INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A new health care facility on the southeast side of Indianapolis says it’s working to break down language barriers and deliver care with compassion.
Inside the Chin Family Clinic, patients can find more than just medical care, they can also finding a place that understands them. The clinic, located on Emerson Avenue north of East Stop 11 Road, offers multilingual staff and follow-up care in patients’ native languages, which is considered to be an important step for a community where many still struggle to communicate in English.
Sung Chin, a family nurse practitioner and the founder of Chin Family Clinic, said, “Interpreters are really good for helping us, but we don’t have a lot of language. We use some language in the U.S. that we don’t have, so it’s harder to get it in the right way and understand what the doctor tells them or instructs them.”
But, the clinic also tackles a silent issue: weight gain after immigration.
Chin says many immigrants adapting to American life face drastic dietary changes, such as eating more fast-food, that can lead to higher risks of obesity, diabetes and hypertension.
“Back home, we walk a lot. Right here? We get into the car. Even if some don’t have a car, they take the bus, so we don’t do physical walking as much as we used to,” Chin said.
Other services at the clinic include pediatric and women’s care, urgent care, labs, routine physicals, and IV infusions, which have been highly requested by patients.
“A lot of elderly use that. Our thinking is different right there. We think that infusion will really help us. It does help us. It helps them have more energy,” Chin said.
Beyond breaking down barriers, the clinic hopes to inspire more culturally specific care across Indiana, including for the growing Chin community. The Chin people are from a group of related tribes that make up one of the major ethnic groups in Myanmar, formerly Burma. Indianapolis is known for having a Chin population of about 30,000.
“Eventually nationwide through televisits, so I now have a license for a lot of states like Maryland, Washington and Utah, where are our Chin people are living a lot there,” Chin said.
