Building Bridges and Uplifting Community
Chantheary Ly poses with a Certificate of Completion of APITF Direct Care Network’s Caregiver Training & Certificate of Special Recognition from Congressman Correa (CA-46) (Photo courtesy of Chantheary Ly)
Phun H: May you introduce yourself and your work with the Cambodian Family?
Chantheary Ly: My name is Chantheary and I am the Health Navigator and Case Manager at the Cambodian Family. I work a lot with my community members, especially Cambodian clients, and the majority of our clients are seniors. I moved from Cambodia six years ago and was also in the social work field in my home country for a couple of years and then I moved to the United States. Through my work at the Cambodian Family, I learned that our Cambodian community members need a lot of support and that's why I'm here. I want to help them as much as I can, especially because our community members face many challenges including a language barrier, transportation, and also understanding the US healthcare system.
Chantheary (bottom left) poses with fellow Health & Aging track participants at LAT 2024 (Photo courtesy of Minh Pham)
Phun H: Thank you, Chantheary. I know this year you were able to join SEARAC for our 25th LAT program. Can you tell me about your experience at LAT?
Chantheary Ly: I am so proud to be part of SEARAC’s LAT 2024 program. SEARAC’s Leadership and Advocacy training program is a three day training in Washington, DC and intended for emerging advocates from the Southeast Asian American and ally communities to learn how to advocate effectively for policy change. For me, the training helped me to become an advocacy leader in my community. During the LAT program, I met other leaders from Hmong, Lao, Vietnamese, Cambodian, and many more Southeast Asian American communities. I was in the Health and Aging track and learned more about our issue area- we discussed the problem, solution, and action we can take to address this issue. On our final day, we took in the power of the moment. We met with Congressional Asian pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) members US Rep. Grace Meng, US Rep. Judy Chu, US Rep. Andy Kim, and US Rep. Pramila Jayapal who shared words of encouragement to us. Then, each group went to their legislative meeting. I had a chance to speak on behalf of my Cambodian community members to meet with my legislator to discuss concerns related to health issues in my community.
Chantheary (center) connects with fellow participants during a photo share activity. (Photo courtesy of Minh Pham)
Phun H: What did you share in your testimony to your representative?
Chantheary Ly: I talked about the needs of our community in accessing healthcare. One key issue is transportation because most of them don’t drive. They can’t go to doctor appointments, get X-rays, visit a dental or optometrist office, or visit the pharmacy to pick up prescriptions by themselves. Many of our older adults between the ages of 45 to 55 years old never had an opportunity to learn how to drive and have limited English and maybe find a job. They can not make an effort to pay the rent and for their living. Some of them also have mental health problems and need help. Sometimes they feel isolated and stressed because they can’t go anywhere by themselves. Another part of my testimony was about language barriers and difficulty in finding a healthcare provider or caregiver who speaks Khmer and understands our culture. Most of our community members can not call to make an appointment with their primary doctor because the customer service in the front desk doesn’t speak Khmer. Also, filling out the form at the doctor's office for their first visit is hard for them too because the forms are written in English. It was a time for me to speak on behalf of the community members and apply the advocacy skills that I have learned from LAT. I realized that can be the bridge between the Cambodian people and our legislators.
Phun H: Finally, what lesson did you take to The Cambodian Family?
Chantheary Ly: I am continuing to apply the advocacy skills that I have learned during the training to strengthen my Cambodian community and help voice my community's needs. I am part of a new generation of rising Southeast Asian American leaders who advocate for our Cambodian community on Capitol Hill.
Chantheary (second from left) shares her testimony to Congressman Correa's staffer. (Photo courtesy of Minh Pham)