UnitedHealth Opens Center That Aims To Improve Access To Care For Elderly Chinese-Americans In California

Main Category: Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP
Also Included In: Public Health;  Seniors / Aging
Article Date: 20 Mar 2009 - 7:00 PDT

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SecureHorizons, a division of UnitedHealthcare, on Wednesday opened a medical center in Alhambra, Calif., aimed at improving health care access for the Chinese-American community, the Pasadena Star News reports. Asians represent 47% of the Alhambra population, and 33% of those are Chinese, according to Judy Chu, vice chair of the California State Board of Equalization.

The SecureHorizons Medicare Resource Center is designed to help non-English-speaking elderly Chinese-American residents better navigate the U.S. health care system. The center will help those who might be eligible for health care services and programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, but face language or cultural barriers, according to the Star News. The center staff will speak Mandarin and Cantonese, Martina Lee, the facility's executive director, said. The staff will help patients fill out medical forms and apply for programs.

Chu said that by being a culturally sensitive health service provider, the center will gradually become aware of the issues of most concern in the Asian-American community, such as hepatitis B. "The center will grow and will be heavily utilized to give the elderly the health care services they need," Chu added (Funes, Pasadena Star News, 3/18).

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