AAWA-OC Health and Community Resources Fair

I covered a health fair that AAWA-OC put together at St. Columban Church in Garden Grove. Hundreds of residents came through over six hours to get free health screenings, talk with doctors, and connect with community resources. One man told me he drove more than 50 miles with his wife just to be there. Another volunteer shared that she started doing this kind of work in college, after watching her own mother struggle with a language barrier during a doctor’s visit when she first arrived in the U.S. Moments like that are why I keep doing this work.

Behind events like this are organizations and healthcare providers who spend months, sometimes over a year, planning to make sure people get care they might not otherwise have access to. I wrote this piece for Người Việt because those efforts deserve to be seen. If you’re a healthcare provider, clinic, or community organization doing this kind of work, I’d be glad to help share it.

Read the original article (in Vietnamese) here

Article Summary

Hundreds Attend Free Health Fair at St. Columban Church

Hundreds of residents attended a free health fair organized by the Asian American Women Association of Orange County (AAWA-OC) at St. Columban Church in Garden Grove on Saturday, June 27, offering free health screenings, medical consultations, and connections to community support services.

Running from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the fair brought together doctors, healthcare professionals, university students, and volunteers from local community organizations. Attendees could check their blood pressure, blood sugar, heart rate, oxygen levels, height, weight, BMI, and bone density, get a memory assessment, and receive guidance on Medicare, medication management, chiropractic care, massage therapy, and other social services.

An Phan, a Sylmar resident, drove more than 50 miles with his wife to attend. After going through the screenings, he said his results were largely healthy aside from high cholesterol, which his family doctor is already monitoring. He called the event meaningful, both for giving residents an early health check and for letting medical students gain hands-on experience serving the community.

Dr. Đỗ Ngọc Hà, founder and president of AAWA-OC, said the organizing team spent nearly a year and a half preparing the fair, with a goal of connecting universities, healthcare professionals, community leaders, students, and volunteers around a shared mission of service. She said AAWA-OC’s goal is to make health information, preventive care, and trusted community resources easier to access, so individuals and families can take a more active role in their own health.

Beyond the screening stations, residents could speak directly with physicians about health concerns, Alzheimer’s, Medicare, and senior support resources. Dr. Quỳnh Kiều of VM Medical Group noted that many families face long wait times to see specialists, particularly for children with developmental delays or behavioral health needs, and said early intervention is critical for child development. Health fairs like this one, she said, help people access screenings, consultations, and services more quickly than many clinics can otherwise offer.

Dr. Dũng Trịnh, medical director of Healthy Brain Clinic and a board member of Alzheimer’s Orange County, pointed out that Alzheimer’s is often diagnosed late within the Vietnamese community, since many families assume memory loss is simply a normal part of aging or hesitate to bring a loved one in for evaluation. He explained that early detection gives patients a better chance to slow the disease’s progression through diet, exercise, sleep, and mental engagement, and encouraged people not to dismiss early warning signs like forgetting names, words, or reasons for entering a room.

Tina Trần, a volunteer at the fair, said she has been involved in community service since college, driven by a desire to help the Vietnamese community stay healthy. What she enjoys most, she said, is helping older residents understand what their health numbers actually mean. She recalled interpreting for a Vietnamese-speaking mother during her first prenatal visit, a moment that reminded her of her own mother’s experience facing language barriers after immigrating, and said she hopes more young volunteers will step up to support others in similar situations.

Minh Tăng, representing Astiva Health, said the company is partnering with AAWA-OC for a second consecutive year to share information about Medicare and senior health benefits. Gavin Fang of Becker Law Group also spoke with attendees about a recent chemical leak in Garden Grove, advising affected residents to monitor their health, keep records and receipts, and understand their legal options if the incident caused health or property damage.