Pop-Up Clinic Offers Vital Health Services to Vietnamese Fishermen in Texas
As healthcare expenses continue to climb and federal aid dwindles, a free health clinic in Galveston, Texas, has stepped in to provide essential medical services to a community of Vietnamese fishermen. This initiative is a response to the pressing needs of commercial fishermen, many of whom face significant challenges in accessing healthcare.
Commercial fishing ranks among the most hazardous occupations in the United States, and a significant number of fishermen operate with minimal healthcare access. Addressing this issue, a mobile health clinic on the Texas Gulf Coast delivers free primary care directly to fishermen, many of whom are Vietnamese immigrants. Elizabeth Myong reports from Galveston.
Alongside the docked shrimping boats, nurse Martha Diaz tends to the medical needs of the fishermen. Kneeling on a wooden dock, she examines open sores on a shrimper’s heel. “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,” Diaz instructs, as a medical student translates her words into Vietnamese.
At UTHealth Houston’s Docside Clinics, the atmosphere is bustling. Each month, shrimpers access free health checkups for conditions like hypertension and diabetes, along with food, clothing, and social and legal services. Shannon Guillot-Wright, a professor of occupational health at UTHealth Houston, initiated these clinics over four years ago to support fishermen who are often uninsured and face language barriers. “Felt like it was a population that was quite literally invisible,” says Guillot-Wright.
The clinic’s role is increasingly vital as healthcare costs rise and regulations change. A recent executive order by President Trump reduced safety monitoring in the commercial fishing industry. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the industry has a fatality rate over 40 times the national average. Initially focused on preventing slips, trips, and falls, the clinic’s team quickly realized the importance of building trust by actively listening to the fishermen’s concerns. “And many of them would talk about, look, I haven’t had access to a physician in 10 years,” Guillot-Wright notes.
Community health workers and translators, like sisters Cecile “CucHuyen” Roberts and Cuc Hoa Trieu, play a crucial role. Having immigrated from Vietnam in the ’80s, Roberts understands how to make the fishermen feel comfortable. “I know how to make them feel comfortable ’cause I’m, like, one of them,” she explains.
Roberts has aided a shrimper identified as H, who, due to his immigration status, prefers to remain anonymous. After an on-the-job injury left his pinky crooked, H missed follow-up care due to lack of coverage. He recounts witnessing a fatal accident involving a fellow fisherman. “Somebody – he dead. He dead the boat (ph),” H recalls.
Kait Guild from Harvard Medical School’s Mobile Health Map emphasizes the role of mobile care in rebuilding trust among marginalized communities. “It’s providing care in accessible spaces, places where underserved and marginalized community members and patients of all backgrounds feel safe,” Guild explains.
Guillot-Wright reiterates the clinic’s mission to care for often overlooked individuals. “We don’t always do the work thinking about where our food comes from,” she says. As the clinic session concludes, a fisherman departs with a freshly bandaged foot.
This article was originally written by www.npr.org
