Access to Healthcare Among Arab American and South Asian Muslims in Southeast Michigan
This research empowers American Muslim communities with an innovative playbook on how to bring together multiple stakeholders from multiple sectors to solve a complex community challenge (e.g., Islamophobia, access to health care, Islamic education, and community resiliency) using a systems approach. Systems are the sum of their parts and when no one sector or organization can solve or address a complex community challenge, then systems-level innovations provide a way forward as long as there is the capacity and resources to do so.
Through the use of a community-based approach, the insights learned are grounded in the local context, expertise, and experience of American Muslims living in Southeast Michigan. This study used community-based system dynamics (CBSD) methods which included holding a series of workshops with Muslims in SE Michigan as well as interviews with community leaders.
The goal of the workshops was to address the following problem statement developed by study participants: “Which factors affect access to healthcare experienced by Muslim communities in Southeast Michigan?”
The six recommendations in the report, which are grounded in the experience of the local community, offer a starting point for interested and motivated individuals and nonprofit, community-based, and governmental organizations. The recommendations provide a blueprint for collaboratively working toward closing the gaps and addressing inequities in the health, healthcare and well-being of American Muslims and other communities in Southeast Michigan.