This week at clinic...

This week at clinic we continued to try to help Wah Htoo, the Karen father in his mid-20s whose hospital bills have increased to over $12,000 since his auto accident in late July.  We've completed an application for charity care from the hospital, and are hopeful that his case will be accepted and that we can get all of the documentation necessary in time to prevent the bills from being sent to collections.


We saw several patients this week who complained about muscle and back pain, as well as trouble sleeping. We know from research and experience that these types of complaints are often physical symptoms that manifest as a result of emotional trauma.  Refugees have experienced tremendous loss--many have lost loved ones as a result of violence, and others have experienced violence personally.  While some are happy to be in the U.S., many feel lost, alone, and depressed.  When we see patients with back pain and trouble sleeping, we try to treat not only their presenting problem, but we also try to address their underlying mental health symptoms as well.  Sometimes this is done through medication, and other times we try to do this more informally by helping them to connect with other refugees at the clinic, encouraging them to return to clinic more frequently, and engaging with them in a way that hopefully helps them know that we care.

The photo above is Kai and Alex (Karen son of Paw Wah, our volunteer medical assistant and one of our interpreters on Sundays) playing with two sons of one of the Kenyan patients we saw on Sunday.

And...We're back!

Well, we never stopped doing what we were doing, but the blog project obviously took a back seat for a while.  I've decided  that in order to keep the blog going, I'll start posting an update every week and highlight several of our Sunday clinic stories.  For the past year, we've opened Agape Clinic on Sunday afternoons from 2:30-6:30 for refugee healthcare and social services.  It's completely volunteer-led, and we try to help mostly Karen refugees (but also some refugees and immigrants from several countries in Africa).  It's a walk-in clinic, and the services provided are free, though patients are encouraged to make a donation of $20 if they're able, as this helps to partially cover the cost of medications.  Today was a "slow" day, meaning we saw 9 patients.  Last week we saw 19, and next week we may see 4.  We never know what to expect, except that there is always someone that needs help, and we try to be there to do what we can.  It's a family affair for us, and Pla Shee, Kai and Ruby are an important part of our Sunday afternoons.  Ruby and her friend Ma Ri Nar are playing in the children's play area in the clinic's waiting room in the photograph above. Note Ruby's beautiful blue dress--it is a hand woven Karen dress given to her today by her Karen PiPi (Grandmother).

Today's highlights:

Soh Lah, a 60 year old Karen man currently living in Fort Worth was walking on the sidewalk near his apartment in May when a pebble was thrown from a nearby riding lawnmower and struck him in the left eye. Because he did not have insurance and was afraid of accumulating debt from hospital bills, Soh Lah did not visit a doctor and has not received any medical care since the accident.  His visit to our clinic today was the first time he has had any medical care since his arrival to the U.S.  We are currently attempting to find an eye specialist in Fort Worth that would be willing to provide Soh Lah charity care.

Wah Htoo, a 26 year old married Karen father of two living in Dallas visited the clinic for the first time today for assistance with medical bills.  Wah Htoo was in an auto accident in July and was taken by ambulance to the hospital, where he was admitted and spent one night and now has bills from the City and the hospital totaling close to $1600.00.  We're helping him complete paperwork from his auto and health insurance companies and applying for charity care from the hospital.

Thanks for reading this and please let us know if you'd like to get involved or learn more!