For Edier Ramirez, not having access to state health care services isn’t just harmful to his physical health. Like others in a similar position, it also affects his mental health and his overall quality of life.
“They’re [many] people in the state who don’t qualify because of their immigration status, and always it’s really hurtful,” Ramirez said.
He said many who aren’t eligible for MaineCare — the state’s Medicaid program — worry that if they go to a doctor, they won’t be able to get services or will be left with an exorbitant bill they can’t afford. As a result, people often forgo medical care, he said…
In February 2020, Margaret Downing read an article that terrified her. It predicted that a novel coronavirus spreading around the world would overwhelm U.S. healthcare systems, particularly those in small communities like her town of Yarmouth.
“It was very obvious to me that this was going to be a very bad situation,” Downing, 73, said this month. “There were going to be a lot of people that got sick, a lot of people that died. It required immediate and energetic focus. We needed to get…
NMPHI is committed to empower, inform, and educate New Mainers on health-related information. It is also committed to developing the capacity of the communities by mobilizing the communities’ partnerships through assessment, to solve health problems, thereby, bridging the gap of healthcare service.
Objectives
To educate New Mainers to overcome healthcare barriers,
To empower New Mainers to actively participate in their diagnoses by learning about the disease,
To promote preventive measures through dietary changes,
To increase the level of knowledge and awareness of certain diseases,
To increase the cultural competence of healthcare providers with an emphasis on refugees and immigrants’ traditions, religion, and cultural beliefs and how these affect perceptions and expectations,
To develop culturally appropriate health education materials to effectively communicate preventive health messages to the New Mainers,
And to share resources and materials with New Mainers and healthcare providers, and other agencies throughout Maine to increase overall awareness of refugee health needs.
Rehabilitations Community Services (RCS) Work with children who have developmental delays, some autistic children in Lewiston/Auburn Area.
Behavioral Health Professional (BHP) we now have employed eleven BHPs and two office employees. Referrals are mostly through friends and self-referrals.
Target Case Management for developmental delay children (TCM)
Health Literacy (HL) – a once a month educational and informative section that is held at B Street in Lewiston to females to learn how to care for of their health and learn about disease and other health information.
Women’s Health update
Women’s Health focuses on women and young girls on how they can take care of themselves and their bodies. Through education forum and platform women and young girls will hold discussions and have dialogue with providers and the community. Members will be afforded opportunity to learn diseases and will allow both sides to focus on the importance of self-care. NMPHI will be targeting women and young girls. NMPHI will reach out to local communities, offer adult education in Lewiston and Auburn to increase awareness of women’s health. This will help promote health among women and young girls. It will also lead to increased awareness and involvement via community participation in health-related matters not only of women and young girls but all the community.
Community Health Workers (CHWs)
Community Health Workers (CHWs) – connection and working with providers who have complicated cases that require a smooth transition and continuity of care for the patients.
Navigating Healthcare Field for New Mainers
A youth program involved in taking youths out on trips. Increased participation is leading to many youths being left behind because of transportation issues. Maximum students taken are 25 kids. Parents and children have to go through several orientations and information about the trip and program is provided to families, program what is needed, application, shot record and consent form. Second orientation advises children about the rules and regulation on the bus and parents sign.
New Mainers Autism Awareness Initiative
New Mainers Autism Awareness Initiative is a workshop to increase awareness about developmental delays and autism, to increase awareness in the community since little is known in the New Mainers community.
Field trip for youth: UMass in Boston and UNE in Sanford
Who are New Mainers Public Health Initiative (NMPHI)? NMPHI are made up of few students in the local colleges and universities who wanted to give back to their community. These ambitious students created MIPHI to promote health issues and bring about awareness on many health issues that affect their community. NMPHI employees work closely with their community to empower them with good healthcare- related habits. It is also there to educate the community them on various illnesses and how they can be engaged in carrying out both primary and secondary prevention of these diseases. As members of the community, we have a strong relationship with our community and can act as a buffering agent to the providers as well as other healthcare personnel. Our organization actively works with other agencies who closely work with the New Mainers in Lewiston and Auburn area. NMPHI members also participate in the New Mainers Community Collaborative meetings.
