On Sunday, December 14, 2025, the Buffalo News published an op-ed written by Jericho Road Community Health Center founder, Dr. Myron Glick. The article makes the case that refugees, like everyone else, deserve healthcare.
“Denying access to health care for our refugee neighbors is neither right nor wise. Do any of us want our neighbors to go without care when they are sick, struggle to get needed vaccines, be denied prenatal care when pregnant or fail to get treatment for chronic diseases?”
In October 2025, Congress passed a piece of legislation known as “the one big beautiful bill.” In it, all refugees who have been in the country for less than five years will no longer be eligible for Medicaid. Those cuts will go into effect in October 2026.
Refugees, perhaps the most vetted group of immigrants permitted to enter the country, have been coming to the United States for decades. They have revitalized communities, paid taxes, and added to our workforce, technology, and economy in meaningful ways. At Jericho Road, we know and love so many refugees.
Dr. Glick mentions one refugee family from Somalia that made a big impact on him as a young doctor:
“In Kenya, they stayed in a refugee camp and then in 1998 arrived in Buffalo as refugees. They found their way to Jericho Road. Thus began a long friendship. With assistance, including Medicaid, they gradually acclimated to life in a new country, learned English, got good jobs with private health insurance, raised their family and became citizens. Today they have 11 grandchildren, and three of their children are doctors.”
A small investment in families who have had to leave everything behind, has proven a worthy use of the Medicaid program. At Jericho Road, we believe that everyone deserves access to healthcare, no matter what.
Check out the article: Buffalo’s Refugees Need and Deserve Health Care
