ICHS Board chairperson Gildas Cheung (sixth from right) and Foundation Director Ron Chew (fifth from right) unveil an exhibit honoring ICHS’s Chinatown roots. (Photo provided by ICHS)
A permanent historical exhibit opened on Dec. 10 in the lobby of the International Community Health Services (ICHS) flagship clinic. The collection of early documents, photos, and artifacts memorializes a rapidly-disappearing Chinatown-International District, as it tells the story of the health center.
The exhibit was made possible by an $80,000 grant from Historic South Downtown and traces the growth of ICHS through its 46-year-long history.
ICHS employee Thu Ngo stands next to her photos in the exhibit panels. (Photo provided by ICHS)
Early founders and community activists, like Sister Heide Parreño, Bruce Miyahara, and Bob Santos, sought to provide affordable health care for the neighborhood’s residents, most of whom were low-income first-generation Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino immigrants.
“Those early residents are all gone now,” said Ron Chew, ICHS Foundation director. “We continue to honor their spirit and what they meant to the founding of our institution.”