Several hundred Burmese living in the New York area attended the 11th
Several hundred Burmese living in the New York area attended the 11th Annual Community Health Fair at Aviation High School in Queens on Sunday, August 24, which was sponsored by the Myanmar American Medical Education Society, Inc. (MAMES). Approximately 35 doctors and health professionals offered free checkups for obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and cholesterol, as well as breast cancer and hepatitis screening. To attract more people, volunteers set up a homemade Burmese food court.
“There are many uninsured people in the community and even when they are insured, some people do not come to see a doctor until they become sick. The main purpose of the event is to encourage community involvement in health care and health education,” said Dr. Myat Myat Mon (there is no first or last name in Burmese), who organized the event.
MAMES, a nonprofit organization, was established in 2002 by a handful of Burmese doctors, including Dr. Myat Myat Mon, to help uninsured people in the community. The organization covers the rental cost of the venue, provides equipment and test strips for screening, and staffs the free checkups. Another organization brings portable mammogram equipment.
Also offered at the event was advice about how to obtain health insurance, and some general information about prevention and health education to help members of the Burmese community who may be uninformed, physicians said.
“Under Obamacare, legal immigrants and citizens can get health insurance. We provide health screening benefits to the population which has no insurance or is unable to get insurance because of documentation problems, and to non-immigrant groups,” explained Dr. Myat Myat Mon. There are an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 Burmese living in the tri-state area, and Dr. Myat Myat Mon estimates that a substantial number of them are uninsured and work at part-time jobs or small businesses that do not offer health insurance.
Dr. Myat Myat Mon was trained in Myanmar as a medical doctor and passed the medical board exam upon her arrival in the U.S. 25 years ago. She is currently a clinical assistant professor and a plastic surgeon at SUNY Downstate.
She emphasized the importance of preventive medicine, saying, “people should take a once-a-year checkup even if they feel healthy.”
http://www.voicesofny.org/2014/08/burmese-doctors-help-community/?utm_source=Voices+Newsletter&utm_campaign=22f66f24a5-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_ffee07af47-22f66f24a5-32371745