Supervisor Simitian has long championed expanded services for Asian-American residents. He secured approval to fund enlarging the health clinic at Asian Americans for Community Involvement, which doubled the clinic's annual patient visits. Supervisor Simitian also led the Board in requesting an assessment of health disparities within Asian communities.
In 2020, acting on the findings from the assessment, Supervisor Simitian drafted a referral that was approved by the Santa Clara Board of Supervisors. This created a Community Health Worker program for the Asian and Pacific Island communities. This program enables local community health workers to connect people with appropriate social and health services. Removing cultural and linguistic barriers in both reaching and servicing the communities allows for greater access, leading to better health outcomes.
