2003 Annual Report

Table of Contents

• Organizational Structure of The Asian Center
• Budget for The Asian Center 2003
• Pleasant Heart Program
• Pleasant Life Program
• Smoke Free Restaurants
• New Programs
• Collaborative Efforts
• Marketing Strategy
• Asian Resource Center
• The Asian Center, Expansion
• Projections and Plans

Organizational Structure of The Asian Center

Budget for The Asian Center 2003

Expenditure Category	Contractor	Total Budget
Tobacco Prevention Program
Salaries and Wages	The Asian Center	$41,717
Fringe Benefits	"	$10,429
Travel	"	$2,000
Supplies and Materials	"	$1,243
Contractual (Subcontracts)	"	$600
Equipment	"	$0
Other Expenses	"	$9,011
Total Funding	"	$65,000
Pleasant Heart Program
Salaries and Wages	The Asian Center of West Michigan	$16,260
Fringe Benefits	"	$1,968
Travel	"	$460
Supplies and Materials	"	$3,936
Contractual (Subcontracts)	"	$0
Equipment	"	$0
Other Expenses	"	$1876
Total Funding	"	$24,500

Pleasant Heart Program

Another year of our successful program that utilizes the ancient Chinese practice of Qigong Therapy, as well as healthy diet and lifestyle change education. Our program has been a compliment to Western medicine and has proven to be a positive and well received program.

During the year of 2002 to 2003, there are 201 participants finished Qigong training with before and after blood pressure measurements. The overall group’s systolic blood pressure dropped from 133.1/before to 12.5/after with statistical significance. Their diastolic blood pressure also dropped from 88.9/before to 86.4/after with significant difference.

Among 132 participants with high blood pressure (systolic Blood pressure > or = to 130), their group means of blood pressure are dropped from 140.6/before to the 134.5/after with statistical significance. Their diastolic blood pressure also dropped from 92.5/before to 89.9/after with significant difference.

Among 68 participants with high blood pressure (systolic Blood pressure > or = to 140), their group means of blood pressure are dropped from 146.9/before to the 138.2/after with statistical significance. Their diastolic blood pressure also dropped from 94.9/before to 91.8/after with significant difference.

Among 103 participants with high blood pressure (diastolic Blood pressure > or = to 90), their group means of blood pressure are dropped from 96.8/before to the 93.5/after with statistical significance. Their systolic blood pressure also dropped from 139.2/before to 134.2/after with significant difference.

Pleasant Life Program Heart Program

Our new Pleasant Life Program is for persons with Cancer and their loved ones as well as caregivers. These participants and their supporters received Qigong training to promote their immune systems to help with their cancer treatment, help to bring the cancer to remission, and promote their own health and emotional well-being from Gilda’s Club (our service partner). Energy Therapy (Medical Qigong) is a complementary therapy for persons with cancer and seems to be accepted well in this group as well as the Gilda’s Club staff support.

More concrete program components such as sound therapy, water therapy, and cognitive therapy, and their knowledge, skills and values should be described as a Pleasant Life Program for the persons with cancer such as the Pleasant Heart Program for the cardiovascular diseases. It is a good beginning. We will continue to develop the Pleasant Life Program to help people with grave concerns in this area. Their needs have to be fully understood and documented and analyzed, and matched with various interventions for holistic approach.

Gilda's club has been working to help bring more minority community into the facility, and we will benefit from that marketing/publicity by offering our programs to those groups.

Smoke Free Restaurants

• The Asian Center works through the Macro approach by targeting the Indoor Air and cleansing our environment.
• Our society needs to be addressed and make the environment safer for those around us, and through this program we are able to target the community directly.
• We also educate the community in environment to assist in making the home a smoke-free environment as well.
• Our smoke-free restaurant program has become a very promising promotion of the smoking cessation programs we have already.
• Restaurants are already signing up to become smoke free, and we are very happy to be promoting a healthy environment for all of the community.
• We have translated materials that we provide to the restaurants, and have produced a flyer to convince others to join in becoming smoke-free environments.
• Our efforts have been positive, and our response has been great by 5 restaurants becoming smoke-free already.
• We are planning to reach more restaurants in the community, and educating them in the causes of second hand smoke.
• A commitment to enhancing the community has been a pleasure for The Asian Center staff and volunteers, which is proven through our programs success.
• Next year our goals will include convincing more restaurants and businesses to become smoke-free environments!

What's New?

Another service partner has been added to our list. Wealthy Street Theatre Community Building has been offered for our use for the Pleasant Heart Program.

• A building has been offered to the Asian Center, for us to finally have a home. We are looking forward to this year bringing this reality to fore.
• The Michigan Multicultural Network is a group that was founded to bring the communities of color together to reduce the adverse affects of tobacco on these communities. As a group, the Asian Center has been representing the Asian/Pacific Islander communities in the state of Michigan, and has been providing support, programs, technical assistance and furthering the efforts of clean indoor air. The other groups are Hispanic/Latino/Chicano, Arab/Cal dean, African American, and Native American.
• Our local Tobacco Free Partners has created the Tobacco Free Communities Task Force that will also target reducing the effects of tobacco on the communities here in West Michigan.
• We look forward to the Smoke Free Day Camp activities that will be coming up this next year.

Collaborative Efforts

Another service partner has been added to our list. Wealthy Street Theatre Community Building has been offered for our use for the Pleasant Heart Program.

American Lung Association of Michigan Blue Heron Academy Chinese Association of West Michigan Detroit Health Department Gilda’s Club of Grand Rapids Grand Rapids Chinese Church Grand Valley State University School of Social Work Kent County Health Department Kent County Violence Prevention Coalition Life Guidance Center Metropolitan Hospital

State of Michigan, Office of Minority Health, Michigan Department of Community Health Native American Center Senior Care Network South East End Neighborhood Association Tobacco Free Michigan Tobacco Free Partners YWCA of Grand Rapids Wayne County Smoking & Tobacco Intervention Coalition Wege Institute for Mind, Body, and Spirit Wealthy Street Theatre Community Building

Marketing Strategy

How The Asian Center Markets and Promotes It's Programs:

• Quarterly faxes to all radio stations to announce our programs.
• Informing the Grand Rapids Press of our programs.
• Monthly PSA's for GRTV are filmed according to the event.
• All television stations will be notified of our programs.
• "On The Town" Magazine continues to promote our programs in their magazine.
• Flyers are sent to participants that have previously attended our programs.
• Packets of information are given or sent to agencies or persons interested in our programs.
• Tables are set up at events for our programs to be promoted.
• Word of mouth has become a promotion as well.
• 2002-2003 Family Resource Guide has our information to reach us.
• Through partnerships with other agencies including: Blue Heron Academy, Life Guidance, Detroit Health Department, Gilda’s Club, we have advertising through their newsletters and correspondence as well while we provide our programs in their facilities.
• Our number one marketing tool, referrals from the community, our board members, agencies, affiliates, and other organizations.

Asian Resource Center

• Translated materials are provided in the following languages: Arabic, Cambodian, Chinese, Hmong, Korean, Lao, Vietnamese and Spanish.
• We have videos in our library that can be utilized geared toward the specific subgroups: Cambodian, Laotian, Vietnamese, Asian/Pacific Islander and English.
• As a community liaison, The Asian Center has access for persons with specific needs by collaborating with the School of Social Work at Grand Valley State University. We are also listed in the 2002-2003 Family Resource Guide, First Call for Help (211), and listed in the Senior Care Network.

• Businesses are charged the regular rates for the translating services.
• Persons who cannot afford the rates will be charged on a sliding scale fee that is determined by the President of The Asian Center.

The Asian Center Expansion

• Southeast Michigan Community targeted for expansion for the following reasons: Largest Asian Communities are located in this area of Michigan
• Asian Center serves all of Michigan.
• Anahid Kulwicki, D.N.S., R.N. Director of Public Health, Wayne County has offered an office space for the Asian Center to utilize.
• Southeast Community Foundation has discussed furthering the efforts of programming for Wayne County.
• Anahid Kulwicki, D.N.S., R.N., Director of Public Health, Wayne County, and Douglas K. Chung, MSW, MA, Ph.D., President, The Asian Center are collaborating on a multicultural proposal.

Projections and Plans