Sands Cares Supports ACDC to Remove Systemic Barriers for AAPI Community


09/05/2023


Las Vegas Sands has made a donation of $175,000 to the Asian Community Development Council (ACDC) as part of its Sands Cares partnership. This donation coincides with AAPI Heritage Month in May and will support two initiatives: the Healthy Asians & Pacific Islanders (HAPI) Medical Center and the API Language Link. These initiatives aim to provide critical health and social services to the AAPI community in Southern Nevada.

Sands has previously supported ACDC by funding the opening of the HAPI Medical Center in September. The clinic provides bilingual staff to deliver high-quality care to the AAPI community. The 2023 Sands Cares funding will help the HAPI Medical Center host community health care events.

In 2021, Sands enabled ACDC to establish the API Language Link, which connects individuals to various social services. The 2023 Sands Cares funding will allow ACDC to hire more language specialists to meet the needs of the HAPI Medical Center and other direct service locations.

Sands Cares focuses on helping nonprofit organizations increase their impact and assisting diverse communities in removing systemic barriers to critical needs and opportunities.

“The support we have received from Sands Cares over the past three years has made possible two tremendous service expansions, both underscored by the fact that language should never present a barrier to receiving the care and services people need,” Vida Lin, ACDC’s founder and president.
 
“Sands’ partnership is helping us make vital connections to ensure the well-being of the diverse AAPI communities we serve.”
 
The HAPI Medical Center offers primary health care services that are culturally sensitive, including urgent care, chronic disease management, and preventive health care. The center has a future goal of providing access to specialty care such as cardiology, diabetes, nephrology, behavioral health, gastroenterology, and infectious disease services. In 2022, with the support of Sands, the HAPI Medical Center provided free medical care to patients in January and February, enrolled patients in its financial scholarship program, and hosted 19 vaccine clinics.
 
The API Language Link provides support in 10 languages through translation specialists who assist ACDC in delivering services such as food distribution and assistance, health insurance navigation, citizenship applications, and voter registration. In 2022, API Language Link specialists conducted over 1,000 in-language meetings, hosted over 350 community events, created and distributed 5,500 Chinese-language voting guides, and sent over 270,000 pieces of in-language mail.
 
“ACDC is improving lives daily, while advancing the long-term health and well-being of the AAPI community in Southern Nevada,” said Ron Reese, senior vice president of global communications and corporate affairs, who spearheads corporate responsibility initiatives at Sands. “The significant impact they have made with these programs is why we continue to invest in their efforts. Not only are we committed to being an ally for the AAPI community as a whole – we believe in ACDC’s ability to provide leadership in addressing the diverse needs of the many populations it serves.”
 
Sands Cares’ engagement with ACDC is one of several initiatives aimed at supporting diverse community organizations. Through these efforts, Sands seeks to promote programs that remove systemic barriers and provide opportunities for underrepresented groups.
 
To know more about Sands Cares, click here.