RHS-15 Implementation Guide for Non-Clinical Sites Now Available!
Nationalities Service Center, the lead agency of the Philadelphia Refugee Health Collaborative, has recently developed an implementation guide for use of the Refugee Health Screener – 15 (RHS-15) in non-clinical settings. Read about the pilot project and recommendations here:
October Newsletter
Care Facilitation
CDC has produced and released a report on the health status of Congolese refugees. Full text is avialable here: http://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/pdf/congolese-health-profile.pdf
An update on the Ebola outbreak from the CDC is available on the PRHC website:
Office of Refugee Resettlement just released videos about the ACA, which are available in 6 languages: Karen, Nepali, Somali, Arabic, Kinyarwanda, and English. Visit http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/health. Videos are also available on the PRHC website under Resources – Affordable Care Act.
CDC has released guidance on a case of pertussis of a Congolese pediatric patient arriving from Rwanda. Guidance is posted on the PRHC website:
As follow up to our discussion at the last PRHC meeting, please review Early Intervention flow chart for Philadelphia and the surrounding counties as well as resources for conducting developmental screening and links to the multi-lingual versions of the Survey of Well-being of Young Children (http://www.theswyc.org/) and the multilingual MCHAT (www.mchatscreen.com) on the PRHC website under Provider – Pediatric.
Partnership and Training
On Wednesday, October 29th from 12pm to 1pm, we will offer a webinar on Refugees and the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid Expansion. Please register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6666901210528667393 / Webinar ID: 124-444-219. Feel free to forward to others who might be interested.
On Monday, October 27th, the Family and Youth Services Bureaus’s Family Violence Prevention and Services Program and the Women and Trauma Federal Partners Committee present a webinar titled Culturally Specific Approaches to Trauma and Domestic Violence from 3pm to 4:30pm. Register here: https://ncdvtmh.webex.com/ncdvtmh/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=666035508
On Friday, November 7th, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health will offer a full day training on public health resources for refugees. A Save the Date flyer is available on the PRHC website:
Registration available soon!Best Practices
Richard Mollica of the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma has published a new guide which introduces a new model for refugee care which includes 5 primary domains (referred to as the H5) to be addressed in effective healing / treatment of traumatized refugee populations: human rights, humiliation, healing (self-care), health promotion, and habitat & housing. A webinar on the model is available here:
http://nasmhpd.adobeconnect.com/p28vbm02xet/ and a guide is available on the PRHC website under Provider – Mental Health.Research
ORR has released a new statistical abstract for refugee resettlement stakeholders, available here: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/orr/statistical_abstract_for_refugee_resettlement_stakeholders_508.pdf. The abstract includes information for communities on topics including employment and health care.
Advocacy
The FY 2015 Presidential Determination (PD) on Refugee Admissions was signed by President Obama on Monday. The PD sets the ceiling for refugee admissions at 70,000. This number does not include Special Immigrant Visa holders (SIVs) that elect to receive resettlement benefits. The SIV projection for the year is currently set at 7,000.
September Newsletter
Care Facilitation
• Updates on Ebola:
o Key Partner Messages from CDC (08/22/14): Attached.
o Letter to State Refugee Health Coordinators (08/12/14): Attached.
o PDPH Fact Sheet: Attached.
• Medicaid Expansion: On August 28th, CMS approved the Healthy PA Medicaid expansion plan which will cover approximately 300,000 Pennsylvanians including many refugees. See a summary of the news related to expansion here: http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Daily-Reports/2014/August/28/pa-medicaid-pm.aspx. Stay tuned for available resources to help clients enroll during the upcoming enrollment period (November 15 to February 15.) Also check out our webinar on ACA and Medicaid Expansion below.
Partnership and Training
• Save the Date for a webinar on Affordable Care Act and Medicaid Expansion on Wednesday, October 29th at 12pm. Details to follow!
• The Learning Center for Child and Adolescent Trauma (NCTSN) has created a refugee services toolkit which includes information on refugee stress, suicide and refugee children and an assessment tool. Find out more here: http://learn.nctsn.org/mod/book/view.php?id=4518
• NCTSN has already created a site dedicated to working with unaccompanied immigrant minors. See more here: http://www.nctsn.org/content/working-unaccompanied-and-immigrant-minors
Best Practices and Research
• Submit your research today! Are you conducting research related to refugees in the Greater Philadelphia region? Please complete the form on the PRHC website so we can include your project on the website: http://philarefugeehealth.org/?page_id=1412. The site is updated continuously, so please submit your project today! Also, please see the attached notes on the Research Meet and Greet sessions which were held during the week of August 25!
• Several physicians from CHOP have contributed to the current edition of the journal, Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Healthcare. The articles serve as a review of the current screening recommendations as well as of some new innovations in nutrition, infectious diseases, and psychological adaptation post-migration among refugee children. Meera Siddharth, Mary Fabio, Khoi Dang, Alison Tribble, Kate Yun and others helped edit and review the individual articles. Contributors include CHOP physicians as well as from the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University. Please see a bibliography of the articles here:
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Siddharth, M. (2014). Primary Health Care for Refugees – Introduction. Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care, 44(7), 185.
Fabio, M. (2014). Nutrition for Refugee Children: Risks, Screening, and Treatment. Current problems in pediatric and adolescent health care, 44(7), 188-195.
Dang, K., & Tribble, A. C. (2014). Strategies in Infectious Disease Prevention and Management Among US-Bound Refugee Children. Current problems in pediatric and adolescent health care, 44(7), 196-207.
Measham, T., Guzder, J., Rousseau, C., Pacione, L., Blais-McPherson, M., & Nadeau, L. (2014). Refugee Children and Their Families: Supporting Psychological Well-Being and Positive Adaptation Following Migration. Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care, 44(7), 208-215.
• These articles and many, many others are available in an updated section on the PRHC website titled Guidelines and Literature. Check it out here: http://philarefugeehealth.org/?page_id=1699
Advocacy
• The Washington Post recently published an article on the historical overview of the refugee situation in the US title “How America’s Refugee Population has Changed Over Time”. Find the article here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/storyline/wp/2014/08/13/how-americas-refugee-population-has-changed-over-time/
August Newsletter
Care Facilitation
• Bhutanese Refugees and B12 Deficiency: MMWR recently posted an article on this topic. See a link to the full text here: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6328a3.htm?s_cid=mm6328a3_e
Partnership and Training
• Bhutanese Mental Health Conference in Harrisburg: In June, 120 Bhutanese community leaders from throughout Pennsylvania and surrounding states participated in a two day conference in Harrisburg focused on mental health needs of the community. The conference was presented in partnership with the Pennsylvania Refugee Health Program, the Office of Refugee Resettlement and SAMHSA. Please see slides from the presentations here:
• Youth Mental Health First Aid Training: Temple University’s Center for Social Policy and Community Development will be hosting a training session on Friday, August 8th and 15th from 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM in the Tuttleman Building, Room 303, 1800 North 13th Street (northeast corner of 13th and Montgomery), Philadelphia, PA. Note: Attendance is required at both days, in order to receive a 3 year national certification and free manual. MHFA is a national early intervention and public education program, made free to Philadelphians through the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS). During this training, you will learn the 5 Step ALGEE action plan, which is administered until appropriate treatment and support are received or until the crisis is resolved. You will be able to identify, understand and respond to signs and symptoms of mental illnesses or substance use disorders. Seating is limited, so register early for this FREE training via www.HealthyMindsPhilly.org. For more info: call (215) 790-4996.
Best Practices
• Working with Refugees with PTSD: National Partnership for Community Training recently published an information guide on Working with Refugees with PTSD. The guide can be found here:
The information guide is based on a webinar of the same topic available here: http://gulfcoastjewishfamilyandcommunityservices.org/refugee/2014/06/17/working-with-refugees-with-ptsd/
Advocacy
• Successes and Challenges from the 1st ACA Open Enrollment: The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights has recently published a report that highlights the successes and lessons learned from the 1st open enrollment period. The full report can be found here: http://icirr.org/content/affordable-care-act-reflection-immigrant-access-illinois
• Uninsured Patients: Please make sure to educate yourself and your clinic staff on refugees transitioning off Refugee Medical Assistance after 8 months. Check out the following resources on the PRHC website:
o Affordable Care Act information – Available to clients who have recently lost insurance and meet income guidelines: http://philarefugeehealth.org/?page_id=1383
o Information for Uninsured Patients – http://philarefugeehealth.org/?page_id=14#2
July Newsletter
Care Facilitation
• PA QuitLine for Smoking Cessation: The PA Free Quitline provides tobacco cessation services in both English and Spanish and has a third-party translation service for all other languages. Attached please find a QuitLine flyer in English. Additionally, you can use the Fax to Quitline and indicate the language required. The Quitline will contact the patient in their desired language. Learn more about the PA Quitline here: https://pa.quitlogix.org/ Find the referral form here:
Partnership and Training
• Video on Congolese Refugees: The Cultural Orientation Resource Center has produced a 33-minute PRM-funded video includes interviews with refugees and community leaders from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and refugee service providers, speaking about the resettlement experiences of newly-arrived and previously resettled refugees from the DRC. Topics addressed include employment opportunities, experience learning English in the United States, education for children and adults, inter-ethnic co-existence, family adjustment, emotional health, and other matters that affect the refugees’ daily lives. Link to the video here: http://www.culturalorientation.net/providing-orientation/toolkit/providing-orientation-videos/congolese-refugees-in-the-united-states
• Mapping Refugees Around the World: The Refugee Project has created an interactive map of refugee migrations around the world using UN data and histories of refugee crises. Find the interactive map here: http://www.therefugeeproject.org/
• Welcoming Newcomers to Philadelphia: The Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians has issued a report and associated PowerPoint Presentation on Welcoming Immigrant Communities to Philadelphia. Find the Powerpoint here: http://origin.library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1101138922900-1520/Choosing+Philadelphia+-+June+18+FINAL+presentation.pdf and the full report here: http://www.welcomingcenter.org/sites/default/files/choosing_philadelphia_-_final_report.pdf
Best Practices
• PRHC Website: Check out the new Provider section of the PRHC website. It includes helpful information on refugee resettlement, best practices and available trainings: http://philarefugeehealth.org/?page_id=1672.
• PRHC Research: The Provider section of the PRHC website also includes a listing of current research going on locally: http://philarefugeehealth.org/?page_id=1412. In the next few months, we will be convening a meeting of researchers and other stakeholders to present findings and network. Stay tuned for updates!
Advocacy
• Proposed Cuts to Refugee Programs: The Office of Refugee Resettlement has proposed significant cuts to refugee programs to reallocate funding for the growing unaccompanied alien minor crisis. Join us in a call to action to request that Congress provide an additional $200 million in funding for this FY 2014 to meet the needs of both of these groups. See the following links:
o NSC Call to Action:
o Tweet your Representatives in Congress: http://action.interfaithimmigration.org/refugees/
o Find out more from Refugee Council USA: http://www.rcusa.org/www.rcusa.org/stop-cuts-to-refugee-services
o Send a message to President Obama:
https://secure2.convio.net/uscri/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=309
June Newsletter
Care Facilitation
• Colleagues at Jefferson Department of Family and Community Medicine recently published an article on Cervical Cancer Screening Outcomes in the Journal of Immigrant and Refugee Studies. Full text of the article:
Partnership and Training
• The Delaware Health Sciences Alliance will offer its annual Global Health Symposium on Friday, June 13th. Schedule and registration information:
Best Practices
• A recent article on mental health screening for refugees and the work of the Minnesota refugee mental health working group: http://www.minnpost.com/mental-health-addiction/2014/05/meeting-needs-traumatized-refugees-what-ask-what-not-ask
• Request for Actors: The Philadelphia Refugee Mental Health Collaborative and partners are currently preparing to film a short video for refugee care providers on mental health screening. Interested in becoming an actor? Contact Melissa Fogg at melissaf@lcfsinpa.org.
Advocacy
• Burma: A recent article on Rohingya refugees by UNHCR available here: http://www.unhcr.org/53677d659.html
• Syria: UNHCR believes that there will be 4 million Syrian refugees by the end of the year. Syria was once the 3rd largest host of refugees is now the largest producer of them. Syrians now also make up the largest numbers of asylum applicants in the ‘industrialized world’ including the US. Of these numbers, 75% are women and children. 50% are classified as ‘very young children’. This is not only the largest refugee crisis but one that is impacting very young children. UNHCR is providing services for this population based on 25% of their total funding request. See the video about the impact of the crisis on young children here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zakg37VFaqw and read about the crisis here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/04/22/syrias-lost-generation-might-be-largest-displacement-since-wwii/?tid=pm_world_pop
May Newsletter
Care Facilitation
• Resources on working with multicultural geriatric patients are now available on the PRHC website: http://philarefugeehealth.org/?page_id=1699 (Thanks to Dr. Plumb for compiling).
• Two screening tools (the SWYC [Survey of Well Being of Young Children] and the MCHAT [modified Checklist for Autism] are now available in Nepali and Burmese. The tools along with the translation process description are available on the PRHC website: http://philarefugeehealth.org/?page_id=1699 under Provider Resources – Best Practices – Pediatric Care. (Thanks to Dr. Yun and Dr. Fabio for facilitating the translation process and sharing).
Partnership and Training
• The Refugee Health Technical Assistance Center invites your participation in a survey on needs; please participate here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RHTAC_Survey?utm_source=Post+RHTAC+Survey+Webinar+Attendees&utm_campaign=RHTAC+User+Survey+Email+to+Webinar+Attendees&utm_medium=email
• We invite you to participate in a PRHC survey on training needs and the best methods to meet these needs here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YWMFYLZ
Best Practices
• Listings of all current local research is now available on the PRHC website. Please check out the full directory of listings here: http://philarefugeehealth.org/?page_id=1412. There is also a link to submit any research not listed through a Google form. (Thanks to Megan O’Brien, Jarett Beaudoin and Tara Devaraj for their support of this initiative).
• The Minnesota Department of Refugee Health recently convened a working group to develop Mental Health Screening Recommendations for Refugees. The results are attached. We will add discussion to our next meeting agenda. Minnesota Mental Health Screening in Primary Care Settings(Thanks to Kerenza Reid for submitting).
• Clinicians associated with the Jefferson Center for Refugee Health have recently published a poster on management of Type 2 Diabetes in Refugee Patients. The poster is available here: http://philarefugeehealth.org/?page_id=1941
(Thanks to Dr. Scott and Dr. Altshuler for submitting).
• Check out the updated “Local Research” section of the PRHC website with a full account of all current research activities as well as a link to submit new research: http://philarefugeehealth.org/?page_id=1412
Advocacy
• Updated information on Special Enrollment Periods under the Affordable Care Act including a guide for staff and a client outreach guide are available on the PRHC website here: http://philarefugeehealth.org/?page_id=1383
under Special Enrollment Period Information for Providers(Thanks to Jarett Beaudoin for creating).
April Newsletter
Care Facilitation
• Notice on possible exposure to varicella in refugees arriving from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Exposure Notification_Varicella_KL_6Mar2014
Partnership and Training
• Webinar Series on Migrant Health: http://www.migrantclinician.org/services/education/webinars.html?utm_source=Webinar+Series+Announcement+%231&utm_campaign=6Webinar2014-email1&utm_medium=email
• Medical Resources on Serving Survivors of Torture (via HealTorture.org):
http://healtorture.org/content/medical?utm_source=HealTorture+Newsletter&utm_campaign=300605f74b-medical_relaunch&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3a08749235-300605f74b-52334601
Best Practices
• TB Abstract: Several members of the PRHC have collaborated on an abstract on the effectiveness of latent TB treatment in PRHC clinic. TB Abstract_Atlanta_PK_Kate_Christina
• Pharmacy Resources: A Penn post-bach student, Lakshmi Sundaresan, working with the Einstein Clinic created a pictorial description of the process of filling and refilling prescriptions. Draft3_Prescriptions_RefugeeClinic_Text
Advocacy
• Affordable Care Act Special Enrollment Periods: With the end of open enrollment, please be aware that refugees who are ending with Refugee Medical Assistance after their eight months are eligible for a Special Enrollment period of sixty days. Resettlement partners will be doing targeted outreach to the clients. Please join us in spreading the word about Special Enrollment Periods using the attached handout. Special Enrollment Period
March Newsletter
Care Facilitation
• Translated Materials: Several sites have compiled information in various refugee target languages. Please find the materials here: (Links are also included on the PRHC website under Resources)
http://www.rochestergeneral.org/centers-and-services/refugee-healthcare/
http://refugeehealth.ca/handouts
We have also updated the PRHC website to include a provider listing available here: http://philarefugeehealth.org/?page_id=1456
• CDC Hepatitis Screening Guidelines: CDC has published the previously released hepatitis screening guidelines. Available here: http://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/guidelines/domestic/hepatitis-screening-guidelines.html
Partnership and Training
• Overseas Refugee Processing: RCUSA recently held a webinar on Overseas Medical Processing and Placement. Available here: https://www.cubby.com/pl/Instant+meeting+2014-01-30.webm/_2f2f8469a2ad4f1c92ed1b68f0362bed
• Art and Refugees in South Philadelphia: Philly.com recently published an article about the Philadelphia Refugee Mental Health Collaborative – Mural Arts project in South Philadelphia. The article is here: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/nation_world/20140210_Center_combines_art_and_culture_for_refugees.html
• Congolese Pipeline Factsheet: The Refugee Support Center has issued an update on the current Congolese caseload overseas. Please see attached.Congolese Pipeline Factsheet_03 Feb 2014
Best Practices
• Refugees and Meditation: A very small study published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress outlined potential benefits of meditation for refugees with PTSD. Find a summary of the study here: http://psychcentral.com/news/2014/02/11/meditation-helps-refugees-recover-from-ptsd/65732.html
Advocacy
• Annual Report: Migration Policy Institute has issued its annual report on Refugees and Asylees in the US. Find the report here: http://migrationpolicy.org/article/refugees-and-asylees-united-states-2
