Shannon Karlsson
California State University, Chico
Introduction According to the United States Census Bureau (2010), over 30% of the total population in the United States is comprised of various ethnicities other than non-Hispanic Whites. This statistic highlights that the United States (US) has a significant multicultural population today. These diverse cultures bring with them new languages, religious beliefs and practices, social structures, and health care beliefs and practices. These cultural differences can create barriers in the healthcare industry and can be challenging to those healthcare providers who are caring for these individuals. As a result, these ethnic minorities often experience poorer access to care and lower quality of preventive, primary, and specialty care. The Hmong are one of the ethnic minority groups listed in the U.S. population. Currently there are more than 170,000 Hmong living in the United States. The majority of Hmong in the U.S. currently reside in California, Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Michigan. In order to care for these individuals in …show more content…
The Hmong are a population of people who live in China, Burma, Thailand, and northern Laos. The Hmong of northern Laos were recruited and trained by the Central Intelligence Agency during the Vietnam Conflict to help prevent the North Vietnamese form invading Laos and South Vietnam through the Ho chi Min Trail. Though they played an important role during this conflict, they were not protected by the US when troops withdrew from the region in 1975. This resulted in many Hmong people being killed by the new communist regime in Laos. Those who did survive fled to refugee camps in Thailand. This population of Hmong form northern Laos were given preferred refugee status by the US in the 1980’s, resulting in a large immigration influx of Hmong into the United