Community Dialogue

Welcome to RHTAC Community Dialogue, a forum for refugee providers to share resources and learn from each other's experiences. Join the dialogue by posting a new comment or replying to an existing comment.

Investigation of Bhutanese Refugee Suicides in U.S.

The CDC and RHTAC recently released findings of their investigation into suicides among Bhutanese refugees in the U.S. Please write your questions or comments on the report here.  Each question or comment will be read by the study team, and we will regularly post responses.  We would like to also ask you to share any experiences with effective suicide prevention activities that your community has implemented.  These experiences may be very useful for the larger refugee community to hear.

The CDC and RHTAC recently released their findings on their investigation into suicides among Bhutanese refugees in the U.S. Please write your questions or comments on the report here. Each question or comment will be read by the study team, and we will regularly post responses.
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Celebrate World Refugee Day

World Refugee Day is on June 20, 2013! This is an occasion to raise awareness about the unique health needs and strengths of refugees. It is also an opportunity to show the importance of health in refugee resettlement.

How are you highlighting refugee health for this year’s World Refugee Day? What events are you planning to celebrate World Refugee Day? Share your experiences and leave your comments below.

World Refugee Day is on June 20, 2013! This is an occasion to raise awareness about the unique health needs and strengths of refugees. How are you highlighting refugee health for this year’s World Refugee Day? What events are you planning to celebrate World Refugee Day?
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Refugee Health Success Stories

Refugees arrive in the U.S. with unique health needs that reflect life in their home countries and life as refugees.  Refugee health and well-being are fundamental to successful resettlement and integration.

How does your community help refugees successfully establish healthy beginnings in the U.S.?  How does your community or clinic utilize innovative ways to connect and orient refugees to the U.S. health care system? Leave your comments below.

Refugees arrive in the U.S. with unique health needs that reflect life in their home countries and life as refugees. Refugee health and well-being are fundamental to successful resettlement and integration. How does your community help refugees successfully establish healthy beginnings in the U.S.?
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Implementing Refugee Mental Health Screening

Mental HealthStaff training, local referrals, and other processes need to be in place before implementing refugee mental health screening. Continue the dialogue from the RHTAC May 23, 2012 webinar, Refugee Mental Health Screening: Operationalizing the RHS-15, presented by Beth Farmer, MSW and Sasha Verbillis-Kolp, MSW.

What are the biggest barriers to offering mental health services to refugees in your community? What would it take to overcome those barriers? What strengths currently exist in your community that you can leverage? Leave your comments below.

Mental HealthStaff training, local referrals, and other processes need to be in place before implementing refugee mental health screening. Continue the dialogue from the RHTAC May 23, 2012 webinar, Refugee Mental Health Screening: Operationalizing the RHS-15.
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Successful Adjustment for Refugee Youth

Refugee youth are often burdened by past traumatic experiences while undergoing stress related to resettlement. Supporting refugee youth can aid their successful adjustment to life in the U.S., thereby preventing negative social, psychological, and academic consequences.

Continue the dialogue from the February 8, 2012 webinar, Strong Roots, Bright Futures: Promoting the Successful Adjustment of Refugee Youth co-sponsored by Bridging Refugee Youth & Children’s Services (BRYCS) and RHTAC.

What are your thoughts on refugee youth and their adjustment to life in the U.S.? Leave your comments below.

Refugee youth are often burdened by past traumatic experiences while undergoing stress related to resettlement. Supporting refugee youth can aid their successful adjustment to life in the U.S., thereby preventing negative social, psychological and academic consequences. What are your thoughts on successful adjustment for refugee youth?
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Refugee Mental Health Screening

Mental HealthRefugees arrive in the U.S. after experiencing trauma, loss, and long periods of uncertainty. For refugees with mental health issues, screening is a critical beginning step on the journey towards healing. Continue the dialogue from the RHTAC January 25, 2012 webinar, Tools and Strategies for Refugee Mental Health Screening: Introducing the RHS-15, presented by Dr. Michael Hollifield.

What are your thoughts on refugee mental health screening? Leave your comments below.

Mental HealthRefugees arrive in the U.S. after experiencing trauma, loss and long periods of uncertainty. For refugees with mental health issues, screening is a critical beginning step on the journey toward healing.
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Resources and Tools for Domestic Health Orientation

Resources reinforce learning and provide additional information on the U.S. health care system to refugees receiving domestic health orientation. Continue the dialogue from the December 5, 2011 webinar, Refugee Health Orientation Continuum: Overseas and Domestic Perspectives, co-sponsored by Cultural Orientation Resource Center, Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) and RHTAC.

What resources (videos, activities, websites, fact sheets, etc.) are you using for refugee domestic health orientation? Are these resources available at no-cost? Are these resources available in languages other than English? Leave your comments below.

Resources reinforce learning and provide additional information on the U.S. health care system to refugees receiving domestic health orientation. What resources are you using for refugee domestic health orientation?
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Strategies and Techniques for Domestic Health Orientation

Techniques and content of domestic health orientations can be tailored to fit the needs of refugee audiences. Continue the dialogue from the December 5, 2011 webinar, Refugee Health Orientation Continuum: Overseas and Domestic Perspectives, co-sponsored by Cultural Orientation Resource Center, Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) and RHTAC.

What strategies help adult refugees learn and use information from domestic health orientation? What teaching styles work well with refugees? What strategies would you recommend for refugees who are not literate? What strategies would you recommend for health orientations where refugees of various languages and cultures learn together? Leave a comment below.

Techniques and content of domestic health orientations can be tailored to fit the needs of refugee audiences. What strategies help adult refugees learn and use information from domestic health orientation? What teaching styles work well with refugees?
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Evaluation and Research for Domestic Health Orientation

Evaluation and research provide insight into effective domestic health orientation techniques and affects of health orientation on refugee health behaviors. Continue the dialogue from the December 5, 2011 webinar, Refugee Health Orientation Continuum: Overseas and Domestic Perspectives, co-sponsored by Cultural Orientation Resource Center, Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) and RHTAC.

What evaluation methods are being used to measure knowledge and skills gained by refugees after participating in domestic health orientations? What research projects are studying the effectiveness of refugee health orientations? Leave your comments below.

Evaluation and research provide insight into effective domestic health orientation techniques and affects of health orientation on refugee health behaviors. What evaluation methods are being used to measure knowledge and skills gained by refugees after participating in domestic health orientations?
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