Immigrant Advocacy Group

Immigrant Advocacy Group is a student-run organization that pairs medical students with immigrant patients who have chronic illnesses. This partnership will help the immigrant patients navigate through our unfamiliar healthcare system. The medical student will accompany the patient to each clinic visit, and s/he will act as a liaison between the patient and healthcare providers. In this process, the medical student will also learn more about our medical system and the issues involved in patient care.

The medical student will aid the patient via:

1. Ensuring that a translator is available for the patient at the clinic visits (if the student does not speak the same language as the immigrant patient).
2. Helping patient make follow-up appointments and ensuring that the patient goes to these appointments.
3. Helping patient understand his/her medication regiment (i.e., the drugs' dosages, when to take them, food requirements, how to refill prescriptions, and so on) and the importance of adherence.The medical student can also occasionally call up the patient to inquire about their symptoms on the meds and to confirm adherence.
4. Helping with cultural differences and communication barriers that might prevent the patient from expressing their symptoms and obtaining the care that s/he needs.
5. Providing information on their patient's illness, symptoms, and treatment.

The medical student will gain:

1. Knowledge of how the healthcare system works as a whole, and how healthcare providers, social services, and community-based care are interrelated.
2. Understanding of the processes and issues involved in caring for and managing one patient.
3. Awareness of the limitations within the system that restrict patient care (i.e., Medicaid/Medicare, insurance policies, immigration status, and so on).

For more information, contact iag@mssm.edu.