health

May 6, 2022 0

Failure to Fund Successful Health Services Program Leaves 30,000 Vulnerable Residents, Communities of Color Without Vital Care

On March 29, 2022, ABCD—Action for Boston Community Development—received the shocking news that the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Population Affairs, was terminating funding of the anti-poverty organization’s Title X Family Planning program as of March 31, 2022. For more than 50 years, in collaboration with a vital community health center network, ABCD has done an exemplary job of delivering critical health services to more than 30,000 low-income residents and communities of color. Where are our […]

April 27, 2022 0

Covid-19: Severe Impact on Lower-Income Households

by Max Wei

In Carolyn Wong and Ziting Kuang’s report Asian Americans and the Covid-19 Pandemic, a Multi-Lingual Survey in Greater Boston in 2020-21, the impact of the pandemic on English-limited and low-income Asian families are mainly reflected in financial losses, unemployment, and food and housing difficulties. In their survey, the population is focused on Chinese American, Vietnamese American, and South Asian ethnicities living in the neighborhoods of Chinatown, Dorchester, Malden, and Quincy. The survey also pays attention to the percentage of low-income […]

April 27, 2022 0

One Family’s Struggle to Get Mental Health Care Highlights a Problem Many Asian Americans Still Face

by Jeff Millman

When James started taking a more active role in his mother’s health care needs around six years ago, he came to appreciate something he had not understood before. “I didn’t realize without [a family member’s] help that my mom is actually a survivor,” he said. Born in China, James’ mother emigrated to the United States as a young woman and has lived in the Boston area for over 40 years. She has also dealt with mental health issues since she […]

April 12, 2022 0

The Air That We Breathe: Testimonies From the Frontlines of Chinatown’s Air Pollution Battle

by Max Wei

Chinatown continues to be one of Boston’s more vibrant communities. However, behind that curtain, the residents, workers, and businesses breathe the dirtiest air in Massachusetts. Joan didn’t know that Chinatown had the dirtiest air in Massachusetts when she moved here eight years ago. But when her two twin girls were diagnosed with asthma two years ago, she was shocked. She couldn’t understand why. No one in her own family had asthma and no one smoked at home. Then her children’s […]

December 17, 2021 0

Omicron Variant Updates

by Sampan Staff

According to the CDC’s Omicron tracker, the variant has so far caused infections in 23 states, including Massachusetts. The quick emergence has health officials urging residents yet again to get fully vaccinated.

December 3, 2021 0

Global Eyes on the Omicron Variant

by Sampan Staff

The emergence of the Omicron variant, a new strain of COVID-19, has the world on edge as health care organizations monitor its spread. The Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution (TAG-VE), gathered on Thanksgiving to assess variant B.1.1.529, otherwise known as Omicron. Omicron, which was first confirmed in South Africa on November 24, has increased its spread throughout the country and others, including Denmark, Australia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Botswana, Israel, the United Kingdom, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, France, and […]

December 3, 2021 0

Pediatric Vaccines Approved

by Sampan Staff

Last month, following FDA approval, the CDC officially endorsed the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11, expanding the eligible population and opening doors for families to become fully vaccinated. After the rise of the Delta variant over the summer, cases found in children surged, resulting in hospitalizations, deaths, and longer-term side effects in some patients, even after they were cleared. Various state-sponsored, pharmacy, and healthcare locations throughout the city have responded to the newly appointed eligibility, opening children’s vaccination […]

November 5, 2021 0

COVID-19 Booster Updates

by Sampan Staff

Updated information on COVID-19 booster shot availability has been released by the Baker-Polito administration in accordance with Center of Disease Control (CDC) guidelines. Now, all three vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson) have available boosters being administered to qualifying residents throughout Massachusetts. The Moderna booster is available to residents who are 65 or older at least six months after their second Moderna shot. Following the same timeline, the booster can also be received by those who are 18 or […]

October 22, 2021 0

YMCA fall fitness fundraiser

by Sampan Staff

The YMCA of Greater Boston will be hosting a fitness and community building event from October 16 to October 24. The event, dubbed Together We Move, will include 20 activities for participants to reconnect with both their physical wellness goals, as well as each other. Among the activities are various in-person 5K races across towns and neighborhoods, mini triathlons, yoga, and virtual 5K races. The final in-person race will take place on Sunday October 24, with registration open until Friday […]

September 17, 2021 0

Mask mandates make comebacks in Massachusetts

by Sampan Staff

With the Delta variant of COVID-19 on the rise in Massachusetts, Boston and the surrounding areas are all updating their face mask requirements. Masks are to be worn in public indoor spaces and municipal buildings, as well as in some private spaces where people from varying households can gather. In schools, Education Commissioner Jeff Riley was given the greenlight to reinstate the mask requirement for K-12 schools through October 1. Masks are still required on public transportation, in MBTA stations, […]

404 Not Found