Weinberg junior Emily Zhao recalled there being “like five people” when she visited Chicago’s Chinatown with Northwestern student organization Chinatown Health Initiative during her freshman year. At the time, the group faced obstacles because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This memory made her return to the neighborhood in Fall Quarter as the club’s president, when several more attended, all the sweeter.
“It was really nice to see what a big group of people it was, visiting a Chinese American museum together and learning more about Chicago’s Chinatown history,” Zhao said.
Chinatown Health Initiative works to provide medical information and interpretation services for patients at partner clinics across Chicago and the North Shore. Though membership had dwindled during the pandemic due to an inability to conduct in-person activities, the club has now regained its numbers and is focused on elevating healthcare advocacy work.
Zhao said Chinatown is a primary target of service because it is a center for Chicago’s Asian American settlement, especially for new immigrants. Many club members volunteer at clinics, which serve uninsured or low-income patients.
The club also aims to serve local seniors, a particularly vulnerable group,. Zhao said. She pointed to some elderly patients who have lived in Chinatown for a long time but could not understand U.S. health insurance policies because of language barriers as an example..
These barriers, along with a distrust of medical professionals, cause community members to avoid seeing the doctor, CTHI co-clinical chair and Weinberg senior Jiayi Kong said.
Kong’s committee focuses on providing translation services at free screenings for conditions like hypertension and osteoporosis.
“It’s pretty rewarding because I’m from the area,” Kong said. “Doing the most I can in a limited setting is a big thing for me and, I think, for a lot of people in my committee, because as…
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