Advocating for the Elderly Success Stories

 

Intervening with hospital bills pays off Chia K. Xiong came to the U.S. 2004 when he 62 years old, one of some 15,000 Hmong refugees who arrived in 2004 and 2005. Too old to become employable, he could not afford health insurance. With a limited income and no health insurance, he was unable to see a doctor and buy the medicine he needed to control his high blood pressure. This resulted in a stroke while he was driving down a residential street. When the police arrived, Mr. Xiong had already passed out. The ambulance which came to his rescue took him to Methodist Hospital. After two days and one night in the hospital, he was released but his medical bill was over $10,000.	Opening Doors, Inc.'s CEO, Maurine Huang, visiting the Hmong Elder Center, the first of its kind in Sacramento and founded in November 2006
When Jason Fang, a caseworker at Opening Doors, first met Mr. Xiong in October of 2007, he was unable to pay his medical bills and did not know where to turn for help. Jason intervened with Methodist Hospital on Mr. Xiong's behalf, and helped Mr. Xiong complete the appropriate paperwork. About two months later, Methodist Hospital informed Mr. Xiong that they had decided to write off his medical bill as charity. He and his wife were very happy to hear the good news. They both called Jason personally to thank him for the help and support that Jason had given them.
	Jason Fang, a case worker at Opening Doors, Inc. helped three Hmong clients to qualify for Supplemental Security Income.  He assisted them by assisting them with all the necessary paperwork and taking them to see their doctor regularly.  He assisted them in getting the necessary medical records from their doctor and helped them to present these findings to the court.  Before these clients got their SSI, they had been without any public assistance which made life hard for them living in the U.S. They had recently arrived in the United States as Hmong refugees.
ODI assisted two Hmong clients to qualify for Section 8 choice voucher, a program for low income families to get affordable housing with Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency.  Before they received the Section 8 choice voucher, they had been paying very high rent monthly when living in Sacramento which made life difficult because they have limited fixed income.
	ODI assisted three Hmong clients settling three auto injury cases with their respective auto insurance company.  Due to language barrier, these clients had difficulties resolving their personal injury cases because they couldn’t communicate with their attorneys and the auto insurance companies in regards to the auto injury accident.  They were recent Hmong refugees, and they had very limited English speaking skill.  Jason Fang acted as the liaison between the clients and their auto personal injury attorneys and the auto insurance companies.
Atifa is 65-year old woman who thought she was in good health. She had no history of breast cancer in her family therefore never thought to get a mammogram in her life. When working with Opening Doors, Inc, her case worker, Azra Bajramovich, recommended and continued to encourage Atifa to have a mammogram appointment. She was surprised to find out that the mammogram showed a lump that she had not been able to feel before. A few days later she had a breast biopsy and was immediately scheduled for surgery. Surgery was followed by radiation therapy. Today, she is a 6-year Brest cancer survivor once again healthy and active. She is thankful to be alive today.

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