How Can I Help You?Eligibility Worker: Navigating Patients Through the Social Services Maze

Introduction: Vermont has programs to assist low income individuals in obtaining basic needs such as health insurance, food security, fuel assistance, housing and transportation. However, these services are often underutilized by eligible individuals. Major barriers to enrollment include lack of knowledge about available programs and their income cutoffs, cumbersome application processes, literacy barriers, and lack of transportation to application sites. In other states, efforts to reduce these barriers have included shortened application forms, removal of asset tests, mail-in applications, media outreach, and eligibility workers placed in outreach agencies. Many studies suggest that the presence of an eligibility worker at a community health center can help overcome some social service enrollment barriers.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1012/thumbnail.jp

Identifying barriers to care in the Burmese and Bhutanese refugee populations of Burlington, Vermont

Introduction: Many refugees who escape persecution in their own country have trouble navigating and accessing the American health care system. Language barriers often impair effective communication, while financial challenges can be prohibitive after the eight-month government insurance subsidy for new refugees expires. In addition many refugees do not understand the concept of chronic disease, which is a concern considering the overall rise in hypertension (HTN) and type-two diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the US population. Understanding how refugees access health care, and how well they understand chronic disease, is essential for organizations providing medical care for these populations. Little is known about how the Burmese and Bhutanese refugees experience the Vermont health care system, nor how well they understand chronic diseases such as HTN and T2DM. To address these limitations, we conducted focus groups with these two Vermont refugee populations at the Community Health Center of Burlington, Vermont (CHCB).https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1035/thumbnail.jp

Removing Barriers to Health Care: Healthy Starts for New Americans

Objectives: • To determine if refugees completing a Medical Orientation Program for New Americans are better with several aspects of medicine in the US, such as making appointments; knowing more about diet and hygiene; and understanding the implications of mental and chronic illnesses. • To determine if Medical Passports provided to these individuals to improve continuity of care are useful and effective. • To make recommendations for improvements to the Medical Orientation Program for New Americans to the Community Health Center of Burlington (CHCB).https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1052/thumbnail.jp