CL-11: OMAHA REFUGEE HEALTH COLLABORATIVE: A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO IMPROVING REFUGEE HEALTH
Jessica Maxwell, MD, MS, FRCSC.1, Jessica Wiens, BA2, Alana Schriver, MPH3, Kristin Gall4; 1Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 2Center for Reducing Health Disparities, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 3Refugee Specialist, Omaha Public Schools, 4DHHS Program Specialist-RN, Refugee Health Coordinator, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
Background: Nebraska is home to a diverse refugee population. Since 2002, over 11,000 refugees have resettled in Nebraska. The majority of the stateâs refugee population resides in Omaha or Lincoln.1 Refugees from Burma/Myanmar represent greater than 40% of the total refugee population, with Sudan, Iraq, and Somalia making up the four most common countries of origin.
The Refugee Health Collaborative (RHC) was developed out of a need to bring healthcare organizations, refugee agencies, and refugees together to improve the health and wellbeing of Nebraskaâs refugee community
Methods: The RHC meets monthly to discuss issues facing the refugee community, initiatives for refugee health, and ideas to improve culturally competent access and care for our refugee population. It includes a diverse population of healthcare providers, refugee and governmental agencies, and public health and school specialists.
Results: The RHC has fostered many initiatives, including a bi-annual Refugee Health Fair (attended by over 1500 refugees), research collaboration between the College of Public Health and the Department of Surgery, and working groups focused on specific refugee health issues.
Conclusions: The RHC is unique in its collaborative and multidisciplinary approach to refugee health. It cultivates citizenship and social responsibility in medicine and provides novel educational opportunities.