South Asian Health Institute (SAHI)

Since 2013, the South Asian Health Institute (SAHI) has dedicated their efforts to fostering culturally appropriate health promotion and prevention activities. While recognizing the importance of culture and its impact on health, we seek to empower and engage South Asian communities in Fraser Health to achieve better health and wellness. While reducing chronic disease burdens, in addition to other emerging health issues, SAHI aims to better understand and address South Asian specific health needs through transformative partnerships and collaboration between Fraser Health and South Asian communities.

South Asians are people who trace their ethnic roots back to the Indian subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives and Bhutan). Around 75 per cent of South Asians in British Columbia live within the Fraser Health region, where they comprise 15 per cent of the population (South Asian Health Report, 2015).

SAHI focuses on the following areas:

• Collaborations and partnerships: We work closely with Fraser Health programs and services and community partners, such as places of worship, South Asian independent schools, community-based organizations, and businesses to collaboratively address and bridge health gaps faced by South Asian communities.
• Promotion of healthy living and prevention of illness: We develop and support culturally relevant health promotion initiatives for both existing and emerging health needs for South Asian communities.
  • Visit our other web pages for information and resources on different health topics.
    • South Asian toxic drug response resources
    • South Asian healthy living resources
    • Health services available to you
• Community engagement: We collaborate and participate in community engagement opportunities to share culturally relevant and language-specific tools and resources.

• Work collaboratively on projects/initiatives that are specific to South Asian communities.
• Consult on resources and tools to ensure cultural sensitivity and relevancy for South Asian communities.
• Engage in research opportunities.
• Support community engagement opportunities.
• Participate in community tables/workings groups to provide a South Asian cultural lens.
• Support South Asian communities with health system navigation.

• SAHI staff and volunteers educated community members on public health orders, mask wearing, hand washing, vaccination and the resources available to them. During the pandemic, from November 2020 to December 2021, SAHI interacted with 15,395 community members and distributed 7,609 resources.
• SAHI consulted on culturally competent, language-specific health messaging.
• SAHI worked with our community partners to coordinate 29 in-reach community vaccination clinics between April and October of 2021. Over 7,000 people were vaccinated at these clinics.

SAHI volunteers play an important role in the success of our community outreach activities and initiatives. To learn more about how to become a SAHI volunteer, visit our volunteer opportunities webpage.

SAHI created this group to share trusted mental health, healthy eating and lifestyle related information with you. We’d love to reach as many of our South Asian members as we can. Please share these tips with your family and friends. Join by scanning the QR code with your smartphone:

Watch our Apnee Sehat video to learn more

Watch the longer version of the Apnee Sehat video here.

• Practice mindful eating this Diwali
• Fraser Health Apnee Sehat Story
• CBC News: Fraser Health targets South Asian diet to improve heart health, diabetes
  
• The Georgia Straight: Fraser Health's South Asian Health Institute laid foundation for stronger response to COVID-19 pandemic
• Vancouver Sun: COVID-19: Meet the people trying to improve vaccination rates in areas of Surrey slammed by the virus
• CBC News: Vaccine clinic at Surrey Gurdwara successful and should continue, organizer says
• Zee TV Roundup - Learn about drug checking
• Harpreet Singh Show: South Asian Health Institute (SAHI)- Sehat Program
• On the Coast with Gloria Macarenko
• South Asian health program aims to prevent diseases such as diabetes
• South Asian Day Mobile Program and SAHI