Nurturing Strong Communities

In 1980, the Center for Pan Asian Community Services (CPACS) was formed to meet the basic health needs of Atlanta’s Korean population. Today, the agency provides that and much more, says associate director Marianne Chung 00C 02MPH.

Formerly run by volunteers, CPACS has 10 departments and 100 full- and part-time staff who provide health and social services, primarily for Asian and Pacific Islander refugees and immigrants, to build strong communities.

“I came in as the health programs director, but very soon I learned in nonprofit work you have to be a jack-ofall-trades and know about everything,” says Chung. “I started doing more than health work and saw how health is connected to everything.”

Rollins students often assist Chung, who exposes them to the center’s multiple facets. Last summer, Phillippa Chadd 12MPH, one of the first students placed in Georgia through the Emory Public Health Training Center, worked on Project Grow to involve youth in community gardening.

The contributions of students like Chadd are invaluable to CPACS, also home to the Institute for Asian American Community Research. Advancing research is high on CPACS’ wish list.

CDC is working with CPACS to evaluate its breast care program for uninsured women and develop an evidence-based model. The program has several pluses: a visible presence in a diverse community, strong partnerships, and a cache of selfcollected data.

“I love what I do. But as a community-based organization, we can only go so far without sound data and best practice models,” says Chung. “We need documentation and new models of evaluation to prove this is a novel area of practice.”—PA