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...Eastern traditions, how the Chinese were able to gain access to Western medical care in the largest Chinese settlement in America is an important part of the history of the Chinese. The history of Chinese medicine goes back centuries, perhaps millennia. (1) How those who were raised in one medical system would accept another medical system, and how they would gain access to Western medicine in an environment of discrimination are exemplified in the development of the Chinese Hospital and its integrated medical system.
Of the approximately 12 million Asians and Asian Americans living in the United States, the Chinese comprise the largest ethnic group (2.4 million), with heavy concentrations in large metropolitan areas such as New York, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay Area. The city of San Francisco is home to approximately 152,000 people of Chinese descent, approximately 20 percent of the city's population. (2) The characteristics of San Francisco's Chinese population differ from the city as whole. Significant segments of the local Chinese population in San Francisco struggle financially and educationally due in part to San Francisco often being the first port of entry for immigrants and a comfortable enclave for the elderly. On average, the Chinese of San Francisco tend to be less educated, have a larger proportion of elderly and youth, and have lower average family incomes than the general population. Over 108,000 of San Francisco's Chinese are foreign-born, with about 50 percent of this group having limited English proficiency. Among the Chinese aged sixty-five years or older, nearly 70 percent speak English poorly or not at all. Many struggle financially, with 20 percent of Chinese households having an annual income of less than $15,000. Chinese households are also less likely to have an annual income greater than $75,000. Additionally, the average Chinese household is larger than that of whites, so that the financial resources are spread more thinly within their households. In comparison to the general San Francisco population, more Chinese lack a high school diploma and fewer attain a bachelor's degree or higher level of education; in fact, 25 percent of the adult population have less than a ninth grade education. This is largely due in part to the disproportionate number of older Chinese who are less educated than their younger counterparts. These conditions affect their ability to gain access to the Western health care system. (3)
While the history of the Chinese in California, specifically San Francisco, is relatively well known, the history of their access to health care is not as often discussed. Chinese immigrants were systematically excluded from participating in social and political institutions in San Francisco and California. A variety of taxes were unfairly levied upon the Chinese, ranging from discriminatory mining and laundry taxes to taxes funding public education despite institutional dental of access to public education. (4) Chinese immigrants were also denied the opportunity to obtain American citizenship and therefore the...
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