Handling Medical Conditions of Refugees
Now that the first month is complete, I have moved away from daily updates. Our activities have slowed to a point where it is a stuggle to come up with something interesting to write about each day. Instead I’ll still jump in with useful lessons to pass along.
This past week we’ve continued to dedicate time to the medical appointments of our refugee family. Being a large family we’ve had more appointments to deal with than usual. You may have read about our transportation issues earlier. One of the things we’ve done to help alleviate the driving pressure is to tap into our church’s team of drivers for shut-ins. If we provide a few days notice we have access to other volunteer drivers. Yes!
Now, due to confidentiality requirements, I will not write directly about this family’s medical issues. But you can imagine that when someone spends a decade or two in a crowded refugee camp, without proper care, that there may be problems. We are seeing some of those problems now.
It is important that arriving refugees have access to medical care very early after arrival. First of all, it’s good to discover any problems as soon as possible so that they have the best chance of cure and recovery. Second, their access to insurance is easiest in the beginning. (As refugees they will receive some kind of coverage for 8 months from arrival, but the Title 19 they get at day 1 might only last 30 days before a shift to state or local coverage. Yet even the state or local coverage is probably easier to work with than the deductibles and requirements of employer-provided insurance.)
After getting through the medical appointments with checkups, followups, immunizations, specialists when necessary, medicines, and monitoring, then it’s time to get into the dental appointments. From what we’ve seen, it is rare for a refugee to arrive without some dental problems too.
Stick with it though; arranging appointments and transporting to each one. Once the medical and dental issues are properly handled, it is a relief to the refugees to have greater health than they may have had in years. This provides a foundation upon which they can begin to rebuild their lives.
A healthy person can learn English. A healthy person can get, and keep, a job. A healthy person will be able to better face some the new-life challenges and adjustments periods that will be on the horizon.
