Community Resources
Afghan Health Initiative
Located in King County, WA, the mission of Afghan Health Initiative is to serve the immigrant and refugee population in Washington State by promoting community-based public health interventions which target social determinants of health thereby increasing equal access to health, education, and economic independence.
Resources made available for newly arrived refugee community members:
- Emergency Funds
- Essential Items for Infants, Children, Expecting Mothers
- Household Items and Furniture
- Groceries and halal meat
- Connection to Community
- Systems Navigation and Interpretation
- Job Search
Health and wellness programs include Lead and Toxics Prevention (Lead Poisoning in Children PSA videos in Dari, Pashtu, English, Spanish)
Hazara Community of Washington
Address: PO BOX 6234 Kent WA, 98064
Contact information: Info@hcofwa.org
Website: https://hcofwa.org/
HCWA is a non-profit non-religious, nonpolitical community-based institution established to help refugee/immigrant communities from Afghanistan to resettle smoothly in Washington, also help them receive the necessary support from the stakeholders. HCWA aims to provide community support, initiate cultural programs and festivals, raising awareness and organizing integration initiative to local U.S culture, including job market awareness, creating self-help groups, connecting the communities with the voluntary participation in community affairs, and preserving community practices and values.
Muslim Association of Puget Sound
Founded to serve the Muslims of Puget Sound and the wider community, MAPS is the largest Islamic Center in Washington, with a diverse community of over 5,000 families from more than 50 countries and many services and programs. MAPS AMEN (American Muslim Empowerment Network) program has organized to help address the crisis in Afghanistan and welcome incoming Afghan families to Washington state. They have collated and coordinated a number of different efforts/resources, focusing on Washington state, including providing opportunities of specific ways to help. See: Sep. 14 Message on Crisis in Afghanistan: How You Can Help
Viets for Afghans
Viets for Afghans are Vietnamese Americans mobilizing community members to help Afghan refugees.
WA Department of Health
Resources for New Arrivals from Afghanistan
Since 1975, Washington has welcomed nearly 150,000 refugees from 70 different countries to our state, including almost 5000 individuals from Afghanistan. Washington is actively engaged with the federal government to help resettle Afghan individuals and families. Through Operation Allies Refuge, Washington anticipates resettling more individuals and families from Afghanistan in coming weeks and months.
DSHS Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance’s Welcoming Afghans to Washington State website provides regularly updated information from the federal government regarding Afghan resettlement.
WA DOH Afghan Health Profile and Screening guidance for adults and children ( WA and MD ), plus WA DOH Refugee Health Program’s Afghan Health Resources shares fact sheets, webinars, videos and other resources to support new arrivals from Afghanistan.
Learn about:
- Local Community Resources
- Afghan Culture and Health
- Behavioral Health
- State and Federal Assistance and Benefits Eligibility
- Local Health Screening Examination
- Health Outcomes
- Health Promotion and Education Resources in Dari and Pashto (Covid-19, Handwashing, Masking, Lead, Measles Tuberculosis, Vaccine Information Statements, Varicella (Chickenpox) and more)
Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County
Helping families reduce exposure to lead
Some aluminum cookware brought from Afghanistan by resettled families as well as cookpots available for purchase in the United States represent a previously unrecognized source of lead exposure. The Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County, in collaboration with the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Washington, conducted a study that revealed that several aluminum cookpots released enough lead under simulated cooking and storage conditions to present a significant risk for lead poisoning. While lead poisoning is a serious concern, researchers identified several solutions. Study findings are published in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology. See also, additional resources about lead and ways to reduce exposure: WA DOH Refugee Health Program’s Afghan Health Resources, Afghan Health Initiative’s Lead Prevention Program
Centers of Excellence for Newcomer Health
CDC
CDC’s Response to Afghan Evacuees: The CDC provides health education information translated into Dari, Pashto and Farsi for Afghan new arrivals, in hopes of helping to prevent the spread of infectious diseases during the resettlement process.
Minnesota
The Minnesota Center of Excellence in Newcomer Health has created a collection of Afghan Evacuees Health Resources to support and share best and promising practices meeting the needs of newly arrived Afghan people. Resources range from infectious disease FAQs, to suggestions on promoting health in households who will host newcomers. They include medical forms/documents for initial intake/encounter (prior to a formal Domestic Medical Examination), on-demand educational material on “getting to know your Afghan patient”, and cultural and historical information to help better serve these individuals and families as they are resettling.
The Minnesota Center of Excellence in Newcomer Health’s Afghan Clinical Workgroup has issued a brief overview for clinicians caring for Afghan new arrivals.
• A series of recorded webinars and PDF slides
Afghan Culture and Health Screening Considerations is a recorded webinar from the Minnesota Center of Newcomer Health. It discusses the potential entry pathways and immigration standings of Afghan arrivals, including their impact on medical care/access, required or recommended components of medical screening/care for Afghan arrivals, potential health concerns for Afghan arrivals at the population level, and cultural considerations for a patient-provider interaction with Afghan arrival.
Colorado
The Colorado Center of Excellence in Newcomer Health, in partnership with the CDC and other partners, have released a set of infographics available for print and web usage, and each set contains an infographic on arrivals from Afghanistan from 2009-2019. The web versions are smaller in size, making them easy to share online. The print versions are larger in size, making them printable for hanging on walls or sharing as handouts.
The Colorado Center of Excellence in Newcomer health has also created a health education resource repository for Afghan Newcomers which contains health education materials in English, Dari, Farsi, Pashto, and Urdu, when available. The majority of resources have been gathered from the CDC and the NRC-RIM.
Cultural Orientation Resource Exchange (CORE)
CORE provides an Afghan Backgrounder and a Cultural Orientation for Afghan Arrivals webinar, which includes written answers to questions about the Afghan Placement and Assistance Program (APA). Login to CORE’s Learning Platform is required to access webinar and files.
Learn how to use CORE’s Settle In Facebook page with Afghan arrivals to ensure clients access vital, correct information about early resettlement services.
CORE has a full array of Dari fact sheets, videos, and podcasts on Cultural Orientation and the resettlement process available on the CORE Resettlement Navigator website, as well as a playlist of Dari videos.
Additional Resources
Afghan Health Initiative: Legal/Immigration resources for families in Afghanistan
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR): Resettlement services continue after 90 days, English, Dari, Pashto
DHHS, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: Health Coverage Options for Afghan Evacuees
National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants (NRC-RIM): COVID-19 Resources for Afghan New Arrivals
Federal Office of Refugee Resettlement: Afghan Assistance Resources
Catholic Legal Immigration Network: Guide to Client Documentation and Benefits for Afghan Parolees
Catholic Legal Immigration Network: Assistance for Afghans Toolkit
Department of State: Afghans Granted Humanitarian Parole
Office of Refugee Resettlement: Benefits for Afghan Humanitarian Parolees
Switchboard: Resources for Afghan Arrivals
USCIS: Information for Afghan Nationals on Requests to USCIS for Humanitarian Parole
Vermont Language Justice Project : PDF Guide with Translated Afghan Resources