Scholarships Available for Chinese and Korean- Speaking Bilingual and Bicultural Students Pursuing Careers in Health Care

United Health Foundation and PacifiCare Foundation fund Asian-American Scholars Program offering two $5,000 Gold Scholarships and one $10,000 Platinum Scholarship

CYPRESS, Calif., Aug. 30 — Three scholarships totaling $20,000 are available to bilingual and bicultural Chinese- and Korean-speaking students who are pursuing careers in the health care industry.

The scholarships, funded by the United Health Foundation and PacifiCare Foundation, are offered on
behalf of the Asian-American Scholars Program.

Two Gold Scholarships in the amount of $5,000 and one Platinum Scholarship in the amount of $10,000 are available.

In order to qualify, applicants must be college freshmen or sophomores and have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.8 or higher. In addition, applicants must show proof of acceptance or full-time enrollment in an accredited college, university or technical school in an approved healthcare program and must be fluent in Chinese or Korean, in addition to English. More information about the Asian-American Scholars program is available at http://www.uhcasian.com or http:// www.pacificareasia.com. The deadline for applications is Oct. 31, 2006.

Recent U.S. census data indicate that there are more than 13 million U.S. residents of Asian origin, comprising about 5 percent of the total population. This represents a 9 percent increase since 2000 and is the highest growth rate of any racial group. Census projections expect the number to increase to more than 33 million by 2050, comprising 8 percent of the total U.S. population. The growing number of Asian Americans nationwide reflects a greater demand for more Asian bilingual and bicultural health care professionals, according to Amber Jia, director of Asian American Markets at UnitedHealthcare.“

The Office of Minority Health cites a nationwide shortage of bilingual and bicultural health care professionals,” said Jia. “Nationwide, many Asian-Americans do not have access to culturally and linguistically appropriate care, and this has a far-reaching effect on their health and quality of life. Studies show that patients respond better when care instructions are delivered in their own language and their cultural background is taken into account. Through the Asian-American Scholars Program, we hope to make a positive difference in the health of our community for tomorrow, and what better way of doing that than encouraging our young people to reach their career goals and fulfill their dreams.”