For over 15 years, Cherokee Health Systems has provided special outreach services to the growing immigrant population in Tennessee, specifically to people of Hispanic background and culture. Our bilingual staff, along with community volunteers, bridge the language barrier to provide immigrants with information about Cherokee Health Systems’ services, community resources, and general health education. A special part of this program is that we meet people where they are, whether that be on the farm, at home, or in our clinics. In 2016, over 30,000 individuals received one or more of the following services through the Hispanic Outreach Program:
Cherokee Health Systems’ Hispanic and Immigrant outreach services also provide non-governmental identification cards, referrals to other community resources, and access to standard primary and behavioral health care offered by Cherokee Health Systems staff. Contact information will be posted here as soon as it becomes available.
Since 2015, Cherokee Health Systems has partnered with Siloam Health to provide the initial medical and behavioral health screenings for all newly resettled refugees arriving in East Tennessee. Through this program Cherokee Health Systems has served well over 200 individuals and families who have arrived from countries including, but not limited to, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Ukraine, Syria, Tanzania, & Burma. Cherokee has been enriched by the presence of these new Americans as they bring with them cultural traditions and varied languages that enhance the diversity of our community. Our providers in both Chattanooga and Knoxville consider it a privilege to serve as one of the first points of welcome to these individuals as they begin their new lives in the United States.