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:
B-Wise Project - Provides hepatitis B awareness, education, and screening opportunities to the Chinese community. Also promotes research on hepatitis B as it affects this population, and facilitates dialogue among practitioners regarding "best practices" for treatment of infected individuals.
Conducted in partnership with Chinatown Public Health Center, Chinese Community Health Care Association, Chinese Hospital, and North East Medical Services.
(Click here to download NICOS' Hepatitis B Clinical Guidelines.)
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.
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.
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
(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)
Conducted in partnership with 13 member organizations represented on the
NICOS Board of Directors.
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. Committees include:
· Children and Youth Health Services Committee
· Chinatown Disaster Preparedness Committee
· Chinese Community Task Force on Problem Gambling
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, Asian Pacific Islanders California Network, Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research, and Training (AANCART), Bringing Up Healthy Kids Coalition, Building a Healthier San Francisco Collaborative, and the Chinatown Beacon Center.
Support for these projects provided by the Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research, and Training, Aetna, Inc., Blue Cross of California, Bristol-Myers Squibb, The California Endowment, California HealthCare Foundation, California Pacific Medical Center, Chinese Community Health Care Association, Chinese Community Health Plan, Community Technology Policy Council, Giants Community Fund, Gilead Sciences, GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals, Kaiser Permanente, Portsmouth Plaza Parking Corporation, San Francisco Department of Public Health, The San Francisco Foundation, San Francisco Health Plan, and United Way of the Bay Area.