Internship Location: Remote
Organization Type: State Government
Policy Areas: Health policy
As an equity and policy specialist intern at the Wisconsin Division of Medicaid Services, I analyzed state Medicaid policy through a health equity lens and crafted recommendations to positively impact health disparities in the state. One project that I led was the creation of a toolkit to help dental providers increase access to interpreters for refugee patients. I conducted an analysis of existing Medicaid policy and legal requirements regarding interpretive service provision to identify gaps that led to disparities for refugees. I interviewed state experts, providers, and refugee care managers to create recommendations for increasing refugee access to interpretive services. My work culminated in a toolkit to assist providers in navigating policy challenges to secure interpreters for their refugee patients. This project wove together my interests in global health, refugee resettlement, health equity, and social protection. I improved my qualitative data collection and analysis skills and gained a concrete understanding of refugee resettlement at the state level. I am excited to gain further insight into how international, federal, and state health policy manifest can improve outcomes for refugees at the community level.