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Episode Synopsis "Barriers of Health In Omaha's Refugee Populations Amidst COVID-19"
As the Covid-19 pandemic rages around the world, some populations are hit harder than others. In Omaha, Nebraska the refugee community is faced with additional barriers that make them disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Through interviews with four case managers and two health care workers we found four common barriers that emerged; language differences, a strong sense of community, religion, and work conditions. Many health care providers and educational services are limited in the languages spoken. This has led to a distrust in the healthcare system and has left many refugees misinformed about the pandemic. As a result, refugees often get their information from the trusted members of their community; their religious leaders and elders. These trusted members don’t always share scientific-based information which has led to vaccine hesitancy and an overall misinformed refugee population. The strong sense of community throughout the refugee populations has also increased the spread of Covid among members. Families, from the youngest to the oldest, live together under one roof, so when the younger members of the family bring Covid back home, the older members tend to die or become severely ill. Because refugees live in the same apartment buildings and neighborhoods, the virus also spreads quickly between different families. Younger members of the community are contracting the virus from their overcrowded working conditions and bringing it back to the rest of their community at home. Refugees typically work in meatpacking plants six to seven days a week, with little social distancing restrictions. The overly crowded workplace created the perfect environment for the virus to spread rapidly. Without any other source of income, refugees are forced to work in this environment to stay financially stable. The busy work week also leaves little to no time for them to attend vaccine clinics (which are typically only Monday - Friday) and as a result refugees are not receiving the vaccine (along with the spread of misinformation from elders and religious leaders). Case managers and local organizations such as Restoring Dignity and Lutheran Family Services are working hard to provide resources in many different languages, making vaccines more accessible, and provide extensive education to both refugees themselves and others about the barriers that the refugee community faces.
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