PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 746 Seattle, WA
VOL 40 NO 5 JANUARY 30 – FEBRUARY 5, 2021
FREE 39 YEARS YOUR VOICE
Community Health Excellence Award honorees
Refugee’s metamorphosis highlights work at ACRS mental health program
Courtesy of ACRS
Dr. Anthony Chen, dedicated to serving diverse communities
Dr. Anthony Chen
By Nina Huang NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Dr. Anthony Chen has devoted his career to taking care of others. Over the years, he has worked with diverse populations, immersed himself in communities, and built long-lasting relationships. Since 2008, he’s served as the director of health of TacomaPierce County Health Department. Before his current position, he helped to open the largest clinic in Malden, Massachusetts, opened International Community Health Services (ICHS)’s Holly Park clinic, and served healthcare needs and more to the community of Pierce County. Chen never really wanted to be a doctor because he loved bugs, animals, and being outdoors. However, he inevitably followed in his father’s footsteps. Born in Vietnam to Taiwanese parents, Chen moved around Malaysia as a child. Chen’s father worked for the World Health Organization. Chen’s cultural background and worldly perspective have greatly impacted him. “Being Chinese, there are so many cultures and traditions, but there are also a lot of values. We value our heritage, we respect our elders, we value education, we value honesty, hard work, all these things that are so important to us,” he explained.
Ro Lim with his mother, who he reunited with years later, at a King County Legislative Forum in 2018
A group of ACRS mental health program staff in 2015
By Mahlon Meyer NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Counseling and Referral Center (ACRS)’s outpatient mental health program. And just the fact that he can call his clients, two of whom are Cambodian, the other Vietnamese, shows the force that the nonprofit has been in the lives of hundreds of thousands of people like him. Lim was once in the same position as his clients—
Ro Lim’s voice on the phone is husky. He asks if you’ve taken a shower, if you’ve brushed your teeth. His easy acceptance of everything you say makes him easy to talk to. If you’re one of his clients, that’s important. Lim, 46, is a certified peer counselor for the Asian
SPD officer, supervisor violated department policies Case of a Chinese American man who suffered racist taunts By Ruth Bayang NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Nearly nine months after Kert Lin became the target of hateful verbal attacks and his frustration with the Seattle Police Department (SPD)’s lack of a response, the Office of Police Accountability (OPA) has found that both the responding officer and that officer’s supervisor violated SPD policies. On May 12, 2020, Lin was in the parking lot of Home Depot on 2701 Utah Avenue South, just outside the International District, when a man in a truck yelled, “Chink, open your eyes, go back to China!” Lin called 911 to report the incident. The responding officer, who wore a body camera and was recording, can be heard telling Lin, “It doesn’t sound like a crime occurred. It sounds like he’s being a
Serving diverse communities
He decided to pursue family medicine because it allowed him to have a lot of influence to take care of the family, and not just the patient. He was also fascinated by people and cultures so he also studied anthropology. Chen earned his Bachelor of Science degrees in biology see CHEN on 12
see MENTAL HEALTH on 8
see LIN on 11
Kert Lin | Photo Credit: Dennis Wise
THE INSIDE STORY
NAMES IN THE NEWS Seattle native plays at Biden’s inauguration 2
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AT THE MOVIES Review: In ‘The White Tiger,’ an epic for modern-day India 4 COMMUNITY NEWS Seattle Symphony plays on during pandemic 3
PUBLISHER’S BLOG The devil in my diet Sugar 5
AT THE MOVIES 2 films offer 2 tales of Wuhan lockdown anniversary 6
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