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Feature: May/June 2012

Toolkit for Primary Care Providers Treating Refugees

The Toolkit for Primary Care is designed to provide your clinic with:

  • Information about medical assessments and interventions that occur as part of the refugee resettlement process.
  • Tips on accessing your patient’s previous medical information.
  • Suggestions on health screening priorities in the primary care setting.
  • Links, referrals and other relevant information to provide health care to refugee patients.

The Toolkit was created by the Pathways to Wellness Program in conjunction with medical staff from Harborview Medical Center. Content was contributed and reviewed by: Mary Stasio, R.N., Dr. Genji Terasaki, Dr. Suzinne Pak-Gorstein, Dr. David Roesel and Dr. Joseph P. Sherman.  Note: Health screening for refugees entering their new communities differs across the United States.  The Toolkit for Primary Care was created in King County and reflects conditions solely in this community site. It may not be appropriate or accurate for your locale.  See guidelines on adapting the toolkit.


RochesterConferenceBannersmall20122012 North American Refugee Health Care Conference

This 3-day event June 28-30, 2012 in Rochester NY, focuses on best practices in refugee health. The conference is co-sponsored by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Lectures include contemporary issues in refugee health, mental health, OB/GYN, pediatrics, and primary care.  Keynote Speakers are Eskinder Negash, Director, U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement and Martin Cetron, M.D., Director, Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Registration is still open. See:


Recent Feature

Iraqi Refugee Health Cultural Profile

Iraq: Doctor Examines Young GirlTo date, little has been written about the American health care experience of Iraqi refugees who have arrived since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Written and anecdotal reports suggest that relative to other recent refugee groups, the Iraqis are having a significantly more difficult time establishing their lives in the U.S. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) and other organizations have described the resettlement situation as a crisis.  This cultural profile provides information about the American health care experiences of a small group of Iraqi refugees in the Seattle area and health-related beliefs and expectations they understand to be common in their community; the health care system in Iraq; historical context pertinent to the physical and psychological needs of recent refugees; and refugee resettlement in the United States. Read article...


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Welcome to EthnoMed

EthnoMed contains information about cultural beliefs, medical issues and related topics pertinent to the health care of immigrants to Seattle or the US, many of whom are refugees fleeing war-torn parts of the world.

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