Can Cell Phones Improve Latinas' Health?

LGBTQ asylum seekers face a unique set of problems coming to the United States, often from places where gender expression and sexuality are strictly regulated. Four organizations across the US, Mexico, and Canada are filling this unique niche. For example, AsylumConnect created an app of resources on how to apply for asylum and a catalogue of LGBTQ-friendly services and organizations in the US for them to learn about. All four aim to validate LGBTQ asylum seekers and keep them safe.

For many refugees living in camps and on the move, mobile phones can be a life line to families and the outside world. Phones can help organize political activities, arrange medical supplies, and so much more. But although SIM cards are fairly cheap now, data can be expensive. To address this, a Facebook group called Phone Credit for Refugees and Displaced People, or PC4R, raises funds for refugees to top up their mobile phones to support free and dignified communication.

Albergue Assabil (the Shelter of the Path), by the Latina Muslim Foundation, is the first women-led Muslim shelter along the U.S.-Mexico border. It has been in operation since June 2022, providing a safe space for women migrants, supplying them with food, clothing, shelter and sanctuary regardless of their religious, social or cultural background. In the past two years, the shelter has helped about 3,000 migrant women.

The Migrant Education Program, which offers educational and social services to migrant worker families in Colorado’s San Luis Valley, is growing in popularity among the valley’s migrant worker population, and has recently begun to focus on getting migrant students geared up for college .

S.U.C.C.E.S.S. is an immigrant services agency that connects immigrants with the resources they need to adjust to life in Canada. The group helps an average of 73,000 people each year from more than 150 countries and provides assistance in finding affordable housing, English language training, career and social services and accessing care for seniors.

Accredited social health activists (ASHA) travel throughout Indian villages to combat medical misinformation — specifically among pregnant people — and make public healthcare more accessible. ASHAs connects with over 60% of the women in the villages she serves via WhatsApp, sharing educational videos to avoid the harmful effects of misinformation. As a result, ASHAs have had a massive impact on maternal mortality rates. In 2006, the maternal mortality rate was 254 deaths per 100,000 live births, but in 2020 it dropped to 96 per 100,000 births.

Catholic Charities helps immigrants and refugees access housing and transition to life in a new country. Housing is the first step in the resettlement process, but Catholic Charities also helps immigrants find jobs, get their children in school and integrate into the community. In 2007, Fort Wayne welcomed 3,500 Burmese refugees. By 2016 the number had grown to more than 6,000 and counting.

Maternal Expert Thinking Analyzer is a pilot project to prevent maternal mortality that uses a mobile diagnostic, training, and outreach application to help midwives assess the risk of their patients in rural areas. Midwives input data collected from pregnant mothers into the app and generate an automated risk-based assessment score. The pregnant mother then receives a text with advice based on her risk level. A total of 33 midwives across 14 regions are trained to use the app. Initial results indicate that the app has had positive results preventing maternal mortality and even increasing antenatal care.

Intercultural city workers act as bridges between public institutions and the Arab, Moldovan/Romanian, and Russian-speaking, and Vietnamese communities. They accompany clients to government offices, where their presence makes officials more open to working them, and also to healthcare visits. The workers conduct field visits, communicate via social media, and form relationships with prominent community members. They foster inclusion by helping immigrant communities learn the social norms while also informing public institutions about the social needs of the communities.

Promotoras de salud is a term that describe lay Latina community members who have been trained to provide health education to community members, and it's a concept that has helped eliminate barriers and improve health outcomes in Montana. Now, as the coronavirus pandemic spreads throughout the state, these part-time community health workers are helping their communities navigate the barriers to navigating the complex health care system.