Asian Health Services Advocates for Language Access in COVID-19 Response
Vesper Society links arms with leaders and communities to uplift through service, break down barriers, and elevate community voices. As we emerge from the pandemic, we asked Asian Health Services to reflect on the impact of COVID-19 on the community.
How did the pandemic uncover already-existing biases in our society?
COVID-19 exposed our greatest vulnerabilities, exacerbating existing inequities within communities of color. Asian Americans were simultaneously blamed for spreading the virus and were ignored when it came to the needs of the community.
Asian Health Services is a community health center in Alameda County, CA, that serves 50,000 patients who speak 14 different languages. We observed that many patients and community members were not coming out of their homes, even for grocery shopping. We suspected this was due to various barriers, including language access, fear due to the rising anti-Asian hate incidents, and lack of information.
In June 2020, Asian Health Services launched a survey and found:
- Extremely low COVID-19 testing rates (3%)
- A lack of knowledge on where to get tested (49%)
- Reports of racial discrimination (6%)
- Job loss and/or reduced work hours (over 50%)
- Elevated mental health conditions (depression at 25% and stress at 75%)
In response, Asian Health Services shared this survey with local governments. This led to the creation of the first three Asian American and Pacific Islander multi-lingual COVID-19 community testing sites in Oakland and Fremont, where 37,000 COVID-19 tests were conducted.
How did Asian Health Services mobilize its resources to serve the community?
We reorganized our staff to do the following:
- Launch a multi-lingual COVID-19 help line to set up COVID-19 testing appointments, provide social services (food and housing assistance), and mental health referrals.
- Establish a multi-lingual contact tracing team in partnership with Alameda County to assist in tracing over 2,000 cases and their contacts.
- Launch high-volume vaccine and pop-up clinics in parks to provide over 20,000 vaccinations.
Vesper Society’s support enabled us to acquire a mobile medical van to bring vaccines and in-language medical services to different local areas, significantly reducing access barriers.
Why is advocacy so important?
Throughout the pandemic, we heard numerous stories of community members who were unable to access COVID-19 testing and vaccines due to the lack of information in their native languages. There were no translated materials and no interpretation at main vaccine sites.
We believe language access is a civil right. That is why we launched a national online reporting tool, www.AsianAmVoices.org, to capture incidents of language barriers when trying to access healthcare.
Since its founding in 1974, Asian Health Services has continued to serve and advocate, addressing the needs of its patients and community while advocating for systemic changes that get at the root causes of health inequities.
Vesper Society is proud to walk alongside Asian Health Services to protect the human dignity and wellness of all cultures and languages.