Seattle, WA- The National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA) has good reason to celebrate this month - its national toll-free multilingual Helpline has been in existence for four years.

From its humble beginnings in October 2004 as a resource to help API seniors with their prescription drug benefit/Medicare discount cards, the Helpline has grown each successive year to become what it is today. 

“The Helpline is THE source of information and help for API seniors around the country,” said NAPCA President and C.E.O. Clayton Fong. “We couldn’t be happier that the Helpline continues to assist those in need solve problems with one phone call, in the language they are most comfortable speaking and understanding.”

The Helpline is funded in large part by the generous financial support of the Walmart Foundation. In just the past two years, they have donated $140,000 to NAPCA, including a $30,000 check last month.

The Helpline handles calls from API seniors on a wide range of topics from Economic Stimulus Payments/tax rebates to help with the upcoming Digital TV transition. However, it is best known for helping with the annual Medicare Part D Open Enrollment period, which begins in less than a month. Already, many seniors are getting information about the new and different plans available to them and they may need assistance making decisions.

Between November 15^th and December 31^st, seniors should call the Helpline and speak with staff to go over their plans, since certain prescription drugs may not be covered anymore, or three may be better, cheaper alternatives NAPCA can help them find.

“The Helpline is a vital service that API seniors need, and we are happy to be the organization that provides it,” said Helpline Manager Catherine Lei-Che. “We are excited that the Helpline has been around for four years, and are hopeful it will be around for much longer.”

For more information about the Helpline, please see the attached fact sheet, or contact NAPCA Director of Communications and Outreach Derek Wing at (206) 838-8168 or Derek@napca.org.

NAPCA National Toll-free Multilingual Helpline Numbers: English 1-800-336-2722; Chinese 1-800-582-4218; Korean 1-800-582-4259; Vietnamese 1-800-582-4336.