ROGERS, Ark. – Due to United States residency limitations, the Marshallese population in Northwest Arkansas cannot receive federal assistance in any form, a student-intern for Rogers Public Schools said.

Representatives from various nonprofit organizations and agencies join together monthly to discuss what they are doing to meet the needs of the Marshallese population in Springdale, which includes cultural performances to add representation for the community in Springdale. The hour-long conference is the Gaps in Services to Marshallese Task Force, or Gaps, for short.

Although this local group’s goal is to represent and encourage discussion in terms of what could better the Northwest Arkansas Marshallese population, a large factor is missing – federal assistance.

“The Marshallese population, due to their citizenship is not eligible to receive federal assistance, so that includes Medicaid and our kits,” said Kristen Schatzman, an intern for Rogers Public Schools and UA social work graduate student.

A lot of the reasons why Marshallese children and their families are not being treated for illnesses ranging from common colds to physical debilitations is not necessarily all related to cultural norms, but rather payment issues.

“Because they don’t have insurance, so that’s a big issue for a lot of stuff,” Schatzman said. “That’s why they’re not showing up in school, they can’t get their medical notes because they can’t afford to go to a doctor, and that’s pretty general … They’re not eligible for federal assistance, so no food stamps, no, nothing that would come from the federal government.”

Typical monthly pay for rental housing is one way members of the Marshallese community stay sheltered, mostly because their employment comes from factory work or plants such as the Tyson food plant in Springdale, she said.