ChenMed Celebrates Contributions of Employees and Patients of Asian American and Pacific Islander Descent

Medical practice honors founders, team and patients during AAPI Heritage Month with inspiring conversations, initiatives and educational content

MIAMI, May 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The month of May has special meaning to ChenMed, one of the nation's leading primary care providers that continues to transform health care for underserved seniors nationwide. May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month and ChenMed's culture team celebrates the company's award-winning diversity, equity and inclusion efforts with an exciting toolkit, spotlighting content and community initiatives for team members and patients, as well as other AAPI activities and engagement opportunities throughout the month.

ChenMed's founder, Jen-Ling "James" Chen, M.D., Ph.D., and cofounder Mary Chen, both immigrated to the United States. They found their calling after being frustrated firsthand by expensive, uncoordinated and ineffective medical care and created ChenMed, a physician-led company that serves the underserved. Their family story of succeeding beyond the wildest expectations is recounted in The Calling, A Memoir of Family, Faith, and the Future of Healthcare.

The ChenMed vision is an enduring mission that began in the 1970s with Dr. James Chen's first primary care practice in Miami Gardens, Florida: to offer affordable, human-centered care to medically underserved communities. The Chen family continues to revolutionize care through more than 125 Chen, Dedicated, and JenCare Senior Medical Centers in 15 states – and one of ChenMed's greatest strengths is its highly diverse and mission-focused workforce. Focused on earning trust to transform care, the company's doctors and care teams are sensitive to and enjoy meeting the language and cultural preferences of the patients they are blessed to serve.

ChenMed community engagement opportunities during AAPI Heritage Month include exploring local Asian Art exhibits or within driving distance, supporting small businesses, buying takeout meals from AAPI restaurants, researching different Asian-Pacific regions to develop a culinary menu to explore different flavors and foods, finding AAPI-owned businesses to support, and listening to curated playlists (Apple or Spotify) celebrating the AAPI musical community.

"The company's commitment to spreading diversity awareness and living its core values of love, accountability and passion for employees of all backgrounds, make me feel seen, celebrated and valued," said Vicky Martell-Durkin, director of talent brand marketing and special projects, who is Asian-American Filipino, born in Manila, Philippines. "ChenMed truly creates welcoming environments and experiences for everyone who works in and out of our senior medical centers."

Earlier this year, ChenMed similarly celebrated Black History Month (February), Women's History Month (March), and Global Volunteerism Month (April). The company, which frequently invests in workforce equity, creating an inclusive patient experience and making a difference in the communities it serves, plans to celebrate Juneteenth and Pride in June.

ChenMed's employee culture includes four Employee Resource Groups (ERG): All Working to Achieve Racial Equity and Equality (AWARE), Women Inspire Network (WIN), Veterans Engagement Team (VET) and ChenMed Healthcare Allied Respecting Individuality and Sexuality for Members and Associates (CHARISMA). Four strategies were crafted to help recognize and honor AAPI individuals, communities, and their impact across ChenMed markets:

• Team Member Activations
• Patient Activations
• Community Activations
• Additional AAPI Resources

Each activation is designed to help inspire conversations between team members, patients, staff and the communities ChenMed serves. ChenMed recognizes and maintains its workforce and culture growth by building relationships and engaging with patients by sharing historical milestones from Asian American and Pacific Islander cultures. According to a 2022 US Department of Labor and Statistics Report, the percentage of the population that is employed is generally higher for Asians and for Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders than the U.S. average. The ratio in 2019 was 62.3 percent for Asians and 66.2 percent for Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders, well above the national average of 60.8 percent. 

"ChenMed is invested in creating inclusive work environments and patient experiences. Our company's commitment to celebrating diversity, equity and inclusion is achieved with initiatives that grow from awareness to action. This helps unite everyone by learning and exploring our unique lived experiences," says Stephanie Chen, chief legal and culture officer at ChenMed.

Honoring ChenMed team members and patients also involves spotlighting AAPI moments through history that broke barriers and challenged people in the United States to have difficult conversations about our past, present and future. These historical snapshots include Japanese-Internment Camps after the attack on Pearl Harbor, when the US Government issued executive order 9066, which empowered the military to round up anyone of Japanese ancestry and place them in prison camps. In recent years, anti-Asian hate crimes gained national attention, leading to Stop AAPI Hate's founding. The Biden-Harris Administration recently released its first-ever National Strategy to Advance Equity, Justice, and Opportunity for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Communities.

About ChenMed
ChenMed is a privately owned medical, technology and management company that delivers the high-touch and personalized primary care Medicare-eligible seniors need to enjoy better health. The company operates more than 125 senior medical centers in 15 states. Named one of Fortune's 2020 "Change the World" companies, twice named a "Most Loved Workplace" by Newsweek, and a certified Great Place to Work^® by the Great Place to Work Institute, ChenMed brings concierge-style medicine and better health outcomes to the neediest populations. ChenMed brands include Chen Senior Medical Center, Dedicated Senior Medical Center, JenCare Senior Medical Center and IntuneHealth™. Its leading value-based, healthcare technology organization, Curity™, was recently named a "Best Place to Work in IT" by ComputerWorld. See ChenMed's 2022 Impact Report. 

SOURCE ChenMed