If you’re sick, why wouldn’t you go to the doctor’s office or clinic? If you need a life-saving operation, why wouldn’t you seek help? Unfortunately, thousands of people in the United States will not seek medical care for preventable disease screening, treatment for injuries, and immunizations. Why is this?
Fear.
So, What Can Be Done About This?
The Health Justice Certificate Advisory Board for University of Providence sought to answer this very question while also aiming to teach students to find similar solutions to challenges in their communities, through the development of this program’s curriculum and thinking of this question the Health Justice Advisory Board discovered a solution.
Through Ethics Consultations, Physician Ethicist, Dr. Andi Chatburn, DO, MA, HEC-C, consulted with patients who seemed to be refusing medical treatment and special insurance that was available to help them. Dr. Chatburn found that many of these patients were undocumented immigrants who feared utilizing public benefits. Their fear was of being deported.
The Solution?
Dr. Chatburn sought collaboration with a fellow Health Justice Certificate Advisory Board member and Immigration Practitioner, Zaida Rivera, Esq. Together, training programs were developed to inform physicians about medical ethics and legal rights of undocumented immigrant patients. This training aided medical practitioners in making their patients more comfortable accepting help and facilitating healing.
Changing the World starts with us learning about each other’s professions and challenges. Changing the World starts with us working together to find solutions.
We hope you’ll join us on this Health Justice Certificate journey so together we can continue to share and create more stories like Dr. Chatburn’s and Zaida’s!
For more information, please contact: tracilee.mccall@uprovidence.edu
