Supporting Health Care Access for Immigrants and their Families
FCH made a grant to Catholic Charities of Dutchess County to organize and facilitate the Kinship Circle Program, a support group for Latina women in Dutchess County that seeks to improve the health and wellbeing of members' and members' families.
The program took initial inspiration from the results of a study, entitled, The Immigrant Health Initiative: A Study of Health Care of Recent Immigrants to Dutchess County, conducted by Solange Muller, MPH, Hank Schmidt, MD, PhD, and Audrey Waltner, MPH and partially funded by FCH. One of the key findings of this study indicated that immigrant women are the entry point for improving the health practices of the entire family. The study affirmed that the “Female gender is the most significant factor influencing healthcare seeking behavior.” In addition, the study found that 81% of respondents experienced feelings of sadness or depression primarily related to separation from family in their homeland.”