Exploring the Providers Perspective of Health and Social Service Availability for Immigrants and Refugees in a Southern Urban Community

As the foreign-born population continues to grow and increasingly expand into inland U.S. cities, they experience insufficient resources and facilities to support their unique health and social needs. The purpose of this study was to describe provider perspectives on health and social services for immigrants and refugees in a southern metropolitan city with a rapidly increasing foreign-born population. Ten health and social service providers participated in an ethnographic study using surveys, in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document review methods. Providers identified the greatest need for immigrants and refugees was access to urgent health services and management of chronic illnesses. Barriers and facilitators to service were related to accessibility, availability, affordability, and acceptability factors. Findings indicate that despite the establishment of population specific service organizations, immigrants and refugees continue to experience unmet health and social needs associated with sociocultural, economic, and political contextual factors.