SATURDAY: First-ever Khmer Health Fair in White Center
Happening Saturday (September 21), 8 am-1 pm:
The Khmer Health Board is hosting its first-ever, FREE health fair to address health disparities in the local Khmer community in the greater Seattle area. The health fair will incorporate free health screenings, wellness services, and resource/education promotion to engage understanding on how to support Khmer American health needs. The Khmer Health Board’s mission is to advocate for health equity in their Khmer community by addressing the institutional and systemic barriers that impact the health, safety and well-being of the community.
The goal of the health fair is to improve the Khmer Seattle communities’ access to much-needed health screening, health education or other preventative services related to oral health, diabetes, immunizations, housing services, and counseling/mental services among others. Historically, Khmer American refugees have overall worse health outcomes than any other non-refugee Asian immigrant. Even decades after resettlement, well-being suffers in comparison to other ethnic groups. The health fair would emphasize a holistic approach to health and well-being for the local Khmer community.
By recognizing the problems in this group will allow for those that provide service to expand on what on supports and resources that currently exist. Common health and wellbeing issues today include legacies of historical trauma that have resulted in PTSD and put the community at higher risk of Hepatitis B, liver cancer, heart disease, and isolation continue to affect both individuals and families. The health fair can refer individuals to appropriate existing resources and intentionally create long-term support.
Khmer Americans rank among the highest in poverty and lowest in educational attainment. Along the low English proficiency, cultural differences, and distrust in American healthcare, this contributes to the Khmer community facing barriers in accessing treatment or preventive care. The health fair is a way for the Khmer Health Board to address the health problems that their own community faces in a culturally relevant way.
The event will take place on Saturday, September 21, 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM at White Center Community Center at Steve Cox Memorial Park. Contact Jennifer Huong at jhuong@uw.edu to learn more about the event or contribute as a sponsor.
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September 17th, 2019 at 10:21 am
So sad for senior citizens…we have health fairs based on culture, free summer lunches for teenagers,Healthpoint clinics at schools for teen students, but nothing for senior citizens who are barely scraping by. It seems the leadership talks the talk for what they think we want to hear, but clearly, our aged population in our community is ignored.
September 17th, 2019 at 11:20 pm
It’s not an either/or and I’ve published many things about special senior resource events over the years.