A Bridge of Understanding: Creating a resource guide for non-Vietnamese health care providers

The Vietnamese population of Orange County, CA, experienced 97% growth between 1990 and 2000, and numbers over 300,000, the largest Vietnamese population of any county in the United States. This population is the largest concentration of Vietnamese outside of Vietnam. Access to primary health care is a major barrier, as VNCOC Asian Health Center is one of only two community clinics in Orange County equipped to serve the needs of over 75,000 Vietnamese needing safety-net health care services. The Asian Health Center (AHC) is a Federally Qualified Health Center, Look-Alike that is part of the Vietnamese Community of Orange County, Inc. and provides primary medical and dental care services to underserved and uninsured Vietnamese residents.

Difficulties in access to care for Vietnamese patients are compounded by barriers that include limited English proficiency (LEP) and provider understanding of cultural beliefs and attitudes towards disease. The AHC undertook development of a Health Care Provider Resource Guide to provide critical information to non-Vietnamese health care providers on the cultural beliefs of Vietnamese patients and perceptions about specific disease categories. Using input from focus groups of Vietnamese user/patients of the health center and health care providers in the community, cultural beliefs and attitudes to specific diseases including cancer, diabetes, Hepatitis B and mental health were explored within the framework of two health models over the human life cycle. The feedback from non-Vietnamese providers in the community using virtual conferencing helped guide the development and lead to a product that is relevant and useful.