A refugee camp is where Kumari Regmi called home for years. That’s where she experienced and witnessed the consequences of limited medical care.
“I’ve seen so many dying from malnutrition so many women dying from breast cancer and ovarian cancer that was undiagnosed. Maybe they have pain or bleeding but there was nothing to detect actually whether it was breast cancer or ovarian cancer," Regmi said.
But since coming to Syracuse, she's became a family nurse practitioner to help other newcomers receive what she and others in the refugee camp couldn’t.
Syracuse is a welcoming region to immigrants, but navigating the health care system in a new country and new language can be overwhelming. On Friday, Regmi and her husband, also a former refugee and a nurse practitioner, invited the region’s immigrants and refugees to the fifth annual health fair hosted at Catholic Charities.
The fair that offered vaccinations, dental screenings and mammogram scheduling, included support from Upstate Medical. Med student Katie Farkouh said hosting multiple services for free in one location helps overcome barriers to care that the region’s newcomers may face.
“We have a big refugee population in Syracuse and we want to make sure that everyone has access to all of the health screenings, preventative care and just general health care that they might not be able to get otherwise," Farkouh said.
About 200 people turned out for the event.
