Post written by CHC member Amber Adams:
It is November 1st and American households
are now stocked with candy treats, costumes are tucked away, and the haunted
and scary festivities for this holiday season have come to an end. However, for
many individuals seen at Heartland Health Center’s Wilson Clinic, the reality
of “spooky” and scary truths, such as intimidating doctor visits, frustrations
due to the inability to understand health information, and confusing procedures
and diagnoses, extends well past the Halloween holiday.
Many of the individuals seen at Heartland Health
Center’s Wilson clinic are refugees. While fleeing their homelands in pursuit
of safety, they immediately undergo a strenuous resettlement process upon
arrival to the U.S. Within the first 30 days, refugees are required to complete
a number of tasks to promote self-sufficiency and cultural adjustment, including
learning to speak English.
Due to language barriers and differences in culture, many
refugees need interpretation and further explanation concerning their medical
care. My service term with Heartland Health Centers provides me the
opportunity to assist with this need. I offer 1-on-1 nutrition counseling to
patients and create cultural competency and health literacy tools to address
some of the complicated health procedures and diagnoses for Wilson’s diverse
patient population. Most refugees
in Chicago come from Burma, Bhutan, Iraq, Somalia, Ethiopia and Afghanistan,
according to the Heartland Alliance.
To no surprise, with the cultural shock and
overwhelming tasks refugees’ transition, grocery shopping for low-calorie foods
or making sure to get all 5 food groups in with each meal may fall lower on their
priority list. However, the
shocking reality that some patients do not understand health information and
instructions given by physicians, and that information is so easily
misinterpreted or lost in translation, makes my service an essential part of
making sure our patients have access to the necessary healthcare information.
While I enjoy thinking up the perfect Halloween
costume and anticipating the reaction to what I’ve brought to life another
year, I’m glad my creativity is not limited to just this holiday season. With much excitement and pleasure, I
am able to design health educational tools, bulletin boards, and provide culturally
competent resources that patients can read, understand, and act on concerning
their health. This makes me proud, humbled, and happy to serve.
“The true way to render
ourselves happy is to love our work and find in it our pleasure”
-Francoise de Motteville
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