At New York Methodist Hospital, we have a variety of services and programs to provide for our patients. One of our programs, called the Asian Health Institute, is aimed to provide high quality medical services to the Chinese speaking residents of the greater New York area. Our staff and volunteers are fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese, and English to help bridge the gap of communication between the patients and medical staff. Our program collaborates with many key physicians in the Asian communities to help establish physician avocations and liaison for our patients.

    Our volunteers in the Asian Health Institute serve as navigators by helping patients get around to different areas in the hospital. Once volunteers become certified as a translator, they get the opportunity to partake in a larger role involving patient care. In the Emergency Room, they can help patients through the admission process for acute and serious medical conditions. On a daily basis, volunteers visit patients to attend their needs and translate for nurses and doctors in their consultations with the patients. Other things volunteers can gain from this experience include exposure to and translation for procedures in the cardiology department, endoscopy department, radiology department, speech pathology department, neurology department, and many more.

    To become a volunteer, applicants must have the compassion to care about the patients and the commitment to volunteer for a minimum of six months. It is recommended that applicants be able to speak, read, and/or write Chinese (Cantonese or Mandarin). Together, we can make a difference in patient’s life!

    For more information, please contact the institute director, Frances Wong. Tele # (718)-780-6828<tel:%28718%29-780-6828> or email: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>.
    Thank you for your attention.

Very truly yours,


Frances L. Wong, LCSW, ADS
Director, Asian Health Institute
New York Methodist Hospital