Asian Immigrant Workers Benefit From Occupational Therapy
 ain is part of the job for
many of the more than 30,000 low-income Asian immigrant women working in the San Francisco
Bay Area's garment factories.
To help these women, the Asian Immigrant Women Advocates, Inc. (AIWA) is using a
two-year, $100,000 grant from TCWF to establish a clinic that will provide
occupation-related health services and health education about workplace ergonomics and
injuries.
"The low-income Asian women's population is traditionally not well-served by
medical services in California," said TCWF Senior Program Officer Ruth Brousseau.
"[The women] are often hesitant to seek help because they fear jeopardizing their
jobs, and it's difficult for them to overcome language and cultural barriers to seek
appropriate treatment."
AIWA, which has been providing literacy services and leadership development for
low-income Asian immigrant women for 16 years, is partnering with the University of
California, San Francisco (UCSF), Occupational Health Program, to open and staff a clinic
in Oakland's Chinatown, where almost no health care services are available for these
workers.
   "We're
focusing on musculoskeletal problems common among Chinese women working in the garment
industry," said Young Shin, AIWA's executive director. "They experience a high
incidence of back and shoulder injuries caused by repetitive motion and the hunched-back
position necessitated by the work and aggravated by poor working conditions."
Teams of "peer health promoters" trained by AIWA refer patients to the clinic
and conduct workshops to help workers identify and prevent workplace injuries. Because
data on musculoskeletal injuries are scarce among low-income Asian women, AIWA and UCSF
will also be able to expand knowledge of prevention and treatment of such problems through
the clinic.
"We know that repetitive stress and other workplace injuries and illnesses are
greatly underreported, undiagnosed and untreated in this population," Shin said.
Reasons are many, including fear of losing jobs, no sick leave or health benefits,
costs for medical treatment and lost income, language and cultural barriers, lack of
knowledge about available worker protections and concern about their immigrant status. In
addition, few health specialists are trained in occupational health, adding to the
difficulty of obtaining appropriate care.
"This project will help workers who use the clinic's services and draw attention
to the fact that occupational injuries usually are systemic, coming with the type of work
they do," TCWF's Brousseau said. "Just treating the problem doesn't cure it. We
have an opportunity to educate women to become advocates for their health, which, in the
long run, will improve their chances for upward social mobility. Research shows that
upward mobility has pronounced positive health outcomes."
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