Free Healthcare for Vietnamese Fishermen in Galveston Amid Rising Costs
As healthcare expenses continue to escalate and federal aid for commercial fishermen diminishes, a unique initiative in Galveston, Texas, is making waves by offering free health services to a community of Vietnamese fishermen. This pop-up clinic is not only addressing medical needs but also building trust within a marginalized group.
Commercial fishing, widely regarded as one of the most hazardous occupations in the United States, often leaves fishermen with inadequate healthcare access. On the Texas Gulf Coast, a mobile clinic initiative provides essential primary care directly on the docks, ensuring that these fishermen, many of whom are Vietnamese immigrants, receive the attention they need. Elizabeth Myong reports from Galveston on this vital service.
Along the bustling shorelines of Galveston, shrimping boats dock as seagulls hover above. Beside these boats, nurse Martha Diaz is kneeling on a wooden dock, tending to a shrimper’s open sores.
MARTHA DIAZ: OK. So I’m going to clean your foot and clean your wound, OK? And then we’re going to put a bandage back on it. And you’ll need to change it every week.
The care is facilitated by a medical student translating Diaz’s instructions into Vietnamese. This scene unfolds every month at UTHealth Houston’s Docside Clinics, where shrimpers receive free medical checkups for conditions like hypertension and diabetes, along with access to essential social and legal services. These clinics were established over four years ago by Shannon Guillot-Wright, a professor of occupational health at UTHealth Houston, aiming to support uninsured fishermen with limited English proficiency.
SHANNON GUILLOT-WRIGHT: Felt like it was a population that was quite literally invisible.
As healthcare costs soar, the clinic’s role has become indispensable. Following an executive order by President Trump in April that deregulated commercial fishing and reduced safety measures, the need for such healthcare services has only intensified. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, commercial fishing has a fatality rate that exceeds the national average by over 40 times. Initially, the clinic focused on addressing the physical hazards faced by fishermen, such as slips and falls. However, Guillot-Wright underscores the importance of truly listening to the fishermen to gain their trust.
GUILLOT-WRIGHT: And many of them would talk about, look, I haven’t had access to a physician in 10 years.
Community health workers and sisters Cecile “CucHuyen” Roberts and Cuc Hoa Trieu, who immigrated from Vietnam in the ’80s, play a crucial role in this initiative. Their shared background helps them connect with and comfort the fishermen.
CECILE ROBERTS: I know how to make them feel comfortable ’cause I’m, like, one of them.
Roberts assisted a shrimper identified as H, who refrained from using his full name due to concerns over his immigration status as he renews his permanent residency. H’s story is a testament to the challenges many fishermen face without health coverage. After breaking his pinky finger on the job, he missed follow-up care, leaving his finger permanently bent. This is just one example of the risks these fishermen face daily. On another boat, a loose cable tragically resulted in a fatality.
H: Somebody – he dead. He dead the boat (ph).
Kait Guild from Harvard Medical School’s Mobile Health Map emphasizes the significance of mobile healthcare in restoring trust with those who have been underserved by traditional healthcare systems.
KAIT GUILD: It’s providing care in accessible spaces, places where underserved and marginalized community members and patients of all backgrounds feel safe.
Guillot-Wright’s vision for the clinic extends beyond healthcare, aiming to remind people of the often-overlooked individuals who contribute to the food supply.
GUILLOT-WRIGHT: We don’t always do the work thinking about where our food comes from.
As the clinic wraps up its day, another fisherman departs, limping but grateful, with his foot newly bandaged.
This article was originally written by www.npr.org
