Orlando Health, Orlando, FL
Increasing Vietnamese Patients in the Resident Clinic

Background: The Mills-50 district in Orlando has a large Vietnamese community and is in proximity to the Internal Medicine Residency Continuity Clinic. Despite the proximity, Vietnamese patients enrolled in the clinic are less than 5%. Many immigrated to the area without access to healthcare. A literature review and needs assessment identified hepatitis B virus (HBV) as a prevalent disease among the immigrant Vietnamese population. The aim of this project was to increase the number of Vietnamese patients in the Internal Medicine Residency Continuity Clinic by 25% within a period of 6 months by raising awareness of HBV.

Methods: A questionnaire was created and distributed to 40 current Vietnamese patients in the resident clinic to determine their knowledge of HBV and their immunization status. Several health screening events were held in the community, and information for the clinic was provided for eligible individuals. Eligible individuals included those living in the county who were uninsured and without a primary doctor. The number of Vietnamese patients in the clinic was compared before and after intervention.

Results: Of those surveyed, 3 in 5 patients answered questions incorrectly regarding transmission of HBV. One in 3 patients did not know his/her immunization status. After the intervention, the Vietnamese population in the resident clinic increased by 33% in 6 months, from 81 patients to 121 patients.

Conclusion: Access to healthcare is a problem in our community. We learned that there was great interest in the Vietnamese community to learn more about HBV. We found the best way to educate the community was to coordinate with local leaders and participate in health screening events. By participating in community health events, we were able to increase awareness of a disease prevalent in the Vietnamese community and increase their access to healthcare. We hope to utilize the skills we learned from this project to improve access of care to other groups experiencing health disparities in our community.