MILWAUKEE — Going to the doctor, even with insurance, can sometimes be an expensive ordeal.
It can be even more challenging for patients who are new to the country.
Dmitriy Chester owns MEDCO Milwaukee Urgent and Primary Care Clinic in Mequon. He is a nurse practitioner from Ukraine.
“The idea was to establish an urgent care clinic or a health care office where people can come in and be able to see transparent prices, low prices, but at the same time get high-quality health care,” said Chester.
Since the war started in Ukraine, he’s been helping refugees from his homeland with their health care needs. He also lends a hand outside of the health care system to help them start a new life in Wisconsin.
“Sometimes they have some additional issues such as lack of employment or lack of housing or some other needs, which is something refugees might have during the first several months of being in a new country and if I have knowledge which I can share, I would like to do that,” said Chester.
Larysa Zykova is one of his patients. She fled Ukraine last spring after the war started.
She said she hopes to eventually find a job in Wisconsin as a registered nurse. She said Chester has been a huge support.
“He speaks my language, he understands more and what I need because you have a very big difference between Ukraine and U.S., how medicine works, and all this process works,” said Zykova.
Chester said he hopes to help both Zykova and other fellow Ukrainians who are starting their lives over in Wisconsin.
“It happens unfortunately that the war on Ukraine started, and we see more refugees, so subsequently I see more people coming in from my native country and I’m glad I’m able to assist them either with health care needs or whatever needs they might have,” said Chester.
Chester said whether it’s his patients from the United States, or overseas, he’ll always stay focused on making health care accessible and affordable to everyone who visits his clinic.