Prabha Bhattarai Deuja, member of Multicultural Advisory Council and founder of Tender Hearts Foundation, is known for taking immediate action when there is community need.

Prabha has connections to thousands of people in the local community and they know they can reach out to her about any needs they may have. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Prabha discovered that some people were in need of a COVID-19 test in order to return to work but were unable to afford testing. Prabha worked to solve this issue, reaching out to the Health Department for support and distributing COVID-19 test kits to the community. She works closely with the Health Department and other Fairfax County and community resources to connect people with the things they need including wellness fairs, basic needs assistance, Coordinated Services Planning, Assistance from a Distance, the Domestic and Sexual Violence Hotline, and health clinics for uninsured residents.

“From advocacy and support for victims of domestic violence to getting essential medical supplies to people, Prabha always finds a way to help her community,” said Jennifer Chuong, community health specialist with the Fairfax County Health Department.  

When COVID-19 vaccines became available, Prabha helped create a system to assist those in need and who can be difficult to reach sign up for community vaccine clinics. Through her social media, Prabha provided people with a simplified way to enter their basic information. She would then call each person and help them fill out the remainder of the vaccine appointment application.  

“She always finds creative ways to share information,” said Jennifer. “She often creates informative videos and directs them in ways to capture the audiences’ attention in two languages. At the start of the pandemic when many things were new and unknown, she recorded me doing a presentation on COVID-19 in English with a nurse who then translated it to Nepali. We’ve also recorded videos on other topics such as domestic violence and Coordinated Services Planning. She shares these videos widely, making sure that these important messages reach as many people as possible in a format that they can understand.” 

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, and the Health Department is recognizing local community leaders who have made health happen in Fairfax.