FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 7, 2016
Contact: Lina Park
Tel: 510-986-6843
Email: lpark@ahschc.org
URL: www.asianhealthservices.org
2016 AHS Gala to Honor First Vietnamese American Appointed to the Dental Board of California and First Female, Asian American President of the Dental Board of California
September 7, 2016-OAKLAND, Calif.- Asian Health Services (AHS) will be hosting its Annual Gala Benefit on September 10, 2016, at the Oakland Marriott Hotel. The gala will honor Dr. Huong Le, the first Vietnamese American Appointed to the Dental Board of California, and the first female, Asian American to serve as President of the Dental Board of California.
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf is scheduled to attend and said, “This gala celebrates the vital role that AHS plays in Oakland. I’m thrilled to support the event and I look forward to welcoming leaders and supporters from across the region that evening.”
This year’s proceeds will benefit AHS’ first-of-its-kind dental clinic that will serve nearly 10,000 low-income families and children. The planned 4,000-square-foot state-of-the-art dental clinic will be the first community dental clinic in California to integrate behavioral health services and referrals in addition to providing four dental specialties-endodontics, periodontics, oral surgery and pediatric dentistry.
“I am thrilled to once again sponsor this year’s AHS gala because I see first-hand how AHS serves our diverse community with cultural understanding, respect and compassion,” said Kam Tam, co-owner of New Oakland Pharmacy. “We have urgent dental needs of thousands of patients in our community who would not receive dental care without AHS.” Regional Vice President Andrea Ho of Cathay Bank added, “Our bank, like AHS, has strong ties to the people of Oakland. We truly value the care that this nationally-recognized health center provides and we’re delighted to support this gala as a sponsor.”
The new dental clinic will address issues facing low-income communities by co-locating with 71 units of affordable housing. It will be built at the intersection of 11th and Jackson streets, and reflects AHS’ commitment to addressing patients who are on a 12-month list for a dental appointment at AHS.
“Our $3 million dental capital campaign will expand quality and innovative dental care to our community and it is possible because of our sponsors, leaders and community members. I am so grateful to our partners for their support of our ongoing mission to enable health and dental care access to all,” said Sherry Hirota, CEO of AHS.
This year’s gala of more than 700 attendees will be emceed by Jenny Yang, a Los Angeles-based writer and stand-up comedian, who is nationally recognized as a White House Champion of Change for Asian American and Pacific Islander Art and Storytelling.
For additional information about the gala, visit http://www.ahsgala.org/.
About Asian Health Services
Asian Health Services, founded in 1974, is a community health center that provides primary, dental and behavioral health services to underserved families of Oakland and surrounding communities in English and 12 different Asian languages (Cantonese, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Khmer, Korean, Tagalog, Mien, Lao, Mongolian, Karen, Karenni, and Burmese). We currently serve more than 27,000 patients with medical, dental and behavioral providers, patient navigators, on-site interpreters, health coaches, perinatal counseling and labor coaches. We also advocate and empower our patients and our community through advocacy, education and community programs. As a nationally recognized community health center model, AHS stands at the forefront of quality and innovation. For more information, go to: www.asianhealthservices.org
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