Filipino Advocacy and Organizing for Health Project: The importance of language concordance between provider and patient in building healthier Filipino communities

Filipinos are the second largest Asian American group in the U.S. and have immigrated in large numbers since the early 1900s. Despite their size and historical presence in the US, the Filipino community remains largely understudied. In California, 69.8% of Filipinos living at or below 200% of federal poverty level currently have hypertension. To address health disparities facing the growing Asian and Pacific Islander (API) community in Alameda County, California, Asian Health Services (AHS), a community health center in Oakland, California, partnered with Filipino Advocates for Justice (FAJ), to implement the Filipino Advocacy and Organizing for Health Project (FAOH Project) in Union City. This project conducted a health needs survey identifying the most pressing health problems and barriers facing the Filipino community. An assessment of cultural health beliefs and other social factors highlighted the distinct need for obesity and cardiovascular risk reduction interventions, as well as tuberculosis prevention. The study further emphasized the need for Tagalog medical interpreters and bilingual primary care doctors. Although many Filipino patients can speak English comfortably, the study revealed preference for providers that can speak their language. This session will discuss how the FAOH project pioneered three outcomes critical to promoting a healthier Filipino community: 1) report backs about the project, which organized and engaged the community to access preventive health screenings, 2) organization of a nutrition campaign to raise awareness on healthier eating habits, and 3) development of a Filipino patient navigator position in AHS addressing the language barriers between patients and providers.