Korean Medical Program of Holy Name Medical Center Wins Healthcare Award

The following announcement was issued by Holy Name Medical Center: 

The Korean Medical Program of Holy Name Medical Center has been named the winner in the Education Hero-Organization category of the 2013 Healthcare Heroes awards program.  The program, produced by NJBIZ, a premiere New Jersey business news publication, honors individuals and organizations making a significant impact on the quality of healthcare in New Jersey.

Finalists and winners in eleven categories were chosen by an independent panel of judges representing the Healthcare Institute of New Jersey, the New Jersey State Nurses Association,

the Institute for Nursing, the New Jersey Association of Health Plans,  the Princeton Public Affairs Agency, as well as a government affairs consultant.

Created in 2008, the mission of the Korean Medical Program (KMP) is to provide the Korean-American population in the New York metropolitan area with the highest attainable level of health through culturally and linguistically-sensitive medical services.  Intensive media coverage in local Korean newspapers, radio and television, educational programs and direct mail has raised awareness of the importance of prevention, screening and early detection of medical conditions prevalent in the population,  including breast cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol,  hepatitis B and liver cancer as well as mental health issues.  The number of annual patient visits (primarily first generation immigrants, including uninsured/underinsured families) to Holy Name Medical Center and two satellite locations, has grown to 40,000, a 90% increase over the Program’s first year. Community outreach programs through Korean churches  and other community organizations have been able to reach patients who had previously experienced difficulty in accessing health care due to cultural and language barriers.

Mrs. Kyung Hee Choi, Holy Name Medical Center Vice President and Director of the Korean Medical Program, accepted the NJBIZ award at the June 18 awards ceremony.  Noting the KMP’s strong infrastructure of services and physicians, she and KMP Medical Director Hee Yang, MD, look forward to expanding the program beyond the Korean-American community to serve members of other Asian ethnic groups as well as non-Asian communities.