March 15, 2024 | Vol. 53, Issue 5

The only bilingual Chinese-English Newspaper in New England

Health

Physician Pathway Act Receives Favorable Report from Joint Committee on Public Health, Included in Economic Development Bill

On January 11, Massachusetts General Hospital had 103 patients boarding in its Emergency Department, meaning that 103 patients in the ED that day were sick enough to be admitted to the hospital yet have to remain in the ED as there are no available hospital beds. January 11 is marked on the calendar as one of the most crowded days the hospital has experienced in its two centuries of service and caring for Boston and surrounding communities. Massachusetts General Hospital, […]

Cardiac Arrest Rates Skyrocket Among Asians, But Lives Can Be Saved

Cardiac arrests are a serious issue that has caused an increasing astronomical amount of deaths every year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, About 695,000 people in the United States died from heart disease in 2021—that’s 1 in every 5 deaths. One person dies every 33 seconds in the United States from cardiovascular disease, many of them being Asian American, due to multiple things, including but not limited to the bystander effect, lack of knowledge of CPR, […]

Believing There’s an ‘Average’ Asian American is a Dangerous Assumption

In a collection of his autobiographical writings published in 1907, the American writer Mark Twain cited approvingly a little aperçu that there are three kinds of lies – lies, damned lies, and statistics. Would you cross a river that is four feet deep on average? Hopefully not, since it might be a foot deep in parts and seven feet deep in other parts: four feet deep on average, surely, but not necessarily safe to cross.What if you are diagnosed with […]

A New Strategy for Mass and Cass – and the Opioid Crisis?

Ten years ago, the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard did not yet bear the moniker “Mass and Cass”. Millions of dollars were not spent on emergency services or police overtime in the area. City councilors did not debate about what to do there, and articles were not written about it in national papers. The area’s devolution into its present state as a full-blown humanitarian crisis mirrors the development of the opioid epidemic in the United States, which […]

Cultivating Mental Well-being: The Greater Boston Chinese Golden Age Center’s Healthy Minds Project

In an era where mental health awareness is taking center stage, community organizations play a pivotal role in ensuring that individuals of all backgrounds receive the support they need. One such organization, the Greater Boston Chinese Golden Age Center (GBCGAC), has embarked on a remarkable journey through its “Healthy Minds Project,” aimed at addressing the mental health needs of Chinese-speaking Asian seniors in the Boston area. Overcoming the Stigma: Breaking Silence in the Asian Community Mental health challenges within the […]

Back to School Concerns as COVID Cases Increase: How to Stay Safe

As children in Boston return to school, the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) has some tips to stay safe and healthy. In mid-August, BPHC noted that COVID-19-related hospitalizations in the city were low but that the average level of COVID-19 particles in Boston’s wastewater was increasing. This trend has continued over the last few weeks. With the cold and flu season approaching as well, preparation is key to illness prevention. BPHC “strongly recommends that all families stay up to date […]

Alarming Consequences for Asian Americans About High Exposure to “Forever” Chemicals

A shocking article published in August’s Environmental Science & Technology by the American Chemical Society showed that Asian Americans have disproportionately high exposure to polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The primary author, Dr. Shelly Liu who is an associate professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, additionally noted that when compared to whites, Asian Americans had a median PFAS level that was 88% higher. To fully understand the consequences of these findings, it is important to note the significant […]

Tufts Medical Center and Transformative Organizations Shaping Boston Communities

Last summer, Tufts Medical Center conducted a comprehensive Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), revealing three essential health priorities: behavioral health, financial security and mobility, and access to care and services. In response, a coalition of 20 organizations, carefully selected through an RFP process, emerged with a collective goal of driving positive change across Boston’s diverse neighborhoods. “In the wake of the CHNA, we strategically harnessed the findings to address pressing health needs through targeted interventions,” states Sherry Dong, Executive Director […]

Living Your Best Life:  It Takes a Village

A five-minute walk from the historic On Leong Chinese Merchants Association building in Chinatown brings you to the Biewend building on Tremont Street. Dr. Wei Wang, a geriatrician and primary care physician, sees elderly patients here at Tufts Medicine’s primary care offices. He told Sampan that many elderly people living in Chinatown deal with chronic medical conditions like diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. This is true of older adults more generally. In the United States, nearly 95% of […]

Health Connector Partners With El Mundo to Kick Off Health Coverage Enrollment Campaign in Fenway Park

BOSTON, MA — Sunday, June 11, 2023 – The Massachusetts Health Connector partnered with El Mundo Boston for “Tu Salud” Health and Wellness Fair at Fenway Park on June 11, partnering with local Navigator organizations to provide on-site, multilingual enrollment assistance. “Tu Salud” is a free, first-of-its-kind Latino Fair and Wellness Fair catered to Latino families in Greater Boston that provided a unique opportunity for the Latino community to connect with health care providers, services and health care coverage information. […]

404 Not Found

404 Not Found


nginx/1.18.0 (Ubuntu)