Free Cardiovascular Screenings During Chinatown Night Fair

This past Saturday night, UCSF's Asian Heart and Vascular Center offered free cardiovascular screenings to the public during the Chinatown Night Fair in Portsmouth Square, San Francisco. The screenings were part of a collaborative effort between the Asian Heart and Vascular Center, the Asian Health Caucus and the Hypertension/Cholesterol Project of the Academy of Student Pharmacists. The screenings were funded by the Mount Zion Health Fund. During the event, participants received free blood pressure and cholesterol screenings, as well as materials written in Cantonese and Mandarin about heart disease prevention and treatment. A total of 44 people were screened on Saturday, the first night of the weekly fair. "The total number of people we could screen was limited by the time that the machines took to run the cholesterol tests, but we had a constant stream of people waiting," said Jessica Chan, pharmacy chair of the Asian Health Caucus and a focused coordinator of the Hypertension/Cholesterol Project. "It was a very positive experience providing screening and cardiovascular health information to a group of people who have had little, if any, access to this type of information before." Of those screened, 57 percent exhibited symptoms of hypertension, while more than 75 percent of all individuals screened had cholesterol levels higher than 200 mg/dl, the optimal healthy cholesterol level for adults.

From left to right the people in the photo are: Shuyi Zhao, Cynthia Lee, Shane Orzechowski, unknown, Allison Lam, Jessica Chan, Diana Lau, Yenni Lin.

Chan and Diana Lau, administrative director of the Asian Heart and Vascular Center, worked closely with fair organizers to secure a booth for cardiovascular screenings during the Saturday night event. "From past experiences, we knew the fair would be a very important and valuable venue for providing a vulnerable segment of the public language-appropriate health information and screening opportunities," said Lau. "Chinese immigrants often do not seek medical care until health-related symptoms arise. However, it is very important for individuals to be screened in advance of symptom onset, so they can take the appropriate steps for preventive care." During the night, student volunteers screened several individuals who had never had any type of cardiovascular testing in the past. "We have found with every screening event we do, we find at least one exceptional story. At this event, we screened an elderly woman who was visiting from China whose systolic blood pressure was above 220 mmHg. She was asymptomatic and had no idea that she had high blood pressure," recounted Lau. "We instructed her daughter to keep her calm and restful in the interim, but to take her to see a physician as soon as possible, as this was a serious medical condition," said Lau. "We all felt good that we were able to intervene in a timely fashion, and that we might have saved the woman from suffering a major consequence from the high blood pressure. These are the types of encounters that keep our energy up and make us want to continue with the screenings." Systolic blood pressure measures the force of the heart when it contracts, or beats. Healthy individuals have a systolic blood pressure below 140 mmHg. According to Lau, high blood pressure is very dangerous because most individuals feel nothing unusual, even when their blood pressure is dangerously high. For this reason, high blood pressure is often called the "silent killer." The group will continue to offer screenings every Saturday night from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. during the Chinatown Night Fair until its conclusion on Oct. 28. About the Asian Heart and Vascular Center The UCSF Asian Heart and Vascular Center provides patients with treatment that is respectful of the cultural differences that distinguish the Asian population. Patients receive information and language-appropriate educational materials about heart disease and prevention. Additionally, the center participates in research to further understand the metabolic and genetic differences of the Asian community. One of the goals of the Asian Heart and Vascular Center is to meet the specific health care needs of Chinese American immigrants in the Bay Area, as well as increase this community's accessibility to health care by providing screening and treatment. The center has already conducted numerous vascular screenings, as well as several free community lectures in Cantonese. About the Asian Health Caucus The Asian Health Caucus is a campuswide organization at UCSF that was founded in 1975 to promote mutual understanding and friendship among all members of the UCSF community, increasing awareness of the health needs of Asians and Asian Americans in the United States and the world. The Asian Health Caucus is one of the oldest student-run organizations at UCSF. Related Links: UCSF Opens First Asian Heart and Vascular Center in the United States
UCSF Today, May 15, 2006 UCSF Asian Heart and Vascular Centerv Asian Health Caucus Hypertension/Cholesterol Project of the Academy of Student Pharmacists, UCSF Chapter