Akron, OH, Feb 2, 2022— Asian Services In Action (ASIA) today announced it is among 49 awardees that received a grant from Direct Relief’s Fund for Health Equity, which mobilizes financial resources for organizations focused on non-clinical interventions that affect a person’s health. Commonly known as the social determinants of health, these factors include an individual’s physical, social, political, cultural, and economic environment.  

The 49 organizations received funding for a wide range of initiatives, including a campaign to overcome anti-Asian hostility and its effects on wellbeing; an initiative to develop more active lifestyles among members of the Yurok Tribe; a center supporting Black women’s wellness; and an organization focused on improving birth outcomes for refugee populations, primarily from African and Asian countries. 

ASIA received $224,000 from the Fund for Health Equity for its work to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate chronic disease prevention, health screenings, and education for Limited English Proficient (LEP) individuals in Northeast Ohio.  

“This grant will help some of the most vulnerable and often overlooked community members to achieve better health outcomes by addressing what they need for overall wellness,” said Elaine Tso, CEO of Asian Services in Action (ASIA). 

ASIA’s approach to offer direct and all-encompassing health care to those in need is to emphasize community health worker outreach and community health promotion for the LEP population in order to address chronic health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and mental illness, e.g. depression. By increasing education and access to healthcare through communicating to individuals in their native language and building trust with the community via relationship-centered outreach workers, ASIA aims to improve the overall and long-term health of the immigrant and refugee community.  

“This round of funding honors organizations on the front lines of their communities that are already working tirelessly to eliminate health disparities,” said Byron Scott, MD, MBA, co-chair of the Fund for Health Equity and board director of Direct Relief and chair of its Medical Advisory Council. “These funds will allow these exemplary organizations to continue innovation as they improve health outcomes for vulnerable populations across various communities in our country.” 

The awardees were selected by the Fund for Health Equity’s Advisory Council, which includes the following members:   

·       Co-Chair Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA, 18th U.S. Surgeon General of the United States, Founder Bayou Clinic, Inc.   

·       Co-Chair Byron Scott, MD, MBA, Board Director of Direct Relief and Chair of its Medical Advisory Council   

·       Martha Dawson, DNP, MSN, RN, FACHE, President of the National Black Nurses Association, Associate Professor the University of Alabama at Birmingham   

·       Jane Delgado, Ph.D., MS, President and CEO of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health   

·       Gail Small, JD, Head Chief Woman, a citizen of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe   

Direct Relief also announced fellow grantees for 2022.