Access to Health Care for Unhoused Asylum Seekers in South King County

Grantee: HealthPoint
Timeframe: July 2024 – June 2026 | Amount: $400,000

• Year 1: July 2024 – June 2025. Amount: $200,000
• Year 2: July 2025 – June 2026. Amount: $200,000

This project aims to address healthcare access disparities for unhoused asylum seekers in South King County by providing outreach care navigation, removing cost barriers, and delivering essential healthcare services to meet their acute and long-term health needs.

The City of Tukwila has declared a state of emergency due to a humanitarian crisis at Riverton Park United Methodist Church, which shelters hundreds of asylum seekers fleeing violent conflict, primarily from Venezuela, Angola, and Congo. While some vulnerable individuals, including families with small children and pregnant individuals, have been temporarily relocated to local hotels, many new arrivals remain at Riverton.

Asylum seekers differ from refugees in that they must arrive in the U.S. before applying for asylum and often endure perilous journeys with limited resources. Unlike refugees who receive federal support upon arrival, asylum seekers lack immediate protection and assistance, facing challenges in understanding the asylum process and navigating healthcare systems.

HealthPoint Clinical Teams conduct outreach at the Riverton encampment and temporary hotel sites, providing triage and medical assessments. However, asylum seekers often hesitate to seek healthcare due to concerns about medical bills and difficulties navigating the system, compounded by language barriers and limited access to government programs.

This initiative will use grant funds to cover healthcare visits and employ a full-time Outreach Patient Care Navigator. By eliminating healthcare costs for unhoused asylum seekers, the project ensures access to vital medical, dental, and behavioral health services without financial strain.

HealthPoint’s Billing department is creating a humanitarian payer workflow to ensure asylum seekers are not charged for services. The Patient Care Navigator will engage in outreach at multiple sites, build relationships with shelter personnel, and address community needs to promote comprehensive care delivery.

The navigator’s regular presence at outreach sites will help establish trust and provide intensive support, assisting asylum seekers in accessing urgent medical care and navigating preventive and primary care services. The navigator will use multilingual support and coordinate transportation to ensure equitable access to healthcare.

Under the supervision of a Program Manager with expertise in refugee services, the navigator will collaborate with HealthPoint’s Clinical Leadership to analyze demographic and clinical data, tailoring healthcare interventions to meet the specific needs of asylum seekers in South King County.

In Year 2, HealthPoint will broaden the target population, increase staffing capacity, expand dental care services and behavioral health support, and sustain educational workshops. These changes will strengthen the project’s ability to support a larger population of vulnerable migrants in South King County, addressing growing healthcare needs and filling gaps caused by service cuts.

• Expanding Target Population: Due to deep cuts in refugee resettlement services, such as the defunding of agencies and the suspension of critical support like healthcare, housing, and case management, the project will broaden its focus to include all vulnerable migrants. This will help fill gaps in healthcare access for asylum seekers, refugees, and other migrants who have lost formal assistance due to these cuts.
• Increasing Staffing Capacity: To meet the growing demand, the project will increase staffing from 1 full-time Outreach Care Navigator (OCN) to 2 full-time positions:
  • OCN 1 will continue to support asylum seekers by focusing on healthcare access and needs assessments.
  • OCN 2 will extend outreach to all vulnerable migrants, providing healthcare services and connecting them to additional support, such as housing and employment resources.
• Expanded Dental Care Services: Dental appointments will now include general cleanings and preventive care, expanding beyond just urgent procedures like extractions.
• Increased Behavioral Health Support: Behavioral health providers from HealthPoint will accompany care navigators in the community and lead group sessions on mental health during workshops, both in-person and virtual.
• Continued Educational Workshops: The project will continue offering virtual and in-person healthcare navigation workshops, with added content on cultural medical orientation to address gaps left by halted refugee services.

ABOUT OUR GRANTEE

HealthPoint

“HealthPoint is a community-based, community-supported, and community-governed network of non-profit health centers that use evidence-based care and are dedicated to providing expert, high-quality care to all who need it, regardless of circumstances.

Our mission is to strengthen communities and improve people’s health by delivering quality health care services using evidence-based care, breaking down barriers, and providing access to all.”