“It's better if you have more hands!”: Latina healthcare access barriers and community organization interventions in Chicago suburbs

Abstract

Throughout the United States, suburbs have seen an increasing number of immigrant populations as residents in the area. Yet, the suburban social and health services available have not developed to serve these immigrant groups, leading to community-based organizations (CBOs) filling in the need for service provision. However, the geographic distribution and resources available to these CBOs to serve these groups is uneven and understanding the constraints these organizations face in delivering services is crucial. Employees in CBOs themselves have crucial insights into immigrants’ needs and concerns, particularly those of immigrant women. This paper examines the understanding of CBO staffers focusing on the Latine population in Chicago and the suburbs, particularly on healthcare access barriers CBOs provide interventions on for Latina women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative data from a purposeful sample of interviews with CBO staffers during the COVID-19 pandemic supports the findings of financial and legal barriers, particularly access to information, and creative, community-based methods for interventions, specific to the experiences of Latina women.