Funded Projects

Improving Health Literacy/Access for Refugees

Project Year

2024

City & State

Worcester, Massachusetts

Program Name

CATCH Resident

Topic

Immigrant/Migrant/Refugee/Undocumented

Program Description

Problem: As political strife, economic collapse, and acts of violence are increasing in many countries around the world, more and more children and families are being displaced from their homes. Often fleeing with nothing, these families make long and perilous journeys to the United States seeking refugee status.  This is reflected in reports from the Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration which show an increase in refugee arrivals to the United States from 11,411 in 2021 to 25,465 in 2022 and now 60,014 in 2023. Refugee and migrant children arrive with untreated acute and chronic conditions, developmental delays, and additional health challenges that accompany stress and trauma. Compounded by language barriers, socioeconomic challenges, and the need to navigate an entirely new health system, refugees and migrants are likely the most vulnerable population served within pediatrics.   Primary Settin: The primary setting of this project will take place in Worcester, MA with community organizations that partner with refugee families. A secondary setting will be community pediatric practices.  Number of Children Affected: The annual report from the Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants in 2021 showed that 1,018 individuals arrived in Massachusetts, with approximately 25% of these individuals being under 18 years of age. The most represented country of origin includes Haiti, DR Congo, Ukraine, Afghanistan, El Salvador, Uganda and Burma. This total number of individuals increased 330% in 2022 to 4,359.  According to a report by the  Emergency Housing Assistance Program in Massachusetts, there are 3,525 families in the program who entered the state as migrants, refugees, or asylum seekers in 2023. Of these families, 302 were settled in Worcester.  Project Goal: The goal of this project is to improve the health literacy for Worcester’s refugee population and improve access to services that help refugee children reach their optimal state of health. Furthermore, it will strengthen the ability of refugee populations to successfully navigate systems and empower them to achieve self-sufficiency by equipping them with the tools for self-advocacy.  Proposed Intervention: The proposed intervention will unfold in two stages, a planning stage and an implementation stage. Firstly, I will utilize focus groups to engage with community partners and established refugee/migrant families to understand knowledge gaps surrounding health literacy that exist amongst refugee populations upon arrival. I will identify the three main perceived barriers to achieving optimal health and well being for children. I will also engage with the community pediatric practices that have been taking care of this influx of refugee patients to identify the barriers to health they have observed.   The second phase of planning will involve developing a succinct curriculum, based on the needs identified during prior focus groups, that will orient refugees to the US health system and detail important public health information. This curriculum will include special focus on vaccination schedules and developmental milestones to ensure children are able to attend and thrive in school.   The implementation stage will involve hosting one-hour informational sessions for refugee families where the curriculum will be delivered. The implementation stage will also involve creation of a resource guide to distribute to refugees and the agencies and community pediatric offices that work with them. Anonymous surveys will be used to elicit feedback regarding these interventions.   Anticipated Outcomes: This project will lead to increased health literacy and confidence in ability to navigate health systems by Worcester’s refugee population. It will also lead to increased comfort by community pediatric providers to care for this population as they have access to resource guides. 

Project Goal

The goal of this project is to improve the health literacy for Worcester’s refugee population and improve access to services that help refugee children reach their optimal state of health and full potential. Furthermore,  it will strengthen the ability of refugee populations to successfully navigate systems and empower them to achieve self-sufficiency by equipping them with the tools for self-advocacy.

Project Objective 1

By conducting five focus groups with identified community partners  and representatives from the refugee community by month three of the twelve month grant timeline, I will identify the three main perceived barriers to achieving optimal health and well being for children in Worcester’s refugee community.

Project Objective 2

I will develop and disseminate a pragmatic curriculum that is deliverable in four sessions, each one hour in length, that orients refugees to the health system in Worcester, details important public health information, as well as addresses the previously identified three main barriers. Goal participation is 15 people per session.  I will anonymously survey participants to gauge the effectiveness of the curriculum in increasing their confidence in navigating the health care system and improving their ability to access the resources needed to achieve optimal health and well-being for their children.  

Project Objective 3

I will compile a resource guide and distribute it to approximately 15 safety net and private pediatric medical practices on how to access and streamline services that meet the needs of refugee children. I will anonymously survey practitioners on the effectiveness of this guide in increasing practitioner comfort in working with the Worcester refugee population and increasing their confidence in addressing refugee needs. 

AAP District

District I

Institutional Name

UMass Memorial Children's Medical Center and Worcester Rise for Health

Contact 1

Ariana Perry, MD