By Mahlon Meyer
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Photo courtesy of ICHS
The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored profound health disparities, particularly affecting communities of color, including Asians. Research indicates that basic needs play a pivotal role in maintaining good health, emphasizing the importance of organizations like International Community Health Services (ICHS) in providing comprehensive support.
A steeper path
One such study, by the University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine, showed that it is the social and economic disparities faced by communities of color that make recovery that much harder. To address these needs, ICHS not only provides access to basic services, such as housing and food, but addresses the barriers to receiving medical care that predominate in these communities.
The study was entitled, “Ethnic and racial differences in self-reported symptoms, health status, activity level, and missed work at 3 and 6 months following SARS-CoV-2 infection” and was published on Jan. 30, 2024 in “Frontiers in Public Health.”
Its findings showed that people from communities of color, including Asians, have a much rockier road to recovery after infection with COVID-19.
These communities often face a much steeper path in getting their basic needs met, due to both economic gaps and other barriers. Vaccines and healthcare access are definitely an important factor, but there are other players at the table as well.
Dr. Beth Weitensteiner is the associate chief medical officer for ICHS (Photo courtesy of ICHS)
“Health is incumbent upon food, clothing, and shelter, and being able to care for your families,” said Beth Weitensteiner, associate chief medical officer for ICHS. “If you don’t have any one of those things, the stress it puts on your body doesn’t help you recover from any disease.”
Other factors that slow down recovery for people from these communities, including Asians, are language barriers, transportation challenges, and in some cases the stress of being the single caregiver of multigenerational family and the lack of insurance.
Disparities
The results are alarming. The study found, across the board, slower rates of recovery for multiple ethnic groups.
For instance, Latino participants reported “much lower activity levels” three months after being infected.
Those who self-identified as “other” or “multiple race”—including American Indians, Alaska natives, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders participants—even at six months after infection reported feeling “much less active” than their white counterparts.
Asian participants, for their part, had about the same levels of health as white participants three months after infection. But at the six-month mark, their health precipitously declined by comparison.
As for the number of workdays lost, Asian participants and people identifying with other races recorded twice as many days as white participants at the six-month post-infection marker.
For Black participants, the number of lost work days was three times greater.
ICHS at the front lines
Such disparities underscore the need to address basic needs as well as specific barriers faced by discrete populations, on top of ensuring vaccine access. And multiple healthcare and community organizations, including ICHS, are working on it.
“This is where medicine is going now,” said Weitensteiner. The question underlying the approach at ICHS and other such organizations is, therefore: “how can we make your environment healthier and how can we make your social needs sustainable?”
Covering the bases
ICHS provides both short-term and long-term assistance with food. “If you’re short of food today, we can give you a grocery bag,” said Weitensteiner.
In other cases, a clinic can provide a grocery card or guidance to get to nearby resources, such as food banks.
Sometimes, just making sure patients with limited or no English can complete a necessary course of medical care is the goal. Language barriers could be a huge roadblock to obtain healthcare. This is a common challenge at ICHS clinics where patients speak over 70 languages.
At the Holly Park Clinic, for instance, almost 60% of patients need interpreters.
ICHS has a RN (registered nurse) care management program that oversees all points on the gauntlet of the healthcare system outside of its own clinics.
“We’re making sure you’re getting to the specialist on time, making sure that if you were discharged from the hospital that the medication prescribed was received at discharge or can be obtained from the pharmacy of the patient’s choice. We’re tagging along with the home health program,” said Weitensteiner.
Many patients that make up the populations that visit ICHS have multiple diseases—and thus require multiple hospital admissions.
The ICHS team follows up each time to make sure they can stay in touch with any specialists and that they have access to virtual visits, for instance if they have challenges accessing a computer.
Overcoming barriers
A recent case highlighted the importance of overcoming language barriers, which is still one of the chief impediments not only to getting medical care, but to getting basic needs met.
ICHS, through a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration, provided home test kits to patients not only at routine visits but for anyone who asked.
One patient tested positive at home. But not only did she lack the ability to speak English. She had multiple co-morbidities. The family also had a history of food insecurity.
Through the electronic portal provided by ICHS, she was able to make initial contact.
“Patient communication is available around the clock through phone or the portal,” said Weitensteiner.
In this case, a nurse contacted the family and was able to gain an understanding of the situation.
The patient was within the five-day window of symptoms emerging, so she could be prescribed Paxlovid, the anti-viral that slows the replication of the virus.
A family member later confirmed that the drug had been picked up.
Meanwhile, the nurse made sure all other family members were taking precautions.
They all ended up testing negative.
Throughout the process, the nurse made sure the family had enough food to get by.
This time, thankfully, they did.
Mahlon can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.
If you are ever in need of help, or want to learn more, visit ICHS website, which is available in multiple languages. Along with ICHS, many other community organizations and programs are offering services to Asians in Washington. Don’t hesitate to reach out when needed!
To avoid becoming severely ill if you catch COVID-19, make sure to stay up-to-date with vaccines, following the CDC guidelines for your age group and health condition. You can also find the latest COVID-19 Vaccine Information from the Washington State DOH by visiting their website: https://doh.wa.gov/emergencies/covid-19/vaccine-information
Made possible in part by the Washington State Department of Health through a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This information does not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Washington State Department of Health or the Department of Health and Human Services.