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“We have a large population that are of Caribbean and African descent in New York City, even before the asylum seekers were increasing. So it is our problem,” said Narcisse. “I’m from the Caribbean and I have sickle cell trait, my daughter has the trait, and I have two nieces with sickle cell disease.”
Racial disparities in medical treatment and access to healthcare in the U.S., along with a lack of investment in medical research, have exacerbated the negative impacts of the disease on Black individuals diagnosed and their families, said Speaker Adrienne Adams. She notes that if you’re born in the city or U.S., you’re likely screened for sickle cell automatically. But if a person immigrated here it’s more likely that they won’t be diagnosed or have access to adequate care. She is advocating in her bill for more education and outreach among undocumented groups prone to the disease.
ABISA’s language lines are often utilized by nurses and doctors to speak with their patients, said Sarr. She suggested that city language line workers be hired from within established immigrant communities in New York to provide 24/7 assistance for asylum seekers. Sarr added that the city needs more emphasis on effectively training service providers on how to communicate with their patients who come from a range of cultural backgrounds and speak vastly different languages.