Chicago, IL – January 30, 2012.  The Filipino American Community Health Initiative of Chicago (FACHIC), in partnership with the Chicago Department of Public Health, is offering vouchers for free flu shots. This free program is under the support of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in partnership with Walgreens.

Vouchers may be used at any Walgreens in the Chicago area through April 15, 2012.  The voucher will cover the cost and administration of the flu shot.  In order to be eligible, you must be 18 years old (or if 14-18 years old must have parent or guardian permission), have no insurance coverage for a flu shot and unable to afford the cost of a flu shot.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all individuals 6 months of age and older should receive the vaccine. Vaccination is especially important for people at higher risk of severe flu.  High risk patients include: adults age 65 and older, pregnant women, health workers and nursing home residents.  Adults with diabetes, heart disease, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), kidney disease on dialysis, smoking use, cancer or any chronic disease are also considered high risk.  Caregivers of children or at risk adults and household contacts of individuals with high risk medical problems should also consider receiving a flu shot.

If you are interested in receiving a voucher or know someone who would benefit from receiving a voucher, please e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with your request or call (312) 962-7748 for more information. Vouchers are limited and subject to availability.  Vouchers may be sent via US first class mail or picked up at the monthly free FACHIC social work clinics.  A complete schedule of monthly FACHIC social work clinics including the location and time can be found at http://www.fachic.org/socialwork.

The Filipino American Community Health Initiative of Chicago (FACHIC) is a collaborative of community, health professional, and academic leaders united to address Filipino health issues in the Chicago area. The mission of FACHIC is to increase awareness of Filipino health disparities and to implement health interventions and educational programming to improve the health status of the Filipino community. FACHIC is a 501(c)(3) Illinois nonprofit organization.  All programs and services are free and available to all. For more information, visit http://www.fachic.org.

Chicago, IL – January 7, 2012.  The Filipino American Community Health Initiative of Chicago (FACHIC) continued co-sponsorship of the Passport to the Philippines at the Chicago Children’s Museum at Navy Pier on June 11 and 12 in 2011.  The Passport to the Philippines is part of the Passport to the World series at the Chicago Children’s Museum at Navy Pier that showcases the arts and traditions of Chicago’s many ethnic groups.

A variety of programs, performances, workshops and exhibits to authentically represent Filipino culture and traditions were offered.  FACHIC volunteers led an interactive workshop of Filipino traditional children’s games to emphasize the importance of physical fitness and going outside to play to children and their families.   Among the games that were demonstrated included patintero and tumbang preso.  Jane Jih, the Executive Director of FACHIC, noted how “it is wonderful to see children of all ages and backgrounds play and exert their energy, some of them playing games that their parents played as children.” 

FACHIC also hosted a demonstration of a healthier version of halo halo where children and adults alike were able to participate in the creation of this traditional dessert.  This healthier version of the popular Filipino dessert was made with fresh ingredients that are lower in fat and sugar.  Those in attendance had a sample of the halo halo to taste and took home a copy of the recipe.  A printable and saveable copy of the recipe for healthier halo halo can be found at http://www.fachic.org/recipes.

The Philippines joined the Passport to the World program at the Chicago Children’s Museum in June 2008. The Passport to Philippines is now in its fourth year.  The Philippines was chosen to be included the Passport series because the Filipino American community has a sizable ethnic presence and rich historical contributions to the diversity of Chicago neighborhoods.
Passport to the Philippines committee is co-sponsored by PepsiCo Asian Network (PAN), Filipino American Community Health Initiative of Chicago (FACHIC), Filipino American Historical Society of Chicago (FAHSC), Filipino American Network (FAN), National Association of Filipino Americans Associations (NAFFAA), Philippine American Cultural Foundation (PACF), the University of the Philippines Alumni Association of Greater Chicago (UPAAGC) and TUY Club USA.

The Filipino American Community Health Initiative of Chicago (FACHIC) is a collaborative of community, health professional, and academic leaders united to address Filipino health issues in the Chicago area.  The mission of FACHIC is to increase awareness of Filipino health disparities and to implement health interventions and educational programming to improve the health status of the Filipino community.  FACHIC is a 501(c)(3) Illinois nonprofit organization.  All programs and services are free and available to all.  For more information, visit http://www.fachic.org.

Chicago, IL – January 7, 2012.  The Filipino American Community Health Initiative of Chicago (FACHIC) is a participating agency in the Medicare Fraud Project led by the Coalition of Limited English Speaking Elderly in the Chicago area.  FACHIC will be sharing a monthly Medicare fraud tip to seniors in English and Tagalog.  Please feel free to share the tip widely.

January 2012 Illinois Senior Medicare Patrol Program
Many Medicare beneficiaries in Illinois have been receiving phone calls from fraudulent companies offering “free” diabetic supplies in exchange for their Medicare numbers. These phone calls are a scam – never give your Medicare number or other personal information away to anyone who calls on the phone or comes to your door! If you need diabetic supplies or other equipment, contact your doctor - you must get an order from your doctor first. Do not listen to a company that tells you that they can get the order from your doctor for you. This is a sure sign of a scam!

Enero 2012 Ang Programang Illinois Senior Medicare Patrol
Marami sa mga tumatanggap ng benepisyo ng Medicare sa Illinois ay nakakakuha ng mga tawag sa telepono na nagmumula sa mga pekeng kumpanyang naghahandog ng "libreng" kagamitang pang-dayabetik kapalit ng kanilang numero sa Medicare. Ang mga tawag na ito ay "scam" o panlilinlang - huwag ibigay ang iyong numero ng Medicare o ano pang personal na impormasyon sa sino mang tatawag sa'yo sa telepono o bibisita! Kung kailangan mo ng kagamitang pang-dayabetik o ano pa mang kagamitan, tawagan ang iyong duktor - kailangan mong humingi muna ng "order" sa'yong duktor. Huwag makinig sa kumpanyang magsasabi na sila ang kukuha ng order sa'yong duktor. Siguradong tanda ito ng isang "scam" o panlilinlang!

The Filipino American Community Health Initiative of Chicago (FACHIC) is a collaborative of community, health professional, and academic leaders united to address Filipino health issues in the Chicago area.  The mission of FACHIC is to increase awareness of Filipino health disparities and to implement health interventions and educational programming to improve the health status of the Filipino community.  FACHIC is a 501(c)(3) Illinois nonprofit organization.  All programs and services are free and available to all.  For more information, visit http://www.fachic.org.

Chicago, IL – December 27, 2011.  The Filipino American Community Health Initiative of Chicago (FACHIC) continued its local outreach by hosting its 5th annual Community Health Fair at the Jose Rizal Heritage Center (1332 W. Irving Park Rd., Chicago), on September 25, 2011.  FACHIC partnered with the Filipino American Council of Greater Chicago’s (FACC) Volunteer Health Services to organize and execute this event.

This event was free and extended to the Filipino community and other ethnic groups for all ages.  Health screenings were provided at no cost by fifteen providers from area hospitals, home health services, and social service agencies.  Screenings included blood pressure, BMI (body mass index), heart and lung evaluation, cholesterol, podiatry, and eye by physicians, medical students and nurse volunteers.  Information was also made available to participants regarding nutrition, physician referrals, and diabetes and cardiovascular  prevention.  Free heart healthy traditional Filipino recipes were distributed.   Licensed clinical social workers were on-hand for free consultations.  Small giveaways and free healthy snacks added to the theme of promoting wellness within the community.

The fifteen providers reported constant activity for the duration of the Health Fair and fielded inquiries past the 1PM event closing time.  Over twenty FACHIC and FACC volunteers helped with participant registration, medical screenings, and informational booths.  Over 125 community members attended the health fair and were able to access free health screenings, health education, and social services.  Said FACHIC volunteer Samantha Sumait, “[Volunteering] made me realize how underrepresented [elder Filipinos] are in our community.  Many asked if there would be another fair soon.”

The Filipino American Community Health Initiative of Chicago (FACHIC) is a collaborative of community, health professional, and academic leaders united to address Filipino health issues in the Chicago area.  The mission of FACHIC is to increase awareness of Filipino health disparities and to implement health interventions and educational programming to improve the health status of the Filipino community.  FACHIC is a 501(c)(3) Illinois nonprofit organization.  All programs and services are free and available to all.  For more information, visit http://www.fachic.org