Over 110 Community Members Access Vital Health Services
Last weekend, Damayan held the Free Health Screening in Little Manila in Woodside, NYC where over 100 Damayan and community members took charge of their health! Filipino migrant workers, including domestic workers and labor trafficking survivors, and community members of all ethnicities prioritized their wellbeing! Damayan, recognizing limited healthcare access in the Filipino community, collaborated with various partners to bring essential health services directly to the community.
Highlights:
Allyship: Damayan partnered with the Philippine Nurses Association of New York Inc. (PNANY), Council of Young Filipinx Americans in Medicine (CYFAM), and Kalusugan Coalition to provide our community members glucose and blood pressure checks and free consultations from a primary care physician. Additionally, we partnered with the Division of Mental Hygiene at the NYC Health Department to provide resources regarding mental health programs and services. We also extend our appreciation to Amazing Grace Restaurant, which allowed us to host our health screening in front of their space! Lastly, Damayan is grateful to the Asian American Federation for helping fund this screening. Cross-organization cooperation with groups that share our value of the Filipino community’s well-being made this event possible!
Mammogram and Mental Health Referrals: Community members signed up for our upcoming mobile mammogram campaign on November 10th and received referrals for vital mental health services, challenging mental health stigma within the Filipino and migrant community. We empower workers to focus on their mental health—a common hardship for labor trafficking survivors, parents separated from their families in the Philippines, and immigrants overall.
Community Building: The event fostered social connections with Damayan water bottle giveaways, membership sign-ups, and discussions on future initiatives! This event served a multiracial and multinational Queens community—we served Latino families, Black community members, South Asian neighbors, and more! Our diverse and vibrant community deserves health services and to live healthily!
Some Damayan members and Woodside community members are undocumented and cannot readily access affordable health insurance. Others work diligently for their families in the Philippines, so they don’t have time for health appointments. The Health Screening event broke down these barriers, empowering the community to prioritize their health. This is fundamental in our fight for labor and immigrant rights and against systemic injustices. Health rights are human rights!