Come on in: Services officially launch at Santa Clara County’s Vietnamese American Service Center
The resource hub in East San José will offer initial services starting December 13, with full opening expected in February 2022
SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIF.— Doors will officially open at the Vietnamese American Service Center (VASC) next week, when patient navigators and dieticians will be ready to greet their first Vietnamese and Spanish speaking clients. Starting on Monday, December 13, services will include behavioral health support and navigation, Valley Health Center patient navigation, enrollment assistance for health coverage, emergency rental assistance, COVID-19 support programs, and a Senior Nutrition Lunch Program.
“We are thrilled that this Center is now open to our community,” said County Executive Jeffrey V. Smith, M.D., J.D. “The VASC is the culmination of years of work to bring more accessible resources to Santa Clara County’s underserved residents. It will be a place where our community members can get services in their preferred language, in an environment built specifically for their needs.”
The resource hub, which will offer a wide range of culturally competent services in Vietnamese and Spanish, has been in the works for nearly a decade, after County-led studies found significant health disparities and barriers to health and human services among Vietnamese and Latino/Hispanic community members. Findings of the health assessments in 2011 and 2012 resulted in a recommendation by County leaders to construct the VASC.
“We have waited a long time to open these doors,” said Betty Duong, manager for the VASC. “This entire project is the realization of countless people’s hard work over many years of planning. We hope community members who step into this space will feel seen and valued, and that the VASC is truly a center for them.”
Starting December 13, the VASC will be open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the Senior Nutrition Lunch Program offered every weekday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Registration is required for the Senior Nutrition Lunch Program. To register, call (408) 946-8777.
More services will be added after the full opening in February 2022, when the entire suite of resources will eventually include primary care, dental care, social services, on-site child supervision, and an array of community programs to promote wellness. Language capacity at the center will include, at minimum, English, Vietnamese, and Spanish, reflecting the communities and populations that will be served at the Center, located at 2410 Senter Road in East San José.
For more information on the VASC, call (408) 828-4981 or email [email protected].
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ABOUT THE COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA
The County of Santa Clara government serves a diverse, multi-cultural population of 1.9 million residents in Santa Clara County, California, making it more populous than 14 states in the U.S. Santa Clara County is home to the second largest population of Vietnamese residents outside of Viet Nam. The County provides essential services to its residents, including public health protection, environmental stewardship, medical services through the County of Santa Clara Health System, child and adult protection services, homelessness prevention and solutions, roads, park services, libraries, emergency response to disasters, protection of minority communities and those under threat, access to a fair criminal justice system, and many other public benefits.
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Media Contact: María Leticia Gómez/Quan Vu, Office of Communications and Public Affairs, (408) 299-5119, [email protected]; Betty Duong, VASC Manager, [email protected]
Posted: December 9, 2021