Refugee Health Program

Links

Refugee Resettlement and Medical Screening

Office of Refugee Resettlement
The Office of Refugee Resettlement is part of the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families in the US Department of Health and Human Services. The Office of Refugee Resettlement helps fund refugee health services.

Office of Global Health Affairs
The Office of Global Health Affairs is part of the US Department of Health and Human Services. This Office works with the Office of Refugee Resettlement to provide guidance for state and local refugee health programs.

Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Division of Global Migration and Quarantine issues guidance to panel physicians for the overseas health screening of refugees. The Division also issues guidance to civil surgeons who perform health assessments for "adjustment of status" applications for legal permanent residency.

International Organization for Migration (IOM)
The IOM is the leading international organization working with migrants and governments to provide humane responses to migration challenges. The IOM performs overseas processing of refugees, provides cultural orientation pre-departure, and arranges refugees’ travel.

United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR)
UNHCR is mandated by the United Nations to lead and coordinate international action for the worldwide protection of refugees and the resolution of refugee problems. UNHCR identifies groups or individuals to consider for refugee status.

Health Information Resource from Tufts for Asian-Language Speakers

Resettlement Agencies

International Institute Rhode Island (IIRI)
IIRI is a first-stop, full-service immigration referral center providing educational, legal, and social services to immigrants and refugees throughout Rhode Island and southeastern New England. IIRI is one of the two refugee resettlement agencies (VOLAGS) working in Rhode Island.

Diocese of Providence
The Diocese of Providence is one of two refugee resettlement agencies (VOLAGS) operating in Rhode Island and also provides other immigration support services.

State Agencies & Programs

RI Department of Human Services (DHS)
DHS is the state agency responsible for refugee resettlement. DHS also administers the Medicaid, Medical Assistance, Food Stamps, and Child Care Assistance Programs.

RI Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
This program is working to ensure that all children in Rhode Island can grow up in a lead safe environment.

Rhode Island Women’s Cancer Screening Program
The Rhode Island Women's Cancer Screening Program provides no-cost pelvic exams, Pap tests, clinical breast exams, and mammograms (breast x-rays) to eligible women in Rhode Island. The goal of the program is to identify women with precancerous breast or cervical conditions or cancer during the early stages.

DHS Child Care Assistance Program

RI Tuberculosis Program

Service Providers

Family Services of Rhode Island
Family Services of Rhode Island provides case management services to refugees under their mission of responding creatively to the unmet needs of individuals, families, and the community by building partnerships that help people help themselves.

Providence Community Health Centers
The Providence Community Health Centers provide neighborhood-based high-quality and accessible primary medical care to improve the health status of the residents of Providence and surrounding communities regardless of their ability to pay.

Lifespan Hospitals
Many refugees receive their initial health screening at Rhode Island Hospital, including Hasbro Children's Hospital, and the Miriam Hospital. Each of these facilities is part of the Lifespan hospital network.

The RISE Clinic at Miriam Hospital
The RISE Clinic at the Miriam Hospital is the single state-funded tuberculosis (TB) clinic in Rhode Island. The RISE Clinic offers TB screening and medical management of all cases of active TB in the state.

Women & Infants' Hospital of Rhode Island
Women & Infants' Hospital provides health screening and follow-up services to expectant mothers.

Cultural Competence Resources

Standards for the Provision of Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health Care (CLAS Standards)
Released by the federal Office of Minority Health in 2001, the CLAS standards are mandates, guidelines, and recommendations about the provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate services for all health care providers who receive federal funding.

Ethnomed
The EthnoMed site contains information about cultural beliefs, medical issues and other related issues pertinent to the health care of recent immigrants to Seattle or the US.

National Center for Cultural Competence
The mission of the National Center for Cultural Competence is to increase the capacity of health and mental health programs to design implement, and evaluate culturally and linguistically competent service delivery systems.