The Nurse

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Malida Suong's parents fled Cambodia after the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime, and escaped to Khao-I-Dang refugee camp on the Thai border, where an estimated population of 160,000 refugees was living.
Malida was born in Khao-I-Dang in 1981.
In 1985, the whole family finally left for a new life in a new country, the United States. After a short period in Maine, Malida’s family moved to Lowell, Massachusetts, where South-East Asian refugee families had already settled, among them a big majority of Cambodians. Malida’s parents found jobs easily there, factory works…


It’s not until she traveled back to Cambodia in 2004 - the first time since her family had left the country - that Malida envisioned the career she wanted to embrace: public health and nursing. In May 2009, she has graduated with a Masters in Science and received her license to be a nurse practitioner.
Malida is now working at LCHC (Lowell Community Health Center), a non-profit organization that started in 1970 to serve the diverse ethnic population of Lowell, with high quality and affordable health care services.

The Community Health Center

See a multimedia version of this story at this link.


Back in Lowell, Massachusetts, where 1 on 3 is from Cambodian origin. The city holds the second largest Cambodian community in the US - with 30 000 people - after Long Beach, Ca. One of the most recent part of the immigration heritage that has built the city since the mid 19th century, the Cambodians refugees and immigrants in Lowell have definitely "shaped" the city in a way no other community has done before, with its economical, social or cultural activities, its restaurants and shops. Still, many members of this community struggle with low paid jobs, lack of education, physical or psychological health issues.

For them, the Metta Health Center - one of the six community health centers in Lowell - has specialized since its opening in 2000 in Southeast Asian medicine and resources, mixing both western medicine and traditional Asian practices such as massage, meditation or acupuncture.
For the Cambodian Americans of Lowell and around, Metta Health Center is a great place to consult a doctor or a nurse, as everything in the center is made to put them comfortable: Cambodian staff, Khmer language in use, art from Cambodia displayed on the walls… More than 5000 patients have consulted at Metta Health Center in 2008 - a large amount being from Cambodian origin - to find affordable quality health services…

In the Buddhist Pali language

“Metta” means “Love”, “Compassion”…

Above: Cambodian native Chhan Touch D’Avanzo (right), a Family Nurse Practitioner at the Metta Health Center in Lowell examines Cambodian native Ou Nhanhm (left), 64, a father of 6, currently unemployed for health related issues.

Above: with the help of Cambodian native Sonith Peou (center) - a Program Director at Metta Health Center – for the interpretation between English and Khmer, acupuncturist Judy Fang (left) gets ready to treat Cambodian native Sreng Putha, 53, (right), who doesn’t talk English much. In May 2009 Sreng Putha was in a car accident. Since then he suffers back pains and come to Metta Health Center once or twice per week to ease and treat these pains.

Metta Health Center of Lowell

Dorcas Grigg-Saito, happy CEO of Lowell Community Health Center, in front of Metta, a center dedicated to South East Asian people in Lowell, Massachussets.

A text story (in French and Khmer) talking about the Metta Health Center of Lowell has been published online at this link: http://ka-set.info/actualites/cultures-et-societe/cambodge-massachusetts-lowell-communaute-association-cmaa-metta-080925.html

The Metta Health Center was created in 2000 to answer the specific needs of South East Asian patients, majority of them being from Cambodian origin. At Metta, 90% of the staff is from Cambodia or Laos. All signs are translated from English into these two Asian languages. Khmer and Lao art pieces are displayed on many walls of the center. If needed, a traduction service is provided. For those who don't have high incomes, or no income at all or no insurance, state and federal mecanisms are available to support and make sure that they can recieve the best treatment or health services possible even if they can't afford it.

Cambodian native Chhan Touch D’Avanzo - a survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime – a Family Nurse Practitioner at the Metta Health Center will soon graduate with a Phd in Nursing, the first ever Cambodian American to reach that level in the United States.

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See more stories about the Cambodian Americans in the archives of this blog! ..