Meritorious Care

Clinic guides refugee family's care

"We feel welcome here at this clinic and in this town. This is where we hope to live in peace and where my children can get educated." - Hussein Odawa

Like any newcomers settling in a new town, the Odawa family needed to establish reliable medical care. But this particular family faced far greater challenges. For the past two years, Hussein Isse, his wife, Khadra Guled, and their seven children lived as refugees in Kenya, having escaped civil war in Somalia. On April 25, 2006, they arrived in Pelican Rapids, Minn., thanks to the sponsorship of a relative.

Not yet speaking English and new to American culture, the Odawas were the first to experience an innovative health care approach developed for refugee families by the staff at MeritCare Pelican Rapids. "As soon as possible after arriving in this country, refugee families need several government-required health tests, screenings, immunizations and assessments, but often our unfamiliar national health care system can be frightening for them," says Rita Cowie, a registered nurse at the clinic. "We wanted to come up with a better way to provide and coordinate the initial care needed – better for the clinic as far as efficiency, but more importantly, better for the family."

Rita and several staff members at the clinic put their heads together and developed the Family Refugee Encounter Project. They prepared for one day – May 3 – when the Odawas would come in as a family for their initial health care. Lutheran Social Services, one of several agencies MeritCare works with in providing medical care to refugees, offered transportation and in-person interpreter services. Using an interpreter service, the clinic staff explained to the family the schedule for the day, then guided them through the process, overcoming language and culture barriers every step of the way.

"It all went very well," says Rita. "I think the family was more comfortable, plus we were able to provide this initial care much more efficiently than in the past. There's a lot involved as far as explanations, government forms and medical supplies, and it helped so much to compile everything needed one time instead of several times." The family appointment took approximately six hours, then the entire family came back a week later for an appointment that included follow-up tests and a physical examination.

The response from the family? Speaking through "Language Line," a telephone interpreter service used several times a day at the clinic and readily available in every exam room, Hussein offers his reaction to the day: "We liked it very much. I and my family felt very welcomed by the people here. The doctors, the nurses – everyone was very nice to us." He said he understood the care, too, and that was important to him.

In the months since the Odawa family's first appointment, some family members have needed follow-up care, including Khadar who is expecting their eighth child. Each time, they have felt comfortable coming to the clinic. "It's good," says Hussein. "We feel welcome here at this clinic and in this town. This is where we hope to live in peace and where my children can get educated."

Over the years, more than 700 refugees and immigrants have made Pelican Rapids their home, many of them finding work at the nearby turkey processing plant. The west-central town of 2,300 now includes people from Somalia, Bosnia, Russia, Mexico, Vietnam and other countries, making it one of the most culturally diverse small towns in the region.

Photo and article from meritcare.com