New Report: Koreans and Asian Indians in the North Penn Area

Posted by on August 25, 2008

Needs of Koreans, Asian Indians studied in N. Penn

After more than two years of extensive researching and writing, Larry Fiebert, associate executive director of Family Services, has published Koreans and Asian Indians in the North Penn Area – A Needs Assessment Report.

The needs assessment project began several years prior when Fiebert and others at Family Services noticed that many new Korean and Asian Indian families were moving to Montgomery County, particularly into the North Penn area.

“It was also quite evident to us [Family Services] that very few Asians were utilizing the community’s social and health services,” noted Fiebert, “and we really wanted to understand this issue in order to be more responsive to their needs.”

Fiebert’s work was supported by a grant from the North Penn Community Health Foundation.  The foundation awarded a grant to Family Services to conduct the needs assessment project in hopes of learning more about these populations.

Fiebert’s research and extensive feedback from over 40 interviews helped in developing a list of 14 problems and unmet needs that the Korean and Asian Indian communities are facing.  This list includes such things as mental health concerns, unmet needs of the elderly, hidden domestic violence, parent-child and intergenerational concerns, language issues, and health and medical problems that are unique to these populations.

The final 90-page document is intended to serve three primary audiences:  agencies, organizations, service providers, and groups that provide social and health services; funders and government agencies that fund or contract for such services; and members of the Korean and Asian Indian communities, especially those who are in a position to influence practices of their constituents.

The report also contains 60 recommendations for future action, which are directed to the social service and health care community, funders, educational systems, and to the Korean and Asian Indian communities.

Fiebert is scheduling several community forums for this fall where he will share his findings and discuss his recommendations for future action.

For more information or to obtain a copy of the report, contact Fiebert at 610-630-2111, ext. 223 or by email.  The needs assessment is also available on the “Community Reports” page of the North Penn Community Health Foundation’s website.

Additional funding for the project was provided by the North Penn United Way and the Alliance for Children & Families.