Since its founding in 1974, Asian Health Services has led the way in areas of healthcare access and advocacy for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, & Pacific Islanders (AA & NHPI).
1974
Founded by Bay Area student activists, AHS began as a one-room clinic in Oakland Chinatown on Harrison Street staffed by mostly volunteers. The center provided more than 1,500 medical visits in its first year.
1976
AHS hosts its first general membership meeting, bringing together AHS patients to understand the community's needs.
1978
AHS organizes patients and other community organizations to protest human service funding cuts resulting from Proposition 13.
1979
In 1979, post-Proposition 13, the Alameda Board of Supervisors suggested cutting funds for nonprofit Community Based Organizations (CBOs) like AHS, forcing closures and shifting patients to Highland Hospital. Knowing the hospital's language access issues would endanger lives, AHS rallied CBOs to stage the Highland Hospital Clog In, flooding the county services with their patients and exposing major inadequacies. While funding cuts still occurred, the coalition’s action mitigated the impact on CBOs, enabling AHS to continue caring for the underserved.
1981
AHS joins a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights against Highland Hospital for discriminating against non-English speaking persons by its lack of language accessible services.
1986
AHS helps establish the Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum
1988
Continually trying to find ways to understand community needs, AHS conducts groundbreaking research through a bilingual survey of nearly 300 Chinese residents.
1990
AHS organizes first-of-its kind public hearing on health issues affecting California’s API population.
1993
AHS receives grants to develop a “language bank” of trained medical interpreters.
1996
AHS opens the Asian Medical Center at 818 Webster St in Oakland Chinatown
2001
AHS Teen Clinic established.
2002
AHS embarks on an Oakland Chinatown pedestrian safety campaign and creates the iconic pedestrian scrambles.
2003
"How can you have good health when you don't have good teeth?" This question asked by a patient at an annual general meeting set in motion the campaign to create AHS' first dental clinic which opened in 2003.
2005
Advocacy Committee and Patient Leadership Councils established.
2006
Patient Navigator program established.
2014
AHS opens the Rolland and Kathryn Lowe Medical Center, a state-of-the art 15,000 square foot facility in Chinatown.
2018
The Asian Medical Center is renamed the Chenming & Margaret Hu Medical Center.
2017
AHS opens the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Dental and Wellness Clinic--California’s first dental clinic with integrated behavioral health services and 4 specialties.
2023
Amidst the dual pandemics of COVID-19 and violence and hate against AAPI communities, AHS establishes the Community Healing Unit.
2024
AHS celebrates 50 years of providing health care for all and advocating for the underserved.