Asian Health and Service Center had ‘humble beginning’

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — When Dr. Erik Szeto returned to Portland in 1980, he started a family practice in Southeast Portland. But he soon realized there was no cultural and language-specific social service and mental health service for Asians, especially those older and at risk.

That led to what is now the Asian Health and Service Center, which

provides mental health, social service, counseling, cancer support and is a resource center for those who were previously underserved.

But it’s been a journey to get here.

“We had a very humble beginning. We only had 600 square feet at the basement of a church and only enough money to hire one person,” said Szeto, who is the Chairman of the Board at the center.

Then in 2016, they dreamed about having their own space, said CEO Holden Leung. “With the support from all parties and also the leadership from my board chair, we completed the building. I think it’s amazing.”

That’s their main facility at 9035 SE Foster Road in Portland. Another facility is located at 3800 SW Cedar Hills Boulevard in Beaverton.

The Asian Health and Service Center treats the whole of the person, or as Leung said, “primary physical health, the behavioral health, the public health and social needs all one place. So that makes this building very unique.”

Szeto said, “The integrated innovative approach has shattered the wall of stigma surrounding mental health. We replace ignorance with empathy, judgment with understanding and isolation with our communities that we can offer. And we have about four bilingual part-time psychiatrist, 11 counselors, and we have helped about 300 members last year to help them to know what is mental health, the family and everybody can live a much better life.”

The Asian Health and Service Center also has a kitchen, a community room for group activities like table tennis, counseling rooms, resource facilities and much more.

“Our mission is to create a harmonious society. Everybody can join as one and not separate it into many different groups,” Szeto said. “So for our next generations, I’d like to paint a bridge going through from this way all the way there to show that we want everybody able to just walk across this bridge and join this circle of harmony. And then in the end we will have a harmonious society. That’s the meaning of this bridge.”