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Date: 5/23/2022
SPRINGFIELD – Caring Health Center (CHC), a Springfield-based community health center, has released a series of videos as part of a campaign to promote access to coverage and care for members of underserved communities, including refugees and immigrants.
The videos are available in languages most commonly spoken among CHC patients and provide information about how CHC can assist them in obtaining health insurance. Versions are available in English, Spanish, Nepali, Arabic and Vietnamese. Versions in Somali, Swahili, Pashto and Russian are forthcoming.
As a federally qualified health center, and the largest state-funded refugee health assessment provider in Massachusetts, CHC works in partnership with the Massachusetts Health Connector, and the Department of Transitional Assistance to provide access to navigators who can assist individuals who need help accessing health care, and other public services such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children).
CHC serves hundreds of refugees each year from counties of origin that include Afghanistan, Bhutan, Congo, Ukraine, Somalia, and others. Seventy-four percent of CHC’s patients are eligible for MassHealth, but “many residents lack access to the technology needed to navigate complex public benefits systems,” said Heather Goodhind, chief of staff at the center.
“Some immigrants face fears and barriers surrounding access to public benefits,” said Goodhind. Others lack understanding of the enrollment process or face bureaucratic hurdles regarding coverage or billing issues.
Among public health professionals, this type of problem is referred to as a Social Determinant of Health (SDoH)-related barrier to coverage and care. Circumstances involving poverty, literacy, language, social, and cultural barriers can make it more difficult for some people to access health care.
For instance, the fastest way to apply for MassHealth, according to its own website, is through an online application. But English and Spanish are the only languages supported for online applications.
Navigators are trained and certified workers who help to reduce these barriers. They are “highly regarded as experts in case management, public benefits advocacy, and addressing the navigational needs of immigrant and refugee populations,” Goodhind said.
“Many patients and community members experience challenges accessing, understanding, and maintaining health coverage and other public benefits. This is why the availability of navigators to provide one-to-one assistance in clients’ native languages is so important,” said Goodhind.
For more information see Caring Health Center’s website https://www.caringhealth.org/.