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Barriers to Healthcare Access Among Refugees with Disabilities and Chronic Health Conditions Resettled in the US Midwest

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Abstract

Chronic conditions and related functional disabilities are highly prevalent among resettled refugees in the United States. There is a need to explore this population’s access to appropriate healthcare services in order to identify service disparities and improve interventions. Using a community-based participatory research approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with key informants to identify healthcare access barriers affecting disabled and chronically ill refugees. Eighteen participants were interviewed, revealing three main barriers: (1) inadequate health insurance, (2) language and communication barriers, and (3) a complex maze of service systems. These barriers were found to operate at systems, provider, and individual levels. Broad-based policy and practice interventions are required to address barriers including: an expanded pool of medical interpreters, peer navigators, innovative health information technologies, and greater collaboration and information-sharing between service systems. Further research is needed to monitor the impact the Affordable Care Act on service access of refugees with disabilities and chronic conditions.

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Acknowledgments

The contents of this manuscript were developed under a grant from the Northwestern University Institute for Clinical and Translational Sciences (Alliance for Research in Chicagoland Communities). We are grateful to Dr. Suzanne Grieb for giving us valuable feedback on early drafts of this manuscript. We are also thankful to Suren Wong for her editorial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Applied Health Science, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1919 W. Taylor St, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA

    Mansha Mirza

  2. Access Living Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Rene Luna & Bhuttu Mathews

  3. Department of Asian American Studies, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Rooshey Hasnain

  4. Heartland Human Care Services, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA

    Elizabeth Hebert

  5. World Relief, Dupage/Aurora, IL, USA

    Allison Niebauer

  6. Heartland Health Outreach, Chicago, IL, USA

    Uma Devi Mishra

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  1. Mansha Mirza
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Correspondence to Mansha Mirza.

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Mirza, M., Luna, R., Mathews, B. et al. Barriers to Healthcare Access Among Refugees with Disabilities and Chronic Health Conditions Resettled in the US Midwest. J Immigrant Minority Health 16, 733–742 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-013-9906-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-013-9906-5

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