Imagine arriving in a completely new country with nothing but a suitcase and a heavy heart. You don’t speak the language. The street signs are a blur. Then, a sudden, sharp pain strikes—or the weight of past trauma makes it impossible to face the morning. You need a doctor or someone to talk to, but you have no idea where to go, how to ask for help, or how you could ever afford it.

For thousands of Ukrainian newcomers and Slavic immigrants arriving in our region, this terrifying wall of isolation is an everyday reality. They face a system that feels completely locked away behind a language barrier and a complex healthcare system.

That is exactly why the Ukrainian American House stepped in a few years ago. To tear down those walls, we launched a dedicated health access and mental health program. This vital lifeline was made possible thanks to the incredible support of Dignity Health and the 2025 CommonSpirit Health Community Health Improvement Grant that we were so fortunate to receive. That pivotal funding allowed our organization to directly guide over 200 vulnerable individuals through the complex healthcare system, securing health insurance, peer counseling, and trauma support when they had nowhere else to turn.

However, the clock keeps moving, and the stories of struggle do not end when a grant cycle finishes.

Today, the challenges facing our immigrant and refugee families are continuing to multiply. Every single week, more families struggle with carrying the invisible, heavy burdens of displacement, anxiety, and PTSD. While the community’s needs are growing rapidly, our available funding remains strictly limited.

Our Community Health Program needs everyone’s support right now. The reality on the ground is stark: the needs are truly great, but our resources are far too few. We cannot afford to let these families slip back into the shadows of untreated sickness and silent trauma. It takes an entire community to keep this safety net intact. Whether through corporate sponsorship, private donations, or spreading the word, your partnership ensures that the next family arriving at our doorstep isn’t left to navigate the dark alone.

‍

‍