In search of asylum, survivors of war, famine and persecution, from all over the globe, come to the Land of the Free -- yet, they often can't even secure their own health for free. A combination of institutional discrimination and cultural barriers often prevent migrants from seeking out equal access to healthcare.
“When someone like you and myself goes to the doctor or the ER, our experience is really different from what a refugee or asylum seeker, who may not even have access to insurance has. One thing we have realized is how the trauma really impacts their mental health. It takes months for them to leave their family and friends. It’s a long and grueling process. A lot of the places they are coming from, there is a stigma surrounding mental health, and a lot of their conditions go undiagnosed. But, when you have that communication barrier people are less inclined to get health care, and it definitely leads to a chronic health condition getting undiagnosed,” says Danial Ahmed, CEO of Project Hear, a 501c3 (not-for-profit organization) dedicated to promoting physical and mental well being amongst the US refugee population.
In the past summer, Ahmed along with other members of HEAR traveled to Gulfton, Houston, one of the largest refugee hotspots in the US, to set up an educational framework for refugees. During their last days in Houston, they worked in collaboration with the non profit, Culture of Health – Advancing Together (CHAT) and a local clinic, stemming from the parent organization Foundation for Better Education, to provide financial incentives for COVID vaccination for refugees.
“We believe that education is the number one most important thing when it comes to reducing some of these healthcare barriers. We have realized interventions are one time things. What we want is a longitudinal impact, and the only way we can do that is to provide education. For example, lectures- that is actually a major way we go about it. We collaborate with larger organizations already in this space, who already have an established list of clients and refugees. We work together to host different talks and webinars. For example, let’s just say we wanted to have a hypertension lecture, and we could go into detail on how to prevent it.” says Ahmed.
As they worked to increase vaccination accessibility, they also made sure to acknowledge the refugee perspective. They spoke to locals about struggles they faced, including a lack of insurance and a plethora of economic disparities.
“What we have realized at least, is that a simple conversation can go a long way. By having that sit down conversation with them, just asking about their experiences and asking if there is anything we could do, it goes a long way and it is appreciated. Mental health can be restructured by providing support groups, communities, and hotlines upon arrival.”
Oftentimes, they use translators to better convey their ideas, citing language barriers as a key obstacle to healthcare. For instance, in a study reported by “Implications of Language Barriers for Healthcare: A Systematic Review” online translation tools such as Google Translate and MediBabble improved healthcare satisfaction rates to 92% for patients.
“Project HEAR and healthcare as a whole can do- is see what are the problems? Socio, cultural, and linguistic barriers, and work to solve them systematically. Making sure that physicians are trained in those languages, so we definitely need more spanish-speaking physicians, more middle eastern language speaking physicians. Project HEAR does need assessments, look at this is the community, what languages do they speak? Right now, we are focusing on a community in New York, and we found that a majority of them are from Latin America, and a majority of them speak Spanish and Creole. So, then when we have our events and interventions we try to have the language not be a barrier at all,” Ahmed explains.
Additionally, he goes on to explain the app in development at Project HEAR. The not-for-profit app hopes to connect refugees around the world to primary care, streamline healthcare documentation and offer mental health services, in multiple languages.
“We imagine it as a one stop shop for refugees, where they can gain basic information about healthcare, whether it be physical, mental, or lifestyle. What we do is [take] the most common conditions affecting refugees, make that information more digestible and culturally appropriate, and provide the correct clinical information. But, they don’t have insurance. So, we make sure to provide them with different pathways. Ex: how can you go to the doctor when you are in asylum seeking status?” said Ahmed.
Finally, Ahmed reflects on Project HEAR’s impact on his own career. Currently a medical student in his 7th year at NYIT, Ahmed is fascinated by the cross section of humanitarian work and science. “I think, one thing that has definitely taught me- when you hear these stories of leaving behind seven children to come for a better future, it is quite heartbreaking. And, the medical education system in general lacks empathy-- [we don’t know how] to be there for them as a person.”
As a product of the Gen Z education system, he is uniquely aware of the youth climate activists, the future scientists, and the creative thinkers. Once in the same position as us, he reflects on his time in the field, and departs a few words of wisdom.
“Figure out your ‘why’? It is very easy to be passionate about something for a week or two. But, what happens when the passion dies? The project shouldn't die too. You need to make sure you understand the problem. You need a good team. Work with people who you can trust, work with people who have a similar mindset. Never be afraid.
And never forget to network. ”