Kentucky Clinic to Provide Medical Care to Refugees

A new program will help 20 adult and child refugees access healthcare every week at ZipClinic Urgent Care in Bowling Green.

The clinic, located at 651 U.S. 31 Bypass, is partnering with Catholic Charities of Louisville and the International Center of Kentucky to facilitate the much-needed medical care.

The United States takes in an average of 50,000 refugees each year. The main issues many of these refugees face are poor nutrition, anemia, and chronic illnesses that may have gone undetected, said Alison Pauly, Director of Catholic Charities of Kentucky.

“But because the refugees are coming from many different areas of the world, there are different health issues,” she added. “Typically if they are coming from a refugee camp, they have not had any access to medical care because of the shortage of care in the camps.”

Refugees arriving in Bowling Green will be seen at ZipClinic for a health assessment and, if needed, referrals for more specialized care.

The ZipClinic team is taking its role in the program very seriously, said Suzy Buck, Director of Marketing for ZipClinic.

“Our staff has even gone through an orientation that helps them understand where the refugees are coming from, the language barriers, and the cultural needs,” Buck said. “We are honored to help them transition to our country.”