. Through various community outreach campaigns, more than 10,000 Asian Americans annually receive free screenings for breast cancer, diabetes, prostate cancer, hepatitis B, mental health, cardiovascular issues and blood tests. Since the introduction of the Affordable Care Act, more than 5,000 uninsured Asian families have obtained health insurance through Holy Name’s AHS, which offered enrollment assistance to the Asian community.

Lessons Learned

Since the KMP’s inception, program leaders have learned many important lessons about diseases that are more prevalent in the Asian community, such as hepatitis B, diabetes and mental illnesses. At the same time, they have successfully made the linkage of these health care needs to actionable follow-up services by establishing such centers as the Asian Liver Center, Asian Diabetes Center, and Asian Dementia Center.

Future Goals

AHS’ goal is to make HNMC the “medical home” for the Asian community in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area and to become a national model for providing culturally and linguistically appropriate health care services. Several hospitals in Bergen County have or are in the process of establishing programs such as KMP, modeling what HNMC has done. AHS also has shared its work with a few hospitals in other states such as California and Illinois. HNMC is also planning to implement an Indian Medical Program in the near future.

Contact: Barbara Bermudez
Marketing Coordinator
Telephone: 201-833-7116
Email: b-bermudez@holyname.org