Health Disparities
Refugees often face health disparities, regardless of their country of origin. Health care in the United States is expensive, and frequently, a lack of insurance and impossible payment plans discourage many refugees from seeking necessary health care. They may opt instead to seek health care services only in emergency situations which can require more complicated methods of treatment as well as more expensive procedures. For certain refugee populations, preventative treatment is not used or understood (Burgess, 2002). Standard health screenings for conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and depression are not typically completed on refugees. Untreated chronic conditions and mental health problems are common in the refugee population (Minnesota Immigrant Health Task Force, 2005).
Refugees who can afford health care often avoid it due to language and cultural barriers. The inability to effectively communicate medical history, current needs, and personal health practices may result in misdiagnosis and lack of adherence to medication regimens (Minnesota, 2005). According to Burgess, 2004, the refugee population is “prone to medical mistakes.” Because health care providers specifically trained to work with refugees are not frequently incorporated into health care delivery systems, it is essential for other physicians and counselors to be culturally aware when treating refugee patients. Cultural, language, and educational barriers may limit quality of care. Many new refugees may feel more comfortable with a physician of the same gender or race. In fact, less acculturated minorities tend to trust and prefer an ethnically similar counselor (Atkinson, Morten, & Sue, 1998).
Medical care of refugees is often impacted by the inability to accept the past and move forward. The influence of trauma on an individual varies based on the duration of the traumatic event, the number of times the event occurred, personal coping skills, personality characteristics, and the presence of a support system (Schuchman & McDonald, 2004). Past and current challenges faced by refugees may generate a “‘collision course’ with enormous mental health implications” (Alarcón et al., 2007, p. 582). Each group of refugees, and each individual refugee, has different experiences and challenges. We will focus on general health care issues relating to the Somali refugee population.
