Sarita, one of the 20+ pregnant women we have helped access prenatal care, car seats, WIC, and health insurance, was strongly advised by phone to go to the hospital to be induced out of concern for the health of her baby. She and her husband have struggled to find stable housing for their growing family …
Category Archives: Barriers to Health
Embarrassment and Frustration in the Check Out Line: Challenges Using WIC Benefits
When our Community Health Worker met Felicia*, her daughter was two years old. Through the process of helping her set up health and dental appointments, she learned that she had originally been signed up for WIC when she was pregnant, but had never used her benefits because she didn’t understand how to use them. Even …
The Cost of Care Labyrinth
Dario* is in his 40’s and has been struggling with pain and sleep quality due to the impact of a back injury. Prior to being connected to us, he presented a number of times at the Emergency Department, unaware of where else he could get care. After receiving the exorbitant bills, he was reluctant to …
Navigating Mountains of Paperwork
“There are so many pieces of paper to fill out and questions to answer that I am not sure about going to the doctor.” The volume and complexity of paperwork required to navigate the health care system is a barrier for many especially those with limited reading and writing skills; for those whose first language …