VM Medical Group Hosts Health and Wellness Workshop

A few weeks ago, I sat in on a health workshop VM Medical Group put together in Westminster, alongside Tran FS Insurance Agency and the Asian American Women Association of Orange County (AAWA-OC). It was a room full of Vietnamese families, many of them seniors, learning about Medicare, Medi-Cal, Alzheimer’s, and the support already available to them, if only someone explained it clearly. One woman told me she’d been to plenty of clinics before, but this was the first time things actually made sense to her. I haven’t stopped thinking about that.

That’s really the heart of why I do this work. So many of our local businesses, clinics, agencies, nonprofits, are quietly taking care of our community in ways most people never hear about. Someone has to tell those stories, so I wrote this one for Người Việt. If you’re a healthcare provider or local business doing right by the people you serve, I’d love to help more of the community find out about it.

Read the original article (in Vietnamese) here

Article Summary

VM Medical Group Hosts Health and Wellness Seminar for the Vietnamese Community

VM Medical Group held a “Health and Wellness” seminar on Saturday, June 13, at its office in Westminster, aimed at giving the Vietnamese community easier access to useful health information. The event was organized in partnership with Tran FS Insurance Agency and the Asian American Women Association of Orange County, and covered topics including Medicare, Alzheimer’s disease, memory health, and available social services, with a special focus on seniors.

Dr. Chính Mai, representing VM Medical Group, opened the program by sharing the center’s mission to build a comprehensive care model under the motto “Health for the Whole Family.” He noted that many in the Vietnamese community remain unaware of common conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease, since these often progress quietly in their early stages. He stressed that routine checkups are the best way to catch problems early and treat them effectively.

Michelle Nguyễn, a volunteer with VM Medical Group, introduced free social services available to the community, from help completing paperwork to connecting seniors with support programs. She pointed out that language barriers remain a major obstacle for many older Vietnamese residents trying to access these programs, and that seminars like this one help bridge that gap, especially for newer arrivals who may not yet be plugged into the community network.

A representative from Tran FS Insurance Agency walked attendees through health insurance options including Medicare, Medi-Cal, and Covered California, encouraging people to enroll in Medicare as soon as they’re eligible to avoid complications later.

One of the most well received parts of the seminar was a presentation on Alzheimer’s and memory health by Dr. Đỗ Ngọc Hà (Jackie Conley), founder and president of AAWA-OC. She walked through early warning signs, such as forgetting recent events, repeating the same questions, or struggling with finances and daily tasks, and encouraged families to seek an early evaluation if these signs become frequent. Her presentation resonated strongly with attendees caring for aging parents or relatives, and sparked an active question and answer session covering everything from Medicare eligibility to caregiving resources. Many attendees stayed after the program to speak further with the speakers and counselors.