Department of
Health & Human Services

Long Beach, CA – The Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) will host a presentation of the Filipino Community Needs Health Assessment from 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 30, 2023, at Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library (5870 Atlantic Ave.), followed by a roundtable discussion. The Filipino Community Needs Assessment, which is led by the Health Department’s Racial and Health Equity team, assesses community strengths and service gaps in relation to the health and wellbeing of the Filipino community in Long Beach.

“We remain committed to racial and health equity in the city and look forward to learning about the specific needs of Filipinos in Long Beach,” said Mayor Rex Richardson. “This upcoming round table is an opportunity for us to build relationships and explore partnerships with the Filipino community so we can work together to address their concerns.”

Long Beach is home to more than 20,000 people of Filipino descent, and, according to the 2022 Census and California Healthy Places Index, nearly 20% of the people living in West Long Beach (90810) have self-identified as Filipino. The Filipino Community Needs Assessment was developed to identify the impacts of COVID-19 on the City’s Filipino population and better understand the needs of the Filipino population in Long Beach to reduce health inequities. The research team, alongside community advisors, hosted focus groups and a townhall in April of 2023 and administered a health survey to Long Beach’s adult Filipino residents this summer.

“Our department is committed to ensuring that all of our communities in Long Beach have what they need to be healthy and thrive. These community health needs assessments are an integral step in ensuring that all of communities are seen, valued and uplifted,” said Director of Health and Human Services Kelly Colopy.

Following the presentation and community roundtable, the Health Department will continue to collaborate with the Filipino Community Advisory Committee to begin working on identifying short-, medium- and long-term goals to improve health outcomes for the local Filipino community. Community members will be invited to join working groups to develop these goals and progress towards these goals will be reported back on a regular basis.

People are encouraged to RSVP in advance using the Filipino Community Health Needs Assessment Presentation and Roundtable Registration Form. Interpretation services will be available in Tagalog. People may request interpretation in other languages using the RSVP link at least 72 hours in advance of the meeting.

The needs assessment is funded by the Center for Disease Control’s Health Equity Community Projects Grant and aligns with Goal 4 of the Racial Equity and Reconciliation Initiative: Improve health and wellness in the city by eliminating social and economic disparities in the communities most impacted by racism.

The Health Department is committed to assessing the health and wellness of historically underserved neighborhoods and population groups. In 2022, the Health Department completed the Mi Vida Cuenta COVID-19 Latinx Health Initiative Report and Workplan, which was developed by and in partnership with the Center for Latino Community Health, Evaluation and Leadership Training. The Health Department is currently working on a Community Health Needs Assessment with the Cambodian and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities and will begin work on a Black Community Health Needs Assessment early next year.