South Asian health at heart of new Fraser Health program
Chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease more common in South Asian community, says Dr. Arun Garg
A new health program aims to reach out to the South Asian community in B.C.'s Lower Mainland to help prevent illness and chronic health problems.
The Sehat Wellness Ambassador Program will send teams of trained volunteers into South Asian community hubs like temples and gurdwaras to provide health and well being information. Sehat means health in Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu.
"Chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, renal disease, coronary artery disease are seen much more in the South Asian population," said Dr. Arun Garg, a medical director with Fraser Health.
Garg says family history, lifestyle and diet are are all contributing factors to the prevalence of chronic disease in the South Asian community.
Volunteers are already being trained. They won't just make speeches and hand out literature, they'll also engage with people one on one, encouraging them to get their blood pressure checked and get cancer screenings.
"I'm in my last year at SFU and I've concentrated on population health, and this program reached out to me and it's exactly what I want to do," said program volunteer Sanjan Jhawar.
The region covered by Fraser Health has the third-largest South Asian population in the country — more than 240,000 people.
The outreach work starts next month. Fraser Health says it will improve lives, and maybe even save some.
With files from Jesse Johnston