Health, Wellness & New Americans
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Agangwa and wife (center)
“Pastor, thank you for helping my daughter. … Your doctor and nurse help us. Thank you for buy medicine for my daughter!” In his broken English, Abangwa spoke from his heart after his family had received assistance from CFNA’s health and wellness screening ministry.
Having just arrived from a Tanzanian (East Africa) refugee camp two months earlier, Abangwa was still trying to find his way around. As he struggled to settle in with his four kids and wife, his two-year-old daughter came down with ringworm. With the assistance of nurses and students from St. Louis University’s (SLU) School of Nursing, CFNA was able to provide immediate care.
Offered once a month, CFNA’s health and wellness screenings serve recently arrived refugees who are making St. Louis their home. As these New Americans try to understand and navigate the healthcare system, CFNA’s health screenings seek to support them by providing an option for the identification and treatment of their health issues, especially relating to blood pressure, blood sugar, hearing and eyesight. Additionally, transportation to medical appointments has also been provided.
During the COVID pandemic, the SLU School of Nursing provided Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and Pfizer vaccines required for the immunization of numerous New Americans. Some of the beneficiaries stepped forward to recruit the participation of others from their ethnic communities. Eric, a refugee from Congo, recruited several other Congolese new arrivals after he and his wife attended health screenings and received vaccinations. He put it like this, “You do a lot to help my people. They needed COVID shots, medical screenings and more. You helped with all of this as well as transportation to medical appointments and the payment of bills. Thank you so much.”
Over the years, the Health and Wellness Screening program has served hundreds of recently arrived New Americans from more than 15 birth nations. This would not have been possible without the partnership of the SLU School of Nursing. Nor would it have been possible without the help of dozens of volunteers from several Lutheran congregations. We remain grateful to all of them and with our Lord’s blessings, we look forward to expanding this network in the days to come.
By Rev. Stanish Stanley, CFNA Executive Director, with
Rev. Al Buckman, CFNA Board Chair
