Provides demographic and cultural background on the Ukrainian community in Seattle, Washington, focusing on its experience gaining access to health care services. Part of a series of profiles of underserved ethnic communities developed by the Seattle-based Cross Cultural Health Care Program, this survey is intended to help health care providers offer culturally appropriate care. Written by and in consultation with members of Seattle’s Ukrainian community, this profile contains information about the people from Ukraine, the second largest country in Europe, including the severe, post-independence economic crisis and environmental contamination following the nuclear power plant explosion at Chernobyl; the Ukrainian language; social value placed on education, professionalism, and punctuality; the dominant religion, Eastern Orthodoxy; the size and places of resettlement of the Ukrainian population in Seattle; family life and community organizations; traditional health care practices which blend herbal, folk, and Western medicine; attitudes toward medical care, including the tendency to ignore the advice of a doctor who has not gained the patient’s trust; and barriers to receiving medical care, including a taboo on acknowledging or discussing mental illness. Also contains suggestions that health care professionals can follow to work more effectively with their Ukrainian patients.
