Lynn Immigrant Healthcare Access: LCHC and the Lynn Rapid Response Network

Meeting Lynn’s Immigrant Healthcare Needs: LCHC’s Collaborative Response

Lynn is a multicultural melting pot of diverse backgrounds, support systems, and healthcare needs. Within our community, Lynn Community Health Center (LCHC) brings comprehensive, complete medical care to all who need it. The Lynn Rapid Response Network (LRRN), with the help of LCHC’s Outreach Program Manager, Bridget Miller, is an extension of that care for immigrant support in the region.

We work with local organizations to identify and address immigrant healthcare challenges like social determinants of health (see definition below), insurance access, and basic healthcare concerns. As a result, we’ve expanded our healthcare support systems throughout the region to make a greater impact.

LCHC and the Lynn Rapid Response Network

Lynn Community Health Center has long been a provider for patients who can’t find support elsewhere. We work in tandem with regional hospitals and with local organizations that complement our value-based approach to complete care.

This network of comprehensive healthcare providers proves invaluable when underserved, at-risk populations need medical assistance.

“The Lynn Rapid Response Network is a coalition of immigrant-serving organizations in the Lynn area,” Miller explains. “We were founded in 2016 when we recognized that a lot of immigrant families in the area faced an increased level of fear as a result of immigration policies being at the forefront of public media.

“The network started as a way for community organizations to come together, share information, share situations families faced, and try to get a sense of who, short term, could provide better resources or safe spaces for these families.”

Miller goes on to say that while the LRRN may have been a response to immigration turmoil at the time, the services it offers continue to support families and individuals today.

“Since then, the network has evolved into a more formalized structure. We have bi-weekly virtual meetings. We continue to offer information and resources to connect,” she says. “The Lynn Community Health Center has been the center of this work from the very beginning.”

Miller understands that it’s her job—and the responsibility of the health center—to address social determinants of health and deliver a healthcare model that’s unique to immigrant experiences.

“When a family is concerned about their physical safety, this means they’re not able to access their healthcare or therapist in the same way as non-immigrants do,” she explains.

Addressing Social Determinants of Health with Immigrant Healthcare

A number of healthcare challenges immigrants face revolve around social determinants of health. Fortunately, these determinants are core challenges around which our healthcare professionals have shaped care for decades.

Common social determinants of health around Lynn might include:

• Economic stability: employment, income, expenses, debt, medical bills, support, and more
• Healthcare access: availability of healthcare, health coverage, and quality of care
• Education access and quality: literacy, language, early childhood education, vocational training, and higher education
• Neighborhood and built environment: housing, transportation, safety, parks, playgrounds, and walkability
• Social and community context: social integration, support systems, community engagement, and discrimination.

Miller understands that the stigma around immigration still influences people’s willingness to apply for health insurance or gain access to food stamps, and it’s her responsibility to help them feel more comfortable.

Challenges and Stigma in Healthcare for Immigrants

Miller sheds light on the fears among immigrants in the area, particularly regarding deportation, which creates barriers to healthcare access. This was the initial “rapid response” element of the Lynn Rapid Response Network, but the collaboration has since evolved into a more substantial, comprehensive support system.

“A lot of the work we did was prepare families for the reality that they could be deported. We provided information around that. Now, we share more information regarding their rights as a resident in Massachusetts,” shares Miller. “—what their rights are as a tenant in terms of having a safe, clean place to live. And also, what are some of the public benefits they can access, knowing it won’t affect their immigration status.”

For many families and individuals, LCHC and the LRRN are the first and most valuable sources of support when they arrive here, and that support is tangible. Through a short-term grant (sub-granted by the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition) our Immigrant Outreach Program recently provided legal case management support to 25 newly-arrived immigrant families.

“Providing information, especially to recently arrived immigrants who might be eligible for some of those resources, is essential,” she says. “—as well as the short-term resources like access to clothing or food that a lot of grassroots organizations have formalized.”

It’s this complete approach to immigrant healthcare that positions LCHC as an invaluable resource throughout Lynn and the surrounding area.

LCHC Continues to Foster Community Education and Immigrant Healthcare

Looking ahead, LCHC and the LRRN expect the need for their services to stay consistent, but the support system itself will continue to meet the unique needs of the immigrant population.

Currently, the LCHC Immigrant Outreach Program is connected with more than 50 immigrant-serving organizations in the Greater Lynn and North Shore areas, and the LRRN text messaging service connects more than 300 Spanish-speaking families.

“We’d like to continue to work with many community organizations to help them improve how our families can access their resources,” shares Miller. She points out that many of these organizations have already established a level of trust with immigrant families, and that trust leads to more comfort around access to resources and healthcare. “A lot of what we do is provide education to local community organizers to help them understand the immigrant experience and the barriers they face.”

The collaborative efforts of LCHC and the Lynn Rapid Response Network, championed by Miller, embody the transformative power of community-led initiatives. Our comprehensive care and support creates a safe place for immigrants in Lynn to pursue quality-of-life benefits. Our ongoing efforts are a testament to the enduring impact of collaboration and value-based service in community health.