Healthy Asians & Pacific Islanders Medical Center in Las Vegas valley breaks down health care barriers
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Taking a family member to the doctor comes with many roles. Not only as a caregiver but as a medical advocate too. But it can be even harder if you don’t know the language.
“As a child, I knew my mom and dad had to go to the doctors and I had to translate, when you’re a child trying to translate you really don’t know the medical terms,” Vida Lin, the president of the Asian Community Development Council, said.
That’s why she opened the Healthy Asians & Pacific Islanders Medical Center, aka HAPI, in 2022.
“I also know that 82% of our AAPI community are underinsured or uninsured and one of the reasons why our community doesn’t go to the doctors is because they don’t have someone who can speak the language or understand the culture and needs they have,” Lin added. “I think in our community and I talked to my parents and family, they really don’t want to go to the doctors. They either say I don’t have time, they’re either small business owners or either working multiple jobs or whatever reason it may be so timing is really hard to set up an appointment and meet with a doctor.”
When Lin started the Asian Development Council over 10 years ago, she saw the different needs the Asian community has as the population in the valley continued to grow. It took several years to open the clinic, and it eventually did in 2022.
“In our culture, we go to the doctor when we’re sick, I mean you have to be really sick. I’m trying to teach and educate how important for our community to do preventive care to test early and make sure if you do have something, take care of it earlier right?” Lin explained.
Staff can communicate in different languages including Cantonese, Mandarin, Thai Tagalog, Vietnamese and several others.
Clinical director Dr. Michelle Lin is one of the many physicians available, with a concentration in osteopathic medicine.
“That is exactly what I wanted to do to be able to have modality outside of medication and surgery to help patients. It ties in very well with the Asian philosophy on how we view health, how we view medicine, how we view treatments,” said Dr. Lin. “To see someone who looks like them, it just puts them at ease and they can speak freely about their condition, about their goals, their concerns.”
Assistance is also available at the HAPI clinic to alleviate any financial struggles so providers can ensure they’re meeting your health care needs.
Spreading the word is key so everyone knows they have options for physical examinations, preventative care, and chronic disease management.
“What I need the community to know is that we’re still waiting for insurance credentialing. However we honor your co-pay, we still see you. We still treat you like any other patient,” Dr. Lin. added. “We get a lot of appreciation from our patients, that’s worth it being told thank you, now I can spend time with my family, now I can go play with my kids, those things are just completely priceless. So it’s no question the amount of gratitude from that keeps me going.”
For more information, click here.
For other resources, click here.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
