Aspects of Medical Care of Soviet Jewish Emigrés

Soviet Jewish emigrés are a recently arrived refugee group in San Francisco and in other cities in the United States. They have frequently been perceived as a demanding and complaining population, particularly the elderly, often chronically ill members. These behaviors can also be seen as positive survival mechanisms that have evolved in response to the Soviet health care system and cultural background. An understanding of that background and system, together with time, greatly improves the interaction between Soviet Jewish patients and American physicians.