Report Looks at Health Care, Other Needs of Pennsylvania Asian, Indian Residents
Family Services of Montgomery County, Penn., recently released a report detailing how health care providers in North Pennsylvania can better meet the needs of Asian and Indian communities, the Doylestown Intelligencer reports.The 80-page report, titled "Koreans and Asian Indians in the North Penn Area," was funded by the North Penn Community Health Foundation and written by Larry Fiebert, associate executive director of Family Services. According to the report, between 1990 and 2000, the Asian population in North Pennsylvania more than doubled. Population growth for Asians in the area was far higher than that of any other group and was more than 10 times that of the white population. Asians now represent almost 7% of the region's population.
The report includes data from interviews of 40 Korean and Indian residents in the county and identifies 14 basic "problem areas or unmet themes." Both groups identified mental health and the elderly as key themes of concern. Koreans also identified language barriers as a top three concern and Indians cited domestic violence issues. Other issues included health and medical concerns, health insurance issues, immigration concerns, substance use problems and lack of awareness of community services.
Fiebert said, "We need to improve and make our services culturally accessible," noting that the report sought to identify cultural attitudes and perceptions that might prevent Asian and Indians from seeking help.
Sanjeev Jindal -- vice president of the Bharatiya Temple in Montgomery Township, an Indian religious and cultural center -- said, "I think the report has been well received in the community." He added, "We are going to tackle four areas: women's issues, youth issues, elderly issues and abuse. So we hope that ... we will divide and conquer these action items" (Sessinger, Doylestown Intelligencer, 12/7).
The report is available online (.pdf). This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.