ProCare And Asian Family Services Formalise Partnership

Healthcare provider, ProCare, and Asian health and community organisation, Asian Family Services, are delighted to announce they have signed an agreement to formalise their partnership and commitment to support each other’s strategic objectives to improve the wellbeing of our Asian communities.

Bindi Nowell, Group Chief Executive at ProCare, says: “In order to help address health inequities across Aotearoa, it is essential we work with other organisations to collaborate, provide expert support and integrated services. Our partnership with Asian Family Services is another step forward in delivering whānau-centred healthcare that is more responsive towards improving the health and wellbeing of our Asian communities faster.

“Part of our agreement is creating an Asian Health Strategy, to work alongside the Māori and Pacific Health Strategies we have already at ProCare. We believe this strategy would be the first of its kind in primary healthcare for our Asian communities in Aotearoa, so we are honoured to be partnering with Asian Family Services in this ground-breaking opportunity,” continues Norwell.

Dr Reza Jarral, Clinical Director - Equity at ProCare says, “ProCare currently serves the largest South Asian population enrolled in general practice across Aotearoa. Formalising our partnership with Asian Family Services is a fantastic opportunity to combine our efforts in providing quality care to our Asian communities – particularly through population health data.”

Dr Kelly Feng, CEO of Asian Family Services, expresses her gratitude for the commitment demonstrated by ProCare in jointly developing the Asian Health strategy. "This collaboration is a crucial first step towards achieving equity in Asian health within primary care, " says Dr. Feng. "We firmly believe that by working closely with ProCare, we can effectively address the specific healthcare challenges faced by Asians and provide culturally and linguistically appropriate care."

“Importantly, this partnership ensures an open and ongoing dialogue between our organisations and the Asian communities we represent. It promotes knowledge sharing, connections, and leadership to co-create solutions for our Asian communities. We look forward to working even more closely with the ProCare team on our collective goals,” says Dr Feng.

The collective efforts of Asian Family Services and ProCare will lead to ground-breaking advancements in healthcare for Asians. Together, we are dedicated to improving access, quality, and outcomes in Asian health.

A signing ceremony was held at the Asian Family Services offices today, signifying the official start of the partnership agreement. ProCare and Asian Family Services look forward to sharing more information about the Asian Health Strategy in due course.

Notes to editors

About ProCare

ProCare is a leading healthcare provider that aims to deliver the most progressive, pro-active and equitable health and wellbeing services in Aotearoa. We do this through our clinical support services, mental health and wellness services, virtual/tele health, mobile health, smoking cessation and by taking a population health and equity approach to our mahi. As New Zealand’s largest Primary Health Organisation, we represent a network of general practice teams and healthcare professionals who provide care to more than 830,000 people across Auckland and Northland. These practices serve the largest Pacific and South Asian populations enrolled in general practice and the largest Māori population in Tāmaki Makaurau. For more information go to www.procare.co.nz

About Asian Family Services

Vision: All people of Asian heritage and background lead flourishing and fulfilling lives in an equitable Aotearoa New Zealand.

Mission: To enrich individuals and families by providing professional, culturally tailored evidence-based services to support the wellbeing of Asians in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Established in 1998, Asian Family Services (AFS) provides wrap-around services to people of Asian background who are affected by gambling harm and addiction, and/or require mental health and social wellbeing support. AFS runs a national helpline and has offices in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. After providing support services for over 20 years, AFS has established itself as a recognised and trusted organisation in Asian communities across Aotearoa and among Asian Health practitioners.

What we do

• Gambling Harm Minimisation, Asian Helpline. ASAH services, public health and clinical international.
• Asian Wellbeing Services, psychological counselling, HIP and Coaching at Apollo Medical Clinic, Asian EAP Services and Incredible Years Parenting Programmes
• Digital Language Support, digital and face-to-face interpreting, cultural content-codesign, document translation
• Community Connection Services, food parcels and psychosocial support during COVID-19 and post-pandemic social support.
• Asian Research and Insights, evidence-based Asian research: Gambling addiction, mental health, and social support
• AFS Social Media and Communities, social media in Chinese, Korean and Hindi/Information and resource development in multiple languages
• Diversity and inclusion – ethnic advisory group, quality advice provided to the health and social strategies from an ethnic lived-experience perspective

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