On May 30, 2012, Dr. Roland Tang was honored with the "Award of Service to Pediatrics and the Community", the highest award given by Children's Hospital to a community physician. Dr. Tang was among the 4 pediatricians from eastern Massachusetts selected by a committee comprised of his peers and colleagues for the award.

L-R: Dr. Mark Schuster, Chief of General Pediatrics, Dr. Rolang Tang, and Dr. Sara Toomey.

In addition to this incredible honor, Dr. Tang is also the featured pediatrician of the month on the Pediatric Physicians' Organization at Children's Hospital (PPOC) website where he talked about choosing pediatrics as a specialty and the joy in taking care of children.

(Dr. Tang's profile in the "Featured Pediatrician" on the PPOC website. Reprinted by permission.)

Dr. Roland Tang says that a major reason he became a pediatrician was because of a bit of wise guidance and direction he received from a cardiology professor, Dr. Alan Maisel, under whom he studied at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

"I was in my third year of medical school before I chose a specialty," said Dr. Tang, who had volunteered with youth groups and organizations when he was an undergrad. "And I was not sure of what direction to take - and this professor said to me, 'Think about if you are sleeping at night what will compel you to get out of bed and attend to it.'

"And then I thought that if I heard of a child who was ill and hurting - then I would have to go to take care of that child. I would just have to go. I would need to go. Thinking about this and asking myself that question would eventually steer me to becoming a pediatrician."

Today, Dr. Tang is a PPOC physician who practices at the South Cove Community Health Center in Boston's Chinatown and in Quincy.

He started practicing medicine in the Boston area in 2003 when he and his wife, Dr. Annette Kim, a professor of urban studies and planning at MIT, moved here from San Diego.

Dr. Tang says that the extraordinary administrative support and technology resources he is afforded as a member of PPOC allow him to focus on diagnosis and treatment rather than bureaucracy and paperwork.

"The Medical Home model that PPOC implemented is in so many ways an improvement in health care and treating children," said Dr. Tang. "Under this model, care is better coordinated, and the patient is better served.

"And one of the most valuable players in this model is the 'medical home care coordinator.' Coordinators keep everyone in the loop and the communication flowing, and make sure that doctor, family, and patient have the best clinical intelligence available to keep the patient healthy."

Dr. Tang is also a big proponent of new technologies that support PPOC physicians, including the electronic health records, or EHR, system, which is a secure, computerized database of comprehensive patient information.

"Provider portals" is another technology that PPOC makes available to its physicians and which Dr. Tang believes is important to patient care. One such portal allows a physician who has a patient at Boston Children's Hospital to stay updated on that patient's care.

"Having the relationship and affiliation with Children's just helps out in so many ways," said Dr. Tang. "For example, having ready access to interpreters through Children's Hospital is vitally important.

"We treat a big immigrant population - and many of the parents of the children don't speak English, and some of the children also don't speak English. It is especially important when a child is not feeling well and is stressed, and the parents are stressed, that you are able to communicate clearly with them."

Dr. Tang has empathy and holds respect for those who come to this country for a better life, among them those who were forced to leave their own lands.

In 1976, when he was five years old, his family - he, his three brothers and sisters, his mother and father, and his grandmother - fled war-torn Vietnam.

The Tangs ended up in San Francisco.

"My parents took blue collar jobs and worked hard to make ends meet," said Dr. Tang.

Dr. Tang stayed in the Bay Area for college, and graduated with a pre-med degree from the University of California, Berkeley. After graduating from medical school, he did his residency at Children's Hospital Oakland.

"We love the Boston area; it is a great place to bring up a family," said Dr. Tang who has two boys, ages 3 and 6. "And we also get away as much as we can - as we have a passion for traveling."

Dr. Tang added, "One of the best rewards in traveling is to watch the wonder on the face of your children when they see and experience something and someplace new."

After months of around-the-clock work on the new space and diligent effort in obtaining the license in time for the summer session, the BASE family finally opened its doors to students at its new location at the Presentation School Foundation Community Center in Brighton on Monday, June 25, 2012.

The BASE program occupies approximately 1,700 square feet of space on the second floor of the center.  The new home is equipped with a new computer center, a small library, and a media center area where children can listen to audio-books on mp3 or CD.  The space is modern, central air conditioned, handicap accessible, and conveniently located near the Faneuil Street Library. It is a huge step up from its old home in the basement of the Episcopal Church where BASE has spent almost 30 years operating! As BASE continues to unpack and get settled, there will be more updates to see how the children are using this space.   

BASE students make themselves at home!

Eugene would like to thank Madeline, Kenny, Susan and the entire BASE staff for all their hard work to make this move possible. What better time to celebrate BASE expansion than with our 40th Anniversary and the year of the Dragon! 

South Cove is honored to be chosen by the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation as the recipient of a one-time donation in the amount of $10,000.00. "Often the Trustees of the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation chose a category of giving to receive special emphasis and we understand your vital work," stated Abby Nguyen-Burke, Assistant Vice President of Business Banking.  

South Cove is grateful for the generosity of Eastern Bank and promises to use the funds where it would directly benefit the health center's patients as well as the community it serves.

Thank you, Eastern Bank, for your support and recognizing our work!

Shirley Gao

South Cove is the first and the only health clinic my family ever goes to in order to get our annual checkups. I still remember how scared I was of going to South Cove as a child. My mother always brings me there to take shots. Of course as a child, I did not know any better but to cry and avoid shots. I even recall a time during first grade when I decided to flee from my parents and run around the Chinatown South Cove health center just to avoid a blood drawing. Several staffs looked around for me while I was running around trying to avoid needles. Even now, I still cringe when I smell the antibacterial wipe. However, now having a much higher maturity level, I finally understand the reasons for taking shots. I truly find it amazing how well South Cove enforces the patients to follow up with annual health check ups. It especially shows how caring South Cove staffs are to their patients. Through their care, South Cove has definitely helped and impacted my life and such a realization began during the summer of 2011 when I was diagnosed with retinal detachment.

            It took my optometrist from South Cove to make me realize how much I took my ability to see for granted. When my optometrist discovered a peripheral retinal detachment, my thoughts about the aspects of life changed completely. It all started with the weird, reoccurring floaters that kept affecting my vision, which pushed my mother to schedule an eye appointment at the North Quincy South Cove. From that one appointment, an emergency call was made to the Tufts Medical Center informing them that I needed immediate treatment. After being sent to the Tufts Medical Center, they confirmed that my optometrist was correct and I ended up experiencing two rounds of surgery: laser surgery and scleral buckle surgery. Apparently, I was lucky to have my retinal detachment discovered before it reached a much more serious and irreversible stage. Because the retinal detachment was at the very peripheral of my retina, it was very easy for it to be overlooked. If my optometrist at South Cove had found it any later or in worst case scenario never found it at all, I would have completely lost my eye sight in the left eye within a weeks. Not only did my optometrist save my vision, but she also proved how knowledgeable and professional the South Cove doctors are.

Even after sending me to immediate help, my optometrist still worried about my being. A few days after my scleral buckle surgery, my mother bumped into my optometrist outside of South Cove health center at a grocery store. The first question she asked my mother was how I was doing and whether my surgery was successful. Her curiosity and her genuine care has truly touched my heart and showed me how much sincerity South Cove staffs have toward their patients. The relationships I shared with my health care doctor, such as my dermatologist and my optometrist, had impacted my family and me immensely because we can confide in our doctors with anything health related without feeling scared or embarrassed.  

Along with health related issues, I can also discuss comfortably about health careers that I became interested in. Ever since the surgeries I went through and the information I absorbed from my eye doctors, I grew a strong interest in the human eye. Because of this strong interest, I asked my optometrist more about the human eye and careers that revolve around it. Since I am now more knowledgeable about the human eye, I decided for myself that I want to become a doctor that specializes in ocular disease. Although becoming a doctor is a huge challenge, encouragement from South Cove staffs increased my confidence and my will to succeed. Without South Cove, I definitely would not be so knowledgeable about the human eye as I am now. Not only did my optometrist educate me about my own eye, but also she taught me life lessons that influence my future goals.

My experience at South Cove opened my eyes and taught me a lesson to always take care of myself and to appreciate the abilities I have that others do not. I learned through this surgery experience, with the help of South Cove, that I am very lucky to be blessed with the ability to see when there are people out there who either were born blind or lost their vision. Without the influence from South Cove, I would never realize how important my eyes are and I would never appreciate how much time and effort doctors put into their patients' health. Without having South Cove in my life, my life would be completely different. I would not appreciate my eyesight as I do now and I most likely would not have a strong trust shared between my doctor and I. South Cove has honestly impacted my family and my life because my family has less of a financial burden and I now know for certain what path to take to reach my future career goal.

Cindy Ho

Imagine living in a world where you can not communicate with your surroundings. You do not understand any of the public signs, transportation is complete confusion, and when it comes to going to the doctors it is your worst nightmare because you know you will not understand a word coming out of the doctor's mouth. I am blessed to live in a world where I grew up learning the language so I have no problem traveling, but when it comes to my grandmother I know the language barrier definitely suppresses her from going out. Being able to be a part of the South Cove community has definitely had a tremendous impact on my life and my loved ones. Me, having experienced the feeling of being misjudged, constantly scrutinized by my surroundings, and isolated from the rest of society I understand how hard it is to be a minority and the daily challenges others have to face in being a minority. The South Cove community has brought to light a positive outlook on my perspective of life. It has provided me with a sense of community and home. The South Cove being a place that is a majority Chinese allows for people like my grandmother to get the medical care she deserves. Through out my life, my grandmother has taken care of me with little to no help. Her husband died back when they lived in China and she was challenged to raise three children on her own and now none of the three are there to really care for her. They are all working and trying to support their families, and basically have left my grandmother in the dark to live on her own. My parents are constantly working to try and support my two siblings and I so my grandmother was stuck raising my siblings and I also. She has gone to the emergency room over five times now and before when I was young I honestly did not appreciate what she did for me. I took for granted everything she did for me and so did the rest of my family. I spoke to her with no respect and anytime she asked me for a favor I was the first one to reject the idea but anytime I needed something she was the first one to go out of her way to do it for me. One day when I went to her house and I was just sitting there I decided to just talk to her listen to what she had to say. This was the first time I had ever sat down with my grandma and talked to her, and I came to realize she was so unhappy with everything. She was fed up with the way my family members including myself was treating her. At times I will see my grandmother sitting by herself in her home looking out the window, emotionless. When I witness this it truly breaks my heart to see how sad and lonely she is. Although, there is nothing is could do I usually sit up there with her just to show her I am here for her and even if we sit in silence I want her to know she is not alone. Now my grandmother is also struggling to fight arthritis and diabetes. My grandmother can barely walk, but regardless every single day she manages to cook dinner for my family and me. Also due to her disabilities she is unable to work, so for the past ten years my grandmother has been living off of government money and food stamps. My parents are not wealthy either, so we are unable to provide my grandmother with the care and life she deserves.  So how does the South Cove Health Center impact my family? I am thankful for having a place my grandmother can go to, to get her routine appointments where she feels comfortable and safe. Also my grandmother lives in Quincy Towers so the fact that South Cove is so conveniently close to her home is very reassuring to me and easier for her to access. South Cove provides incomparable health care to patients like my grandmother and I strongly believe they are one of the reasons she is standing here today.   My grandmother has taught me a valuable lesson of "no matter what people say about you, no matter what people think about you, you should not let that affect you. You use their hate to move forward, and prove to them they were wrong." One of my main goals is to attend Boston University and major in criminal justice and psychology in doing this I want to prove my grandmother right. With the help of South Cove hopefully this means she will be able to live prosperously through my years of success. Through the hardest years of my life so far, I feel like my grandmother will always be there for me to support me. I have made countless irresponsible and completely senseless mistakes, but at the end of it all I know my grandmother still loves me for whom I am and still supports my every decision. I regret all the pain I have caused her, but from here on out I am doing everything in my power to provide for my grandmother. When I do become successful, she is one of the very few people I believe deserve to share my success. With the help of South Cove's excellent medical care I know my grandmother can win the battle against diabetes and arthritis. Even if she does not, I know South Cove can at least provide for her a health center where she feels welcomed and comfortable. Everyday I am truly grateful for the South Cove Health Center for accommodating our community with adequate health care for people in need. It has honestly made a huge impact on my life, and undoubtedly many others.     

Anna Huang

South Cove So Compassionate

When I am sick, do I turn to my mother? A comforting bowl of soup? Or South Cove?

Over a decade ago, as low income, non-English speaking immigrants, my mother had a difficult time applying for government aid. Even worse, no family members were able to help her. However, a nice co-worker of my mother recommended her to South Cove. My mom remembers the first time she asked for help about applying for WIC. Not only was she thoroughly pleased and comforted with the customer service, but she also was delighted at how precise and thorough the service was. South Cove led her through the procedure step by step and they were able to respond to her concerns and questions. Throughout the years, because of South Cove's services, my mother is consistently able to find a reliable location to assist her with any dilemma.

During the first years of my parent's marriage, while my mother was first pregnant with my brother, she went to South Cove for check ups. Since her own mother was still in China, the helpful staff at South Cove was very helpful with her pregnancy process. From simple morning sickness questions to where to deliver, she received friendly knowledgeable advice. They directed her to the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; they also helped this young soon-to-be mother apply for a specific Beth Israel Hospital card so that whatever happened, she could show the card to the taxi driver and be taken immediately to Beth Israel Hospital. Such an important amenity for a frightened, far from home, young woman!

As in all families, health concerns are never far away nor do they happen at convenient times. Once, when my mother was experiencing pain with her pregnant baby, it happened at the most inopportune time- after midnight. As usual, when in a crisis, my mom thought of South Cove. Of course, it was closed. Too frightened to call an ambulance, my mother fretted about what to do. She knew that the South Cove staff was not at work. Once thinking logically she remembered that South Cove had an emergency call button. She called, she pressed the emergency button, and in less than ten minutes they returned her call. In Chinese, they asked my mother many questions and ultimately recommended that she go to the hospital immediately. Before the ambulance arrived, they kept my mother on the phone to make sure that she was all right. This shows that the wonderful people of South Cove are very meticulous and alert about their patients. Without them, my mother would have been lost.

My mom knew that she was inexperienced with taking care of babies, but she also knew that she wanted to feed her babies well. When South Cove opened classes specifically for new mothers, my mother was first in line. Those classes were very helpful in training new mothers. My mom absorbed these lessons and slowly, she got more skillful at all the elements of mothering. They taught her how to give an infant a bath, how to change diapers, and most importantly, how to feed a baby. This last skill was important to her; she wanted to raise healthy babies. I am the lucky one. Her mothering talents were first practiced on my older brother, and once perfected, then used on me.

South Cove helped me through a tough time when I was a small child. One morning, I realized that my knee was very painful. I remember the difficulty of getting out of bed but somehow managed to get to school. Foolishly, I told no one. The next morning, I was just not able to walk at all. Trying not to panic, my mom took me to South Cove. Stoically, I refused to cry, but we were both frightened because neither of us could understand why I could not walk. Not even the pediatrician could figure out what was wrong. So off to Children's Hospital I went immediately. Unfortunately my mother broke down, but the nurses at South Cove gave her the emotional support she needed. South Cove arranged for a taxi and even paid for the fee. They informed Children's Hospital that I was on my way and an interpreter met us at the front door. Amazing! South Cove has made our lives so much easier for my English challenged mother.So many barriers easily removed. My leg had a huge infection, I stayed overnight at the hospital, and I returned home three days later. South Cove's aid did not end there. They phoned my mom to inform her that I should come back to South Cove for check ups to monitor this infection. Before long, I was very healthy again.

Arriving to a new country as a person who does not speak the language is never an easy undertaking. Isolation is the biggest struggle; inclusion is the biggest comfort. My family was blessed by being included in South Cove's extended family. Now that we are strongly situated, we hope to give back to South Cove. We cannot get their welcome anywhere else.

Judy Le

I never thought that South Cove would have a huge impact on my life, and it was not until I was much older when I realized that they were involved in so many ways. My name is Judy­ Le and I am a junior in the O'Bryant School of Math and Science. I live in a Vietnamese family of six, with my parents and three siblings. For as long as I can remember, we have been going to the South Cove Health Center ever since I was an infant, maybe even longer! As I reflect back in my past and consider the many hints that connect to this center, I am surprised to say that South Cove had been very involved with my family.

When I was younger, I used to hear from my mother that at South Cove, we would need a translator for her. Back then, my parents were immigrants that did not know much about America and looking back, I recognize how helpful South Cove was. They provided an environment where my parents were culturally comfortable, with professional doctors who offered supportive advice and staff members who knew more about our culture, thus tying us closer. Even though my parents needed a translator, it was a step closer to their homeland. Since I am older and their time in America had increased, we have no need for a translator now, but I am sure my parents were grateful for the support they had received in the past.

There were so many hints and clues throughout my life, but I never noticed that South Cove was always involved with me. My parents had found a tutoring place in Allston called Brighton-Allston Afterschool Enrichment (B.A.S.E.), an afterschool program. They enrolled my older brother there and I remember little snippets of my trips as a child to pick him up from it. As I grew older, I too joined and enjoyed my time spent there. I met many new people from different Boston schools I normally would not have known and we would engage in multiple activities, after school and during vacations. From making contraptions out of household materials to artistic projects, and even to cooking, B.A.S.E. had provided a foundation for my siblings and me.

They increased our academic knowledge while introducing and expanding our social and cultural understanding at the same time. There were many trips that we took, such as to the Big Apple Circus, a park for field day, or even the library to borrow some books. My siblings and I would not be able to visit these places and events because our parents were often busy with work and could not have taken us. I am thankful for B.A.S.E., who was able to introduce my family to new areas in our neighborhood by having us walk from place to place and opening many opportunities for us to explore.

 Now it is my turn to pick up my younger brother and sister, who are currently attending B.A.S.E. When I come, I would always see some part of me still there and I would imagine my younger self in the past with the kids I knew. As I look at the current BASE, I see similarities and differences. There are still kids ranging from young ages to pre-teen, enjoying their time together and doing homework with the aid of a staff member.

I should have noticed the mini magnet calendars that had the South Cove logo on it, or even the little baubles that included said logo. It had never crossed my mind that B.A.S.E. would be connected to South Cove; I always thought that somehow we got these items for free. When I actually think about it, all these clues were directing to the path that B.A.S.E. was connected to South Cove. I am still thinking of how and why I never joined these two centers together after all my years at both places. I am pretty sure that when I was young, B.A.S.E. mentioned their connection to South Cove many times, but I never thought of their relationship. It was pretty obvious, but then again, I just had never thought of it. B.A.S.E.'s connection with South Cove reveals that they both are a multi-service center that serves many people, including my parents and me. So I guess you can say I am grateful for this connection. I cannot say that without this relation, my life would have been better; this link had always been there for as long as I can remember. I cannot really imagine my life different from what it is now, and if I was to really look closely, B.A.S.E. and South Cove continues to have a heavy influence. They have such a deep influence that I would never trade for anything else.

Anthia Mo

There are only four children in my family: Alice, Christopher, April and I. Since Chris is the only boy in my family, he would always play roughly, pushing the rest of us around. Our age differences kept us in different schools, although sometimes we would be together in one school. Back then, there were not many like us, everyone seemed different, our skin tone was different, we had different hair, our way of acting was even unusual compared to theirs. I first started school in Andover, MA, which to me seemed like a full-sized town at the time. To me, it was easy to make friends, so I would constantly make many friends in my class. Around the 1^st grade, I realized that all my friends were lighter than I was. In the summer, they're moms applied sunscreen on them, when I didn't have to apply sunscreen, my hair was darker, and the texture also seemed different. They're moms let them paint nails and they even had less rules than me. I always seemed like the odd one out and I became embarrassed about my race soon after.

            One day, I came back home to find my mother in a rush. She grabbed my crying sister by one hand, me in the other and yelled to my brother to follow us. We ran into the car as she sped down the highway. It was later in the day when I realized that my brother had accidently pushed my sister, who had lost her balance and fell down the stairs, landing straight on her head. Sitting in the room, patiently waiting for the doctor, I could tell my mom seemed nervous. Her legs were shaking and she was fidgeting with her hands. As a young Chinese woman came into the room, my mother seemed to relax. My mom started explaining in mandarin what had happened to April and if they could check her head to see if everything was okay. I sat there staring at the Chinese woman, as she spoke English to the doctor. The doctor would then say something to the woman and the woman would speak back to my mother. It wasn't until I was older when I realized that the hospital incident was a form of Chinese interpreting from South Cove. It turns out my sister had a concussion, and I was so thankful for the interpreter, because the American doctor might not have understood my mother's broken down English. If my mom didn't know April had a concussion, she wouldn't have kept April home from all her soccer practices and games for a few weeks. My sister could have been different than how she is today and her concussion might have been worse if she didn't know about it.

            As I got home I realized that the Chinese woman I saw today not only helped me, but also assisted many other Asian Americans like my mom. Starting with that day, I began to embrace my race and culture. I knew I could become a Chinese interpreter to help others, or anything of that sort. Not only did the Chinese interpreter make me realize that being Chinese was something extraordinary I needed to embrace and not be ashamed of, but I also realized that instead of being just embarrassed about my race, I should make it of good use to be able to help others. The older I got, I realized that more Asian Americans moved into the area where I lived. I became friends with people of all different cultures and I learned that being Chinese is a remarkable ethnicity, and I am happy that I can be bilingual because it can help me and others more in life than just knowing one language. Although the Chinese woman in the hospital didn't know it, she really impacted my life. I continuously think back to the day my sister was brought to the hospital and I constantly think of what my life would be if my brother and sister weren't horsing around. I am thankful for everything that has happened in my life, but this one moment, is something that I am particularly thankful for because the Chinese interpreter made me realize that being Chinese is much more than what I imagined it to be.   

As I research more about South Cove, I have understood that it has not only impacted my life, it has also impacted my family's life as well as many other families. I see many Asian Americans around my area and I smile knowing to myself that if anyone was to have trouble, my mom would be one to take the first step forward and help them. Even my siblings and I would be willing to help them because with our specialty of speaking mandarin, we could help anyone who needed it. I am unfortunate to not be as good as my mom in speaking Mandarin, but I know that I can always be nice to Asian Americans and make friends with new Asians coming from Asia to make them feel welcome and content.