If we are being honest, health insurance and accessing health care services can cause a headache (no pun intended) for almost all of us. There are rules, regulations, and policies everywhere you turn. This is no different for our newly arriving refugee clients.

We recently sat down to talk with Michael Evans, the State Refugee Health Coordinator for the Tennessee Office of Refugees in Nashville about his job and experiences working with refugees. Michael began his work with refugees at World Relief in Nashville, then started working with the Tennessee Office of Refugees in March 2013. Michael oversees refugee health across the state of Tennessee, which he says consists of three primary components:

(1) offering a TennCare alternative for refugees who do not qualify for TennCare,

(2) overseeing medical screenings for newly arrived refugees, and

(3) promoting a program that encourages health literacy and helps refugees who have difficult medical conditions.

He spoke of some of the barriers that refugees face with regard to healthcare access, including limited English skills. It is also difficult to find medical providers who are culturally sensitive and have a degree of understanding of what a refugee has been through. Similarly, finding medical providers who are willing to provide interpretation services can be challenging because it could mean covering the cost an interpreter if that is not a service covered by a patient’s insurance.

When asked about the strengths that he has seen in the refugee population, Michael spoke of their kindness and generosity as well as their resilience and adaptability. Most people can only imagine what life would be like in a similar situation: forced to leave home to move somewhere with little or no knowledge of the language and culture and without a strong support system. To say this would be hard is an understatement. Michael said that it is amazing to think about the fact that people actually “make it.” They go through that and more, but succeed and are able to live well-adapted lives - which is such a testament to their hard work and resilience.

Michael said he thinks that it would be very easy for refugees who have experienced so much hardship to blame a higher power; however, he said he does not see that. Most often, they are deeply convinced of who their God is and His faithfulness through hard situations. He says that it has given him a better perspective when he is going through a hard times because he has seen God be faithful to so many people and he knows that God will be faithful to him as well.

Michael, we appreciate your heart and your work for refugees across the state of Tennessee!