Our ‘Forever’ Is: A Healthy and Connected Community

Medical appointments can be nerve-wracking – even more so when you are worried you might not understand the language your doctor or nurse is speaking. That’s where Dustin Alfred comes in.

Dustin is one of four interpreters and translators at Crescent Community Health Center in Dubuque and just one of two who can speak the native language of Dubuque’s growing Marshallese community. Now, he is working to become the first certified medical interpreter for Marshallese patients in the Dubuque region, helping meet a need identified in the Community Foundation’s Immigration Community Assessment. 

“At this clinic, we work to build trust with the community,” says Dustin, who moved to Dubuque with his family from the Marshall Islands when he was 10. “People come to us for more than just medical care. This is where they come if they need anything, from transportation to housing to a job.” 

People from the Marshall Islands represent one of numerous growing communities of foreign-born residents in Dubuque who have helped make the region’s population the most racially and ethnically diverse in its history. While these expanding
communities have brought much cultural and economic vibrancy to the region, they also face barriers to opportunities that would help them to thrive for generations to come.

Recognizing demographic trends, a group of local religious sisters partnered with the Community Foundation to conduct an assessment of the strengths and needs of immigrants in the region. The goal was to close service gaps and connect people with resources like jobs and translation services.

“We published our Immigration Community Assessment just last year, and it already has provided insights that service providers and nonprofits previously never had,” says Alex Baum, the Foundation’s director of advocacy, data and learning, who facilitated the assessment.

One of the most significant outcomes has been formation of the Better Together Committee, a group of about 50 leaders from nonprofits, civic agencies and immigrant communities working collaboratively to tackle the priorities outlined in the assessment, including the need for certified medical interpreters. 

In addition to pursuing his certification, Dustin also serves on the committee. He acts as a connector with Dubuque’s Marshallese community, providing cultural context for issues like health care. For example, he explains that in the Marshall Islands, people typically don’t see a doctor for regular exams, instead going only when they are sick or hurt, and the cultural norm is for patients to only work with interpreters of their same gender.

Having leaders like Dustin working together to address community issues has meant more people can access the resources they need. In one case this year, Dustin interpreted for a Marshallese patient who was diagnosed with an unforeseen condition and was able to receive critical follow-up care thanks to his visit to Crescent.

“He said he really loved Dubuque and Crescent for having an interpreter,” Dustin says. “It gave him peace of mind to trust us.”