What is HAPI?

The Health Awareness Program for Immigrants (HAPI) aims to educate the Vietnamese community about the risks of chronic diseases, the benefits of preventive health and how to access locally available services. Our current focus is on cervical and breast cancers, the two most common cancers among Vietnamese women. Early detection through Pap smears and mammograms can discover these two silent killers before they become life-threatening, yet an alarmingly low number of Vietnamese women are screened on a regular basis.

Target Population 

Medically-underserved Vietnamese Americans with:

• Low-income status
• Limited-English proficiency: 91% of Vietnamese speak a language other than English at home, while 61% are limited English proficient, the highest rate among Asian Americans.
• Uninsured: Thirty-two percent of Vietnamese adults are uninsured. Even Vietnamese women who have insurance, either employer-based or Medicare, are not aware of laws that mandate insurance coverage for regular and appropriate cancer screenings and do not utilize the services. Lack of adequate insurance is a symptom of the low-level jobs that many Vietnamese take due to low levels of English proficiency and a lack of job skills.  
• Lack of transportation

HAPI aims to raise awareness of these serious health risks among the Vietnamese community, we offer a myriad of services:

Education

Outreach workers teach local community members about chronic diseases such as breast and cervical cancers, their risk of developing these diseases, preventive health, early detection and healthy lifestyle choices through one-on-one education, workshops and community events. We have recently added other common chronic diseases among Vietnamese elders such as colon, lung, liver cancers and diabetes.

Referral

Community members are directed to local service providers for Pap smears, mammograms and other early detection tests. Project staff act as Navigators to help individuals: a. Schedule appointments b. Arrange transportation and interpretation c. Follow up after the appointment to answer any questions, explain test results and help with future appointments or additional tests

Support

Women are encouraged to join a local women’s group to meet other community members, talk and socialize through monthly events. Cervical cancer and breast cancer are the two most common cancers among Vietnamese women. Early detection through Pap smears and mammograms can discover these two silent killers before they become life-threatening, yet an alarmingly low number of Vietnamese women have these screening tests on a regular basis. The goal of HAPI is to educate Vietnamese women about their risk for cervical and breast cancers, the benefits of preventive screenings and where to go for affordable screening services.