For the family of three at the Della Lamb nonprofit, regular check-ins for ongoing health issues are a stark contrast to the arduous path they took to resettle in Kansas City.
“We left Afghanistan,” the mother said through a translator. “We belong to a religious group, Shia Muslims, and we face persecution.”
As they sat in the quiet, off-white room, their 2-year-old child played gleefully with an array of toy cars and trucks provided by staff to distract him. Moments of peace like this are why this family, who wanted to remain anonymous due to concerns about their immigration status, chose to seek refuge. They arrived in the U.S. 10 months ago, after three years living in Saudi Arabia.
“My husband worked for the previous government, making us potential targets of the Taliban,” she said.
Despite coming so far, the family would face another hurdle when they got here: her untreated leg pain. She sought treatment but was denied insurance coverage for critical imaging needed to move forward. Solving the problem seemed nearly impossible since she’s still learning to speak English.
“The only concern is about (my) leg,” she said.
Della Lamb has helped more than 3,000 refugees resettle in and around Kansas City since 2014, and many face health concerns just like this family upon arrival. Because of the trauma some refugees live through, a lack of medical care they might receive along the way, and major language barriers, migrants and refugees have worse health outcomes, according to the World Health Organization.
That’s where Kansas City University student Parker Townsend comes in. Townsend, a second-year medical student, is part of the student leadership team for the Refugee Health Navigator program. The aim isn’t to offer clinical services, but guidance and education about the complex American health care system.
“We really try to explain why this problem occurred and how we can move forward,” Townsend said. “What the next steps are (and) why it’s like this.”
Townsend has worked with this particular family since March. With his help, they were able to identify the imaging issue was related to an insurance coding error — something that probably would have gone unnoticed and unresolved otherwise.
And the goal isn’t just to help them solve one problem. Townsend and company are hopeful they can lay the groundwork for refugees to feel confident navigating health issues on their own.
Health navigation barriers
The Refugee Health Navigator program is inspired by a model from Georgetown University, where students act as guides rather than clinicians.
The collaboration between Kansas City University’s Center for Population Health and Equity and Della Lamb launched about a year ago with three clients and their families. They’ve quickly doubled the number of refugee families involved.
Each refugee client is partnered with two students — one male and one female, to provide more comfort for all patients and cultures. They’ll go over major medical issues and help resolve those, then spend the rest of the time working through other, more day-to-day dilemmas.
“Making sure they have transportation to appointments, making sure that they understand what they need to bring to appointments or what time they need to be there, where it is,” Townsend said. “Just overall trying to teach them about the health care system.”
Right now, Della Lamb isn’t seeing new placements because of restrictions on refugee resettlement and a funding freeze imposed by the Trump administration. The move has hobbled resettlement agencies, forcing many to lay off staff or shut down offices, and left many refugees without needed services.
But Della Lamb refugee services coordinator Ellie Colvin said it has offered staff a chance to increase focus on their current clients in a way they couldn’t before, when they had a healthy stream of new resettlements to tackle.
“We identify cases where we’re seeing language barriers, transportation barriers, or just general health navigation barriers,” said Colvin.
It has also encouraged increased local collaboration, like with the health navigator program.
That’s essential with budgets already tight across the board, said Colvin.
“We have to lean into each other and that’s been the coolest part to see, is just everyone working together,” Colvin said.
A more conscientious class of doctors
So far, the response to the program has been resoundingly positive, especially from the refugee families receiving assistance.
“All of the clients always ask where the medical students are,” Colvin said. “They all get to know them and know them by name.”
The Afghan family KCUR spoke with said they appreciated having someone provide clarity in what would otherwise be a turbulent process.
Colvin said they’re building trust in the medical system among a community that’s seeking peace.
It’s also molding a more conscientious class of future doctors with an increased focus on public service. The first cohort of six students just moved on from the program and shared their reflections with Melissa McAtee, operations manager for the university’s Center for Population Health and Equity.
“I’m not sure all of our students knew what they were getting into when they volunteered, but they reported it was one of the most meaningful parts of their education,” McAtee said. “It really helped them better understand more of what community needs are, and tie that back to their medical education.”
In the next few years, Kansas City University could further expand the program, and they’ve already created opportunities for students to get involved in similar programs with other services aiding underserved communities.
They’ve even heard from other schools in neighboring states that are hopeful to implement similar programs.
But for now, Townsend said, they’re focused on building self-reliance among the clients they have.
“They have a lot of the same wants that we want,” Townsend said. “To be part of a community.”
