Grantee Name
The Research Foundation of SUNY on behalf of the University at Buffalo Department of Family Medicine
Funding Area
Expanding Health Care Coverage
Publication Date
May 2011
Grant Amount
$45,096
Grant Date:
January 2008 – April 2009
DOWNLOAD FULL REPORTShare this Grant Outcome Report
According to the University at Buffalo Department of Family Medicine (UB), the West Side community of Buffalo, New York is predominately poor (60% below 200% of the Federal poverty level), with a large Hispanic population and growing numbers of refugees from Somalia, Sudan, Vietnam, Burma, Ethiopia, Liberia, the former Soviet Union, and Middle Eastern countries.
Many residents are “linguistically isolated,” and 1,775 households (more than 4,000 people) are uninsured. While many of these individuals are likely eligible for public health insurance, they may not know it.
This project aimed to address the cultural and linguistic barriers to enrollment faced by immigrant and refugee populations in Buffalo, New York. Project staff replicated a volunteer facilitated enrollment program, the People’s Access To Healthcare (PATH) program to train health professional students and, in turn, have them assist immigrants and refugees with enrolling in health insurance coverage. PATH students held 20 sessions and reached 100 people. Most of the participants in the sessions already had some form of health insurance, however, and did not need to enroll in Medicaid.