Avamps Austin - Austin Vietnamese American Medical Professional Society

08/11/2026

Good morning,

This past Sunday, August 9, 2026, AVAMPS was invited to join Dr. Kim Chi and OEBB for a mini-mission trip to support the recent flood victims of Kerrville, TX.

A private funding group allowed AVAMPS to distribute $1,500.00 worth of gift cards to those who attended the event. This private funding group requested to be anonymous. We honor that request, but just to let you know- your quiet, humble, and big heart helped the Kerrville community immensely. We all thank you.

AVAMPS contributed personal hygiene supplies such as handheld fabric fans, facial tissues, first aid kits, lotion, hand sanitizers liquid and wipes, disposal face masks, gloves, lip balm, shampoo, reusable handbags, make-up items, soaps, etc. All items that were not given away to health participants were donated to the Hill Country Veterans Center, home to over 50 senior citizens.

AVAMPS thanks Dr. Kim Chi and the volunteers who made this event meaningful.

We take so much for granted of our material goods that we forget there are still people in the world who are without bare essentials. This was an eye-opener experience for the young healthcare students on the AVAMPS medical team. I hope this inspires them to be empathic, compassionate, and give back to the community.

Please stay safe, hydrated, and love each other.
AVAMPS

07/20/2026

Hello Austin,

This past Saturday, July 18, 2026 AVAMPS participated in the City of Austin's Free Community Health Fair at the Asian American Resource Center on 8401 Cameron Road, Austin, TX.

We provided free education and demonstration of the Heimlich Maneuver to rescue choking victims and basic CPR to children, young teens, pregnant women, parents, older adults, and event volunteers. Honestly, we stopped counting the number of attendees because of the crowd, high intensity, and level of energy in the room. There were so many beautiful moments…

Ms. Diamond with Life Enrichment and Safety Institute (LESI- CPR) brought her state-of-the art mannequins with a bio feedback mechanism which allows a person to know whether or not the compressions were deep enough AND fast enough to be effective. This is an excellent teaching tool to help improve the quality of each compression. The young children were so thrilled to practice on the dummies instead of a real person. The bio feedback mechanism guided them on performing the compressions efficiently; and so, it was a competition among the children. One young girl in particular, no more than 9 years old and 60 pounds, performed chest compressions for many minutes and would not stop until the mannequin’s bio feedback system turned green which meant she reached 100% in depth and speed. Unbelievable!!!

There were families with parents and all their kids who practiced the Helmrich maneuver and chest compressions as for the first time. It was so worthwhile to see the parents perform life-saving skills while their children watched intently. A beautiful vivacious 70-year-old lady came in and said “How can I help my husband? I am very scared I will hurt him”. After the one-on-one session and practice runs on the mannequins, we hope she gained confidence in her skills to save her fragile husband. The best story was when one of the event volunteers completed the compressions with flying colors. He then got up and proudly said with a smile “Now I can save a life”. He left, a short while later he returned and asked, “Who will save me?” We then asked him to bring his family back to us. And so, he did. Yes, everyone must learn this life-saving skill.

Basic first aid skills such as performing the Helmrich maneuver to help someone who is choking on an object and CPR can save a life. We encourage the entire family to learn about this very IMPORTANT medical skill. Free classes are available everywhere by simply typing in the search words free basic first aid and CPR in my area (zip code).

In the spirit of keeping the heart healthy and mind happy- every participant was gifted fresh fruits (apples, bananas, cuties) and the children and teens received toys, stickers, mini lipstick, nail polish, Play-Doh, and hot wheel cars. We wanted all the participants to leave our First Aid/CPR station with a positive, important, and meaningful experience. Something tells me those same children will be waiting for us next year.

AVAMPS thanks the medical team again for your commitment to improving the community’s well-being and elevating connectivity in our community as well.

AVAMPS thanks Mrs. Diamond Garza, Certified CPR instructor, who came from San Antonio and brought her skills, mannequins, and above all her passion to our community.

AVAMPS thanks the City of Austin and the Asian American Resource Center for allowing us to share a life-saving skill to the Asian American community.

Finally, AVAMPS profusely and gratefully thanks Asian American Community Health Initiative (AACHI) for being the champions for the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities of Austin. Your work is endless, meaningful, and is critical to the emotional health and physical well-being of the AAPI communities.

AVAMPS

07/06/2026

07/06/2026

Happy Independence America and Austin!!!

On Saturday, June 27, 2026, a mini-health event sponsored by Austin Vietnamese American Medical Professional Society (AVAMPS) partnered with essential health and social services for the Vietnamese American community of Austin and its surrounding counties to advance population health on a holistic level.

The new competition is COLLABORATION, and it is one of the most effective ways to improve the health of marginalized communities. There is still much work to be done; therefore, investing in our community with consistent small efforts over time can yield better health outcomes. The important thing is to continue to offer preventative healthcare by screening, educating, and implementing evidence-based health strategies, encouraging positive lifestyle changes, and utilizing social services. My challenge to us is to concentrate on making a personal connection to gain trust and rapport for 10 individuals not 50 at each health event. Think about quality not quantity.

To our unwavering partnerships-

AVAMPS thanks Austin Public Health (APH) for a long-standing partnership in providing FREE adult vaccines. Vaccinations remain the most effective preventative health strategy.

AVAMPS thanks Austin Asian Community Health Initiative (AACHI) for a symbiotic partnership in enrolling and supporting the Asian community (medical insurance, transportation, language translation, social services) and their grass-root efforts in integrating the Asian population into the American way of life.

AVAMPS thanks Ms. Tina Thai who brought in important social services that EVERYONE needs or knows of someone in need services such as psychology, immigration, funeral planning, and specialty insurances (Long-term-care, Life, Disability).

AVAMPS thanks Ms. Jenny Loan Ton for providing enrollment in medical and social services such as Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, etc. Her office is located in the My Thanh Supermarket on Lamar Blvd and has extensive office hours.

AVAMPS thanks the medical team for your commitment, language access abilities, and your love and concern for the community. Our medical team noticed a trend among our Vietnamese people regarding diabetes and high blood pressure. There is a clear lack of knowledge of proper eating habits among those individuals screened. This observation will indeed influence our nutritional education for this targeted population in the future.

Finally, AVAMPS thanks Austin Vietnamese Senior Citizens Association (AVSCA (Hội Cao Niên)) for allowing us to use their humble home for our event. In fact, there were members of AVSCA who attended the event just to socialize. That is just beautiful when our seniors attend our community events just to socialize!

Our event indeed promoted community connectiveness in a safe, friendly, supportive, and inviting space with new and familiar faces.

A friendly reminder- stay cool and safe, drink plenty of water, and stay out of the heat if possible.

AVAMPS

06/11/2026

Chào buổi sáng Austin!

Xin mời quý vị ghi lại lịch hẹn: Thứ Bảy, ngày 27 tháng 6 năm 2026, từ 9:00 sáng đến 12:00 trưa để tham dự sự kiện chăm sóc sức khỏe hoàn toàn miễn phí dành cho cộng đồng.

Vui lòng chia sẻ thông tin này với gia đình, bạn bè, và hàng xóm để mọi người cùng có cơ hội chăm sóc sức khỏe, cập nhật những thông tin hữu ích, và kết nối với cộng đồng.

Trong thời gian chờ đợi, chúc quý vị luôn an toàn, giữ cơ thể mát mẻ và nhớ uống thật nhiều nước nhé!

AVAMPS

06/10/2026

Good morning Austin!

SAVE the DATE Saturday, June 27, 2026 from 9am to 12noon for a FREE health event. Please share this event with all your family members, friends, and neighbors so we can all stay healthy, inform, and connect with your community.

In the meantime, stay safe, cool, and drink lots of water!
AVAMPS

03/23/2026

This is a VERY special photo which includes AVAMPS officers' children and future bilingual healthcare professionals.

03/23/2026

Hello Austin,

We had an impressive turnout this past Saturday at our mini-health event to promote Preventative Healthcare.

This is AVAMPS’s first time teaching and demonstrating basic first aid, Heimlich Maneuver, and basic CPR to our Vietnamese adults and seniors. We taught 45 individuals basic first aid steps to save their own life, their spouse’s life, their grandchildren’s life, and anyone who needs help.

Individuals who participated in the training and returned demonstration on the mannequins received a gift bag full of fresh fruits and vegetables donated by Austin Public Health Neighborhood Services and a patient teaching information sheet for First Aid and CPR both in Vietnamese and English to share with family members and post on their refrigerator. Many people were apprehensive about doing chest compressions but once they started, they gained confidence and performed the compressions correctly. All participants expressed deep gratitude for being taught these basic life saving strategies.

THANK YOU to Austin Public Health Mobile Immunization Program team who worked diligently to provide FREE essential and often times lifesaving vaccines. Despite a skeleton crew- you did it. YOU all ROCK!!!

THANK YOU to Austin Public Health Neighborhood Services for donating fresh fruits and vegetables to our seniors.

THANK YOU to Ms. Diamond (certified CPR instructor) with Life Enrichment and Safety Institute who traveled from San Antonio to conduct the basic first aid and CPR demonstration. Our partnership for the past 5 years has continued to grow as we help our community stay safe.

THANK YOU to Ms. Jenny Loan Ton for allowing us to use the space for the event. Having the correct health insurance is essential in staying healthy and she is ale to navigate this complex process for our Vietnamese adults and seniors.

THANK YOU to Uncle Phan’s for donating delicious food to our 25 volunteers.

THANK YOU to the 25 members of the Hội Cao Niên (Austin Vietnamese Senior Citizens) organization and our community members who came to benefit from all the FREE services.

AND finally, a BIG THANK YOU to our rock stars-the volunteers. We had 6 new volunteers and 19 returning members.

AVAMPS’s mission it to increase the health and wellness of our Vietnamese high-risk adults, seniors, and uninsured individuals through Primary Preventative Healthcare. Today, together we hope to have helped our community move towards improved population health. See you all in 3 months!!!

THANK YOU
AVAMPS

03/20/2026

Event reminder:

Free Community Mini-Health Event tomorrow Saturday, March 21, 2026 from 11am to 2pm at Jenny Loan Ton Medical Insurance office in the My Thanh Supermarket shopping mall. There are many FREE health services for everyone such as vaccines, learning how to SAVE A LIFE with first aid and CPR, medical consultations, and so much more. Austin Public Health Neighborhood Services will give away to the first 40 people free fruits and vegetables. Let’s all stay healthy together.