Substance Use – About Us | Midwest Asian Health Association

About McK-UDOS

Who We Are

McKinley Park Underage Drinking & Other Substances Prevention Coalition (McK-UDOS) was founded as a coalition in 2014 under Midwest Asian Health Association (MAHA). McK-UDOS recevies funding from the five-year Drug-Free Community (DFC) Support Grant Program directed by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), in partnership with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and later transitioned to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2020. We are funded by the DFC grant from 2015-2020 and from 2020- 2025 and the STOP Act from 2017-2021.

Our Mission

Our mission is to prevent underage drinking and marijuana use among youth in the McKinley Park neighborhood of Chicago through building partnerships, assessing the community’s needs and resources, developing strategic plans, and implementing and evaluating the coalition’s activities for awareness, advocacy, education, and sustainability.

Our Vision

To promote a healthy and drug-free environment for our children and families in McKinley Park of Chicago.

Our Goals

Build relationships with local communities, businesses, organizations, schools, parents, youth, law enforcement, faith-based organizations, healthcare professionals, volunteers, media, and other stakeholders.
Prevent or reduce underage alcohol consumption and marijuana use among the Hispanic and Asian youth in the community by increasing perception of risk, and reducing availability of substance to our youth population.

Meet the Team

Executive Director - Hong Liu, Ph.D.

Hong Liu, Ph.D

Executive Director

Hong Liu is the Executive Director of the Midwest Asian Health Association (MAHA). She came to the U.S. in 1988 and received a Master’s degree in Political Science in 1989 and a Ph.D. in Public Policy Analysis in 1994 from the University of Illinois at Chicago. In the past 20 years, Dr. Liu has been working diligently toward improving health and quality of life for Asian populations. She is well recognized as an advocate and community leader locally and nationally in the public health and community health field. Dr. Liu is a member of several boards and advisory councils , including the State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP) Council appointed by the Governor of Illinois, and the Chicago Community Development Advisory Council appointed by the Mayor of Chicago. She has received numerous awards for her dedication to public health, a few of which include the Public Health Advocacy Award from the Illinois Public Health Association; the Excellent Professional Award from Illinois Secretary of State, Jesse White; and the Community Service Excellence Award from the Asian Coalition of Chicago and the Chinese American Association of Greater Chicago.

Ricky Lam

STOP Act Program Coordinator

Ricky Lam has more than 20 years of experience working with adult job seekers and youth participants in the community. Ricky helps job seekers look for permanent employments and eventually reach self sufficiency. He also assists at-risk youth participants to overcome academic, social, and family issues so that they will eventually obtain their high school diplomas and either move on to post secondary school or enter the workforce. Ricky graduated from University of Illinois at Chicago with a Bachelor Degree in Human Resource Management with both College and Department Honor.Ricky is also very active in community activities. He is an active member of Ping Tom Park Advisory Committee and was a former committee member of Hospitality Fund II Advisory Committee, City of Chicago Equity Council, Department of Human Relation Asian Advisory Council, and Equal Voice Coalition Council.

Allison Precht

Director of Programs

Allison M. Precht, MA, LPC, CADC, joined MAHA as Director of Programs in December 2020. Allison is a motivated and passionate dual-master’s prepared community leader with 20+ years’ public health/human services experience promoting access to healthful living for diverse and underserved communities. Allison brings extensive research and program development experience at the local and national level. Prior to joining MAHA, Allison spent the last 16 years at a Cook County “one-stop” public safety-net outpatient center for the treatment, research, and prevention of infectious diseases. Allison received national recognition for her work implementing a Peer Patient Navigator model to enhance engagement and retention of HIV-Positive Women of Color in care. Allison serves as a member of the Malcolm X Community Health Worker Program Advisory Council and is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Addictions Counselor. She completed her clinical psychology training at Rush University Medical Center in its inpatient palliative care and hospice programs and outpatient individual and group-level bereavement counseling through Horizon Hospice and Palliative Care.