As winter turns to spring and I reflect on the past couple of months, I find I’m even more grateful for my Christian faith.
When I come up against challenges or injustice, my first instinct is to act. I immediately look to do something to impact the world around me. While God can and does use this instinct for good, sometimes he reminds me to slow down first. To take a breath. When I do, I remember that God is in control and active in the world, and his invitation is to participate in what he is doing.
God inspired Siloam Health’s mission to share the love of Christ by serving those in need through health care. As we have remained open-handed with who he has brought to us over the past 34 years, he has made it abundantly clear who “those in need” are for us: marginalized immigrants and refugees. As a result, we know that no matter what’s happening in the world, his simple invitation is to honor every person who bears his image by providing affordable, quality health care for them.
In the following pages, we will we explore some challenges our immigrant neighbors are facing, the beauty and joy they bring to our city, and the opportunities we have to empower them to lead physically, emotionally, and spiritually healthy lives and to feel at home in our community.
As you read, I hope this newsletter does two simple things:
1. Reminds you of the good work you’ve already helped make happen.
2. Refreshes and inspires you to renew your commitment to our neighbors in need.
At Siloam, our mission and our resolve are strong because we remain rooted in the one who inspired it and sustains us. His invitation is open for all of us.
How will we respond?
Gratefully in Christ,
Katie Richards President & CEO
Siloam Health’s mission is to share the love of Christ by serving those in need through health care.
RAIZA’S STORY
At Siloam Health, we regularly see the challenges many of our patients face as immigrants. Language barriers, cultural differences, and lack of insurance often prevent them from receiving the health care they need before they find Siloam. Raiza Coleman is a Guatemalan immigrant and medical assistant at Siloam who understands some of these challenges firsthand.
When she arrived in the US in 1993, Raiza faced many obstacles, “I didn’t know the language, I didn’t know the culture, and I barely even knew the aunt I came to live with.” Despite these hurdles, she worked hard to teach herself English – using a bi-lingual dictionary and the newspaper - and took on various jobs to support herself, from housekeeper to call center employee. Her path was far from easy, and she felt constantly underestimated by employers and colleagues.
Eventually, Raiza enrolled in school to become a medical assistant and then finally discovered her calling at Siloam Health. At Siloam, Raiza has found a passion for caring for those who fall through the cracks of the health care system. “Our patients often cannot afford care,” Raiza said. “Without insurance, it’s hard for them to get the real care that they need.”
Despite the financial, language, and cultural barriers they face, Raiza is committed to caring for them because, as she said, “If we didn’t have Siloam, a lot of our patients... their health would be in a really bad place.”
Raiza also explains why providing whole-person care is so important for those who often feel overlooked. “When our patients come here, they feel like they matter. They feel like we are listening to them,” she said. “This is a safe place.”
“We cry with our patients, we pray with our patients, we celebrate with our patients,” Raiza replied, when asked what she would like to share with Siloam’s supporters. “I wish they could hear every story. Every heart, every tear, every victory that our patients share with us.”
We can’t share every story, but Raiza’s willingness to share hers helps shine a light on who we are and who our patients are. In a world where immigrants face so many obstacles, we are proud to partner with Raiza to provide whole-person health care that meets their needs and empowers them to flourish.
Raiza Coleman, Siloam Health Medical Assistant
FACES OF SILOAM
Siloam Health has been privileged to care for neighbors from all over the world for more than 30 years. Thousands of people who bear God’s image come to Siloam every year seeking health care that empowers them to flourish. We hope these snapshots help you catch a glimpse of their beautiful humanity: their joy, their challenges, and their resilience.
Nasr and Ikbal are from Egypt and moved to the US in search of a better life and better health care for Nasr’s chronic heart issues.
Beatriz moved here from Mexico more than 20 years ago and has battled diabetes and a liver condition while caring for her family.
Enna is a mother from Honduras who works hard to care for and love her family despite her chronic health conditions.
Carolina came from El Salvador, and she has recovered from a stroke and found happiness with her husband Juan and their two sons.
Marco moved to the United States from Mexico looking for work opportunities and a better quality of life.
Niang is from Burma and spent more than ten years as a refugee in Malaysia before reuniting with her family and resettling in the United States.
Juan moved from Guatemala to the US when he was three years old, and as an adult, he has become an advocate for mental health care.
Rania moved from Egypt to the United States to provide a better life for her children and became a US citizen in 2024.
Kambez is a refugee from Afghanistan who moved to Nashville and has served as an interpreter with Siloam.
At Siloam Health, every conversation matters. Our volunteer interpreters are more than language experts—they are the lifeline that connects patients to quality whole-person care. With Nashville’s growing community of immigrants and refugees, these volunteers, often immigrants themselves, bridge the gap between patients and clinicians, ensuring that language is never a barrier to health care.
Interpreters like Ingrid Quezada Mendoza, are fundamental in building trust and understanding, translating not only words but cultural nuance, emotion, and context. Ingrid shares, “I see my own parents in the patients and myself in the younger patients, I remember how much I appreciated the help we received, and I hope to provide the same to others.” This personal commitment and empathy are an oft-repeated theme among Siloam’s interpreters who make certain that every patient feels seen, heard, and valued.
BRIDGING THE GAP
Remah Hatem first came to Siloam through the refugee medical screening clinic as a child but returned as a pre-med graduate from Belmont University to volunteer as an Arabic interpreter. “As soon as I stepped foot inside, I thought – I remember this place. I was a patient here when I came to the US! I came here a few times before having my own primary care doctor, and I have loved coming here ever since because I see myself in the patients.”
Ingrid and Remah represent so many of Siloam’s volunteer interpreters whose personal experience as immigrants motivates them to ensure our patients are heard. Their work guarantees that every patient receives clear instructions and compassionate guidance during challenging times.
We are profoundly grateful for these volunteers who turn language into a tool of healing - they are an integral part of our mission to share the love of Christ by serving those in need through health care.
Volunteer Interpreters: Ingrid Quezada Mendoza (bottom left) and Remah Hatem (top right)
NEIGHBORS FROM MANY NATIONS
Immigrants and refugees make Nashville better. Their resilient spirits strengthen our community, their important contributions affect commerce, culture, and values, and through them we get a taste of the beauty and breadth of God’s Kingdom.
These neighbors also often work long hours at jobs that do not provide benefits like health insurance. As a result, many choose to simply go without care. The need for affordable, culturally sensitive health care in Nashville is as great as it’s ever been. of uninsured immigrant adults in the US did not receive health care in the past year.~
12.7%
UNINSURED
12.7% of Davidson County residents are uninsured, more than three points higher than the national average of 9.5%*
3X UNINSURED
People of Hispanic heritage in Tennessee are three times more likely to be uninsured than other ethnicities.^
52%
*US Census Bureau, 2022
^The Sycamore Institute, 2022
~KFF Survey of Immigrants, 2023
Siloam Health provides the affordable, quality health care that our neighbors need to flourish in their lives and help our city thrive. But we can’t do it alone. Our work, and the health of the community, relies on people like you to see the need and respond with generosity. Will you donate to provide health care for your neighbors today?
A CHRISTIAN RESPONSE
As Christians, we are people of hope, but hope can be put to the test when we see so many people who need help. It can be discouraging to look around the world and see so much brokenness, sickness, and pain. At times like this, it is helpful to remember what Jesus did: he saw the suffering of others and took action. As followers of Jesus, we are invited to do the same.
We are called to address the suffering of the world, but we often don’t know where to begin. Through news and social media on our phones, we have access to the entirety of the world’s problems in our back pocket. And many of us feel the weight of carrying those problems around every day. When we see so many needs, how do we discern what is ours to do?
We might find the answer in one of Jesus’ most well-known parables – the story of the Good Samaritan who cares for an injured man he sees suffering on the side of the road. This man had been robbed and beaten and simply needed someone to respond with compassion and care. Two religious people passed by before the third man, a Samaritan, stopped and tended to his wounds.
The Samaritan saw the suffering of the person in his path and stopped to help.
If you are overwhelmed by the needs of the world, slow down and ask yourself the question “who is in my path?” The answer might be your opportunity to, as Jesus puts it at the end of the parable, “go and do likewise.”
TAKING ACTION
Look for opportunities: keep your eyes open for those who are suffering along your path.
Start small: even one small act of kindness or generosity, a sacrifice of time, energy, or money, is a great place to start.
To learn more about getting involved with Siloam Health, scan this QR code:
Keep going: after you start small, keep your eyes open for opportunities to do it again!
Invite other people: to keep it going long-term, it’ll be easier (and more fun!) if you do it with friends.
