HELLO.
HELLO. I'M DR. JANE LEE AND I'M AN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR IN THE
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK.
AND I STUDY HEALTH DISPARITIES
AND IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES AS
PART OF HER WORK AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON.
DR. JANE LEE TALKS WITH LATINO
IMMIGRANTS IN NEW YORK CITY
ABOUT THESE TENTS AND DIVISIVE
TIMES MY INTEREST IN THIS ISSUE
KIND OF EMERGED IN 2016 WHEN
THERE WAS A LOT OF DISCUSSION
ABOUT IMMIGRATION A LOT OF
NEGATIVE POLITICAL.
RHETORIC ABOUT IMMIGRANT
COMMUNITIES THERE WAS DISCUSSION
ABOUT BUILDING A BORDER WALL
THIS DEPICTION OF IMMIGRANTS AS
CRIMINAL AND JUST THIS NEGATIVE
DISCUSSION ABOUT THE IMMIGRANT
COMMUNITY.
WHAT HAS YOUR WORK TOLD YOU
ABOUT THE CLIMATE SOCIALLY AND
POLITICALLY IMPACTING IMMIGRANT
COMMUNITIES.
IT'S SHOWN ME THAT THERE ARE
PSYCHO SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL
IMPACTS ON THESE COMMUNITIES AND
THAT THAT TRANSLATES INTO
BEHAVIORS WHETHER IT'S NOT GOING
TO ACCESS SERVICES ARE NOT GOING
TO THE DOCTOR BECAUSE OF FEAR
ABOUT WHAT MIGHT POTENTIALLY
HAPPEN AND THAT TRANSLATES INTO
NEGATIVE HEALTH OUTCOMES
RECENTLY.
THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF TALK OF
AFRICAN-AMERICANS IN PARTICULAR
FACING A SORT OF DOUBLE PANDEMIC
WITH COVID AND SYSTEMIC RACISM.
AWESOME.
DO YOU SEE THE SAME THING WITH
IMMIGRANT POPULATIONS?
DEFINITELY SO WITH THE IMMIGRANT
COMMUNITY PARTICULARLY THE
LATINO COMMUNITY WE'VE SEEN
DISPROPORTIONATE RATES OF COVID
IN THAT COMMUNITY AND THAT'S IN
LARGE PART DUE TO THEIR ROLES AS
ESSENTIAL WORKERS LIVING IN
MULTI-GENERATIONAL HOUSEHOLDS.
SO NOT ONLY ARE THEY EXPOSED TO
CORONAVIRUS BUT COMPOUND THAT
WITH THEIR BARRIERS TO ACCESSING
HEALTH SERVICES.
THERE'S A APPLICATIVE EFFECT OR
AN EXPONENTIAL IMPACT ON THEIR
HEALTH SOME OF OUR VIEWERS
BELIEVE IN SOME OF THE POLICIES
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
WHY SHOULD THEY CARE ABOUT THE
IMPACT OF THOSE POLICIES ON THE
IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY?
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO CARE
ABOUT IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES
BECAUSE OUR COMMUNITIES ARE SO
CONNECTED AND THE HEALTH AND
WELL-BEING OF IMMIGRANTS WILL
IMPACT OUR OWN HEALTH IF WE
THINK ABOUT THE DIFFERENT ROLES
THAT EMMA GRUNTS FACE THEIR
SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTOR TO OUR
ECONOMY.
THEY'RE OFTEN FRONTLINE WORKERS.
THEY HAVE JOBS ACROSS DIFFERENT
SECTORS AND WHEN THEIR OWN THEIR
HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IS
JEOPARDIZED OUR OWN HEALTH IS
PLACED IN JEOPARDY AS WELL WHAT
GAPS IN THE SYSTEM HAS YOUR WORK
EXPOSED AND WHAT ARE THE
REMEDIES THE MAJOR GAPS?
ARE THAT A LOT OF THE SERVICES
THAT ARE OFFERED AREN'T
NECESSARILY OFFERED IN WAYS THAT
ARE CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE.
OFFERED IN WAYS THAT MAKE SENSE
FOR THOSE COMMUNITIES AND SO IN
ORDER TO ADDRESS THOSE GAPS WE
NEED TO THINK ABOUT ALTERNATIVE
AND INNOVATIVE WAYS TO REACH AND
ACCESS COMMUNITIES THAT MIGHT
NOT NECESSARILY HAVE ACCESS TO
HEALTH SERVICES AND YOU KNOW IN
ORDER TO DO THAT.
WE NEED MORE FUNDING MORE
SUPPORT AND I THINK SLOWLY BUT
SURELY WE ARE ABLE TO DO THAT
ARE THERE PROGRAMS IN OUR STATE
THAT ARE SUCCESSFULLY ADDRESSING
THE GAPS.
YOU DESCRIBED.
I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF
RESEARCH GOING ON A LOT OF
EFFORTS COMMUNITY-BASED EFFORTS
PARTNERSHIPS WITH COMMUNITY
ORGANIZATIONS, WHICH ARE SO
CRITICAL THAT DO KNOW THEIR
COMMUNITIES AND ARE TRYING TO,
YOU KNOW, CREATE INNOVATIVE
PROGRAMS.
THINK ABOUT CREATIVE WAYS TO
REACH THEIR POPULATIONS AND
COMMUNITIES TO IMPROVE HEALTH
OUTCOMES.
I CAN SAY THAT AT AN IMPORTANT
WAY TO KIND OF MITIGATE SOME OF
THOSE NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON MENTAL
HEALTH IS PROVIDING CULTURALLY
APPROPRIATE INFORMATION
RESOURCES FOR THE COMMUNITY TO
ADDRESS THEIR MENTAL HEALTH
NEEDS AND THOSE RESOURCES AND
PROGRAMS NEED TO BE DELIVERED IN
WAYS THAT ARE ACCEPTABLE FOR
THOSE COMMUNITIES AND THEY ALSO
NEED TO BE INFORMED BY THE
COMMUNITIES.
SO IMMIGRANTS SHOULD HAVE A SAY
IN HOW THEY WANT MENTAL HEALTH
SERVICES DELIVERED TO THEM OR
PHYSICAL.
SERVICES SO THAT THEY CAN THRIVE
BECAUSE TRULY IMMIGRANTS AND
OTHER COMMUNITIES ARE RESILIENT
AND WE HAVE A LOT OF STRENGTH SO
REALLY CAPITALIZING ON THOSE
STRENGTHS IS IMPORTANT FOR
IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH AND
PHYSICAL HEALTH OUTCOMES IF YOU
WANT TO GET INVOLVED THERE ARE
SEVERAL COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS
YOU CAN PARTNER WITH INCLUDING
THE NORTHWEST IMMIGRANT RIGHTS
PROJECT EL CENTRO DE LA RAZA AND
THE KING COUNTY EQUITY NOW
COALITION.
JUST TEXT THE WORD GUIDE TO
2006.
FOUR FOUR EIGHT FOUR FIVE FOUR
FIVE AND WE WILL SEND