Letters

Omissions

As a longtime Oakland resident and physician, it causes me great dismay that a significant group of Oakland’s peoples seem to be consistently omitted in your magazine. This seems even more obvious as I perused the latest issue with the East Bay Medical Guide. I realize many readers of your magazine may be in the upper income brackets, and some may not like to be reminded of all the uninsured patients who need medical care, but I think including names of the physicians who work in community health centers and perhaps highlighting community health centers as resources are important.

I am a family practice physician at Asian Health Services in Oakland’s Chinatown (which, by the way,was also omitted in your November 2005 issue that featured a walking tour of Chinatown, despite our location in the heart of Chinatown and our efforts in establishing Oakland’s first traffic scramble at Eighth and Webster). Our organization was founded more than 30 years ago by UC Berkeley student volunteers, including a physician, Dr. Sue Chan, who is still serving patients, and our CEO of more than 30 years, Sherry Hirota. Our mission is “to serve and advocate for the Asian community regarding its health rights, and to assure access to health care services regardless of income, insurance status, language or culture.”

Most of our physicians were not included in your directory, including Dr. Sue Chan. You do include Dr. Alice Chen, who has not worked with us for over a year. If you are interested in learning more about our organization and the community health centers network, visit us at www.ahschc.org. I think our story deserves to be told, and that people in the Oakland area would like to see that Oakland has even more diversity and more to be proud of.

Susan Lo, M.D.
Family Practice Department Head
Asian Health Services
Oakland, CA 94607

To the Rescue

I just finished reading the article “Pop Secrets at the Paramount” [December 2005] about Jean Cunningham and was wondering if there’s any way I can help out. I am also a flautist (and pianist), just out of college by a few years.While I was at UC Berkeley, I worked for the music library. Although classically trained, I have spent the last five years (or more) falling in love with American popular music.

Sometimes I think I should have been born in a different time! I’m very passionate about preserving music, however it comes together. Right now, I work full time, just across the street from the Paramount on 20th and Broadway. I’d love to help Jean out a little each week and plan to find out what I can do.

Shelby Foster
Oakland

Letters Send letters to: Letters, 360 Grand Ave., No. 147, Oakland, CA 94610; fax to (510) 747-1067; e-mail to editor@oaklandmagazine.com. Letters may be edited for clarity and length. Letters must be signed with the author’s name. Please include your full name, address and daytime contact information for verification.