NICOS Chinese Health Coalition is a public-private-community partnership of more than 30 health and human service organizations and concerned individuals. NICOS' mission is to enhance the health and wellness of San Francisco's Chinese community. Since 1985 NICOS has been engaged in research, training, advocacy, and resource development for the benefit of this community and the organizations which serve it.
NICOS' Programs/Activities include the following:
Chinatown Community Health Fair - Provides free health education and screening opportunities for 700-900+ low-income members annually.
Chinese Community Problem Gambling
Project - A pioneering program addressing the issue of problem gambling in the Chinese community. Includes training and service providers; helpline, individual and gropu counseling and support services for problem gamblers and their families; and education and outreach to the general public.
Chinese Community Self-Sufficiency Project- Increases self-sufficiency in the Chinese community by coordinating services and building a referral network among 11 providers as well as by increasing awareness of available services and resources among primarily Chinatown residents.
Community Connections Program-Places students enrolled in Asian American Studies courses at San Francisco State University and City College of San Francisco into structure internships at Asian community-based health and human service organizations.
Chinatown
Disaster Response Project -Prepares Chinatown residents, service providers and other members of the Chinese community for leadership in times of emergency. Includes coordination of trainings in First Aid/CPR, Neighborhood Emergency Reponse Team (NERT), and individual preparedness in Cantonese. Also includes development of a neighborhood disaster preparedness plan and coordination of community-wide disaster drills.
Family- Centered Outreach, Enrollment and education Project (FCOEE) - Informs members
of the Chinese community of the availability of no- and
low-cost health insurance programs such as Medi-Cal, Healthy Families, and
Healthy Kids. FCOEE also provides application assistance, coordinates referrals, and assists families with health care access.
Healthy Children, Healthy
Community Project - A community-wide health education effort to reduce childhood obesity in the Chinese American community by encouraging parents to help their children develop healthy habits early in life.
Problem Gambling Technical Assistance and Training Project - Aims to educate the public and train a broad range of service providers, government agency personnel, and community leaders to help prevent problem gambling throughout the State and to provide information on resources for those in need. NICOS Chinese Health Coalition is a program partner in the statewide collaborative.
San Francisco Chinese Community Health Agenda
Project/Chinese Community Health Study - Provides information and ongoing
research on the health status of San Francisco's Chinese Americans and their health care usage, access, approaches and needs.
Completed projects include a telephone survey conducted in English and several
dialects of Chinese involving over 1,800 randomly sampled community residents
(The Chinese Community Health Study). Other projects include the
Chinese Community Health Report (2003), a consumer focus group report, a
Chinese Health Summit, and advocacy activities.
Conducted in partnership with 13 member organizations represented on the NICOS Board of Directors.
(Click here to download the Chinese Community Health Study summary (1997))
(Click here to download the Chinese Community Health Report summary (2004))
(Click here to download the focus group report summary (2004))
(Click here to download the Chinese Community Health Summit Final Report)
NICOS Committees and General Coalition Meetings - Coordinates and facilitates monthly to bi-monthly meetings/ forums/ trainings on different areas of interest for member organization staff.
Other Partnerships-NICOS is also an active partner of other community, citywide, and statewide collaborations, including the Adolescent Health Working Group, API Bay Area Health Council, API Health Parity Coalition, API Problem Gambling Task Force, Asian Pacific Islanders California Network, Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research, and Training (AANCART), Bringing Up Healthy Kids Coalition, and Building a Healthier San Francisco Collaborative.
Support for these projects provided by the Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research, and Training, The California Endowment, California HealthCare Foundation, California Pacific Medical Center, California State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, Chinese Community Health Care Association, Chinese Community Health Plan, Chinese Hospital, Kaiser Permanente, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Portsmouth Plaza Parking Corporation, Saint Francis Memorial Hospital, San Francisco Department of Public Health, United Way of the Bay Area and Walter and Elise Haas Fund.