Chinese Hospital:845 Jackson Street

We start our procession at Chinese Hospital - Arnold’s birthplace in Chinatown. Arnold was born on November 15th, 1947, at Chinese Hospital. Gway Chin and Show Har now had an American-born son. Red egg and ginger were distributed to their friends and family in Chinatown. Arnold was born in the year of the pig, the last sign of the Chinese zodiac that represents wealth, prosperity, and good luck. Chinese Hospital is a unique healthcare provider with a long and rich history of serving the local community that dates back to the late 1800s. The Tung Wah Dispensary was established in 1899 to provide health care services to the underserved Chinese community who faced discrimination and limited access to public services. The dispensary was staffed by both Western-trained physicians and Chinese herbalists. In 1923, following the destruction of the 1906 earthquake and fire, fifteen community organizations rallied to form the Chinese Hospital Association, a new non-profit public benefit corporation. Members of the Board of Trustees raised funds to construct a new facility with expanded services.

In 1925, Chinese Hospital opened its doors at 835 Jackson Street, becoming the first and only institution of its kind in the country. Chinese Hospital, a community-owned, not-for-profit organization, exists primarily to deliver quality health care in a cost-effective way, responsive to the community's ethnic and cultural uniqueness, providing access to health care and acceptability to all socioeconomic levels. 

As Arnold began his law practice, one of the projects that he took on pro-bono, was bringing immigrant nurses and doctors to come work at the Chinese Hospital. With this project, he provided an important pathway for aspiring medical professionals to transition to the U.S. Arnold’s parents, Gway and Show Har received much of their healthcare and services via the Chinese Hospital, which was just one more reason this organization meant so much to Arnold.