Built Environment: Isolation and Support of Immigrants

When immigrants move to a new country, they tend to settle in a neighborhood where immigrants from their country of origin have already built a community. Think about the various Chinatowns and Little Italy neighborhoods in many American cities.

Chicago’s neighborhoods represent some good examples. Pilsen originally was home to Czech immigrants; Andersonville provided a new neighborhood to Swedish immigrants; Bronzeville was an enclave for African Americans. While Bronzeville has remained a center for Black culture, many of the other neighborhoods have shifted ethnic makeup over time—but the influence of the establishing culture often remains in the form of architecture, place names, and businesses.

The same is true in the Cincinnati area. Latinx immigrants tend to live in Price Hill. Ethiopian and Somali immigrants tend to live in Florence. Of course, because those immigrant groups usually dwell in those areas, it does not mean that is the only place around Cincinnati where they live.

Moving to a neighborhood that already is home to a large population of people from your home country can create advantages for those who have newly arrived. Your family and neighbors can draw from their own experiences to help you work through new situations. They can act as a vital support system.

Isolation from aid and services

However, this system of support can also create a feeling of isolation—and can even prevent immigrants from accessing aid and services that could help them thrive in their new country.

Take, for example, the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommended guidelines for well-child care visits. These visits allow doctors to gauge children’s developmental progress, provide immunizations, and deliver anticipatory guidance to caregivers. But, if you had newly arrived in America with young children, you might not know about these guidelines—and your neighbors might not either.

There are many possible reasons for this disconnect between the medical system and immigrants. Some of these include language barriers, fear that seeing a doctor could jeopardize your safety, lack of health insurance, and a feeling of being dismissed or misunderstood by medical staff. Undocumented immigrants especially face these barriers. As a result, many immigrants avoid formal medical service and only use hospitals, for example, as a last resort.

Working with CHWs

Community Health Workers (CHWs) can help immigrants navigate the complex medical system, providing resources to help them find health insurance, direct them through English-only phone appointment systems, and find health centers that can provide free medical care, as examples. They can also connect them with organizations and programs, such as Non-citizen Emergency Medical Assistance (NCEMA) or Cincinnati Compass, that may help resolve the root causes of issues preventing immigrants from seeking care.

More bilingual or immigrant CHWs are needed to help coordinate care for people struggling with the complex American health system—or with other issues that can keep them from accessing care. Make a difference and apply for CHW certification now.