Refugee Health: Resources for Providers

• Alternative Immigration Pathways and the Welcome Corps - In the past, refugee resettlement programs have been the only path for immigrants to arrive in Wisconsin. Watch a recording of Savitri Tsering, Wisconsin's Refugee Health Coordinator, present on two new immigration pathways that have welcomed newcomers to Wisconsin since 2021. 
• CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Refugee Health Guidance – Includes pre-departure and post-arrival medical screening and treatment of U.S.-bound refugees
• CDC Technical Instructions for Panel Physicians and Civil Surgeons – Provides the Department of State (DOS) and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) with medical screening guidelines (referred to as technical instructions) for all examining physicians, which outline in detail the scope of the medical examination
• Health Information Translations – Provides plain language health education resources for health care professionals working in communities with limited English proficient populations
• HealthReach: Health Information in Many Languages – Includes information about the potential health conditions and cultural experiences of refugees and asylees
• Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health (HHS OMH) Think Cultural Health – Provides information on the flagship initiative of the OMH Center for Linguistic and Cultural Competence in Health Care with the goal of advancing health equity at every point of contact through the development and promotion of culturally and linguistically appropriate services
• HHS OMH – Provides information on improving the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through the development of health policies and programs that will help eliminate health disparities
• MedlinePlus – Produced by the National NLM, it brings you information about diseases, conditions, and wellness issues in language you can understand as well as reliable, up-to-date health information, anytime, anywhere, and for free
• Migrant Clinicians Network (MCN) – Contains sources of essential clinical information for clinicians working with migrants and provides a menu of services to meet a variety of needs, engages in research, develops appropriate resources, advocates for migrants and clinicians, trains providers, engages outside partners, and runs programs that support clinical care on the frontline of migrant health
• National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants – A website through the University of Minnesota that provides webinars, translated resources, toolkits, vaccine campaigns, and more, all tailored for the care of RIM populations
• Office of Refugee Resettlement – Oversees the Refugee Medical Assistance and Refugee Medical Screening programs in collaboration with the Division of Refugee Assistance
• Refugee Health Technical Assistance Center (RHTAC) – Provides tools, resources, and support for health and mental health providers in order to better meet the needs of refugees in resettlement
• Traditional Knowledge and Medicine – The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office identifies directories and databases covering common and scientific names for medical terms, pharmacology, and chemistry
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) – USCIS offers helpful information about education, child care, employment, what to do in case of an emergency, and a number of popular topics that will help new immigrants settle in the U.S.
• NLM – Provides access to the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) website for patients and their families and friends

• Building a Culturally Informed Refugee Mental Healthcare Provider Network – A webinar for refugee service providers to increase cultural awareness for both mental healthcare providers and those referring refugees to mental healthcare providers
• Cultural Competence in Refugee Service Settings: What Does the Research Tell Us? – A Switchboard webinar that highlights key research-based concepts and approaches for cultural competence in refugee service provision and individual- and organization-level practices
• Cultural Competence in Refugee Service Settings – A research-based guide by Switchboard that outlines the importance of cultural competence, provider and organization strategies, and resources
• Demystifying Strengths-Based Services: Fostering Refugees' Resilience in Resettlement – A Switchboard guide that defines a strengths-based approach and applies it to refugee-centered service
• Fundamentals of Equity and Resettlement: Understanding Social Identities in Resettlement Services – A Switchboard guide "designed to aid in deeper engagement on race, equity, and social identities in resettlement services"
• Guide to Trauma-Informed Care: Preventing Crises and De-escalating Difficult Situations - A guide to help service providers interact with refugees in a trauma-informed way
• Tips and Strategies for Culturally Sensitive Care – A webpage by the Refugee Health Technical Assistance Center that provides background on various aspects of working with refugees, including language, access, gender issues, modesty, cultural and traditional practices, religious observances, and case management
• Trauma-Informed Care: Preventing Crises and De-escalating Difficult Situations – A Switchboard guide on how to approach and prevent crises and escalated situations when working with refugees
• Working with Refugees – A resource from the Cultural Orientation Resource Exchange that includes guides to strengths-based interactions and service delivery approaches, educational materials on refugees and the resettlement process, and resources for refugees

• CDC Communication Toolkit – Print and audiovisual health resources and information for refugees translated into different languages
• CDC - COVID-19 in Newly Resettled Populations – Resources for refugees and providers, including translated guidance on COVID-19 upon arrival. guidance for health practitioners, resettlement agencies, community organizations, and public health professionals, and information on the determinants of increased risk for COVID-19 in refugee populations
• CDC Resources in Other Languages – A hub of over 1,300 translated CDC materials with a search and filter function
• CORE COVID-19 Translated Information – A webpage with COVID-19 educational materials for refugees translated into over 15 languages
• Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) – Works in concert with the CDC for the purpose of educating health professionals about U.S. vaccine recommendations and provides vaccine information statements (VISs) for professionals and their patients in 50 languages, including the provision of infant, child, teen and adult informational handouts for health professionals and individuals
• NRC-RIM Translated Materials Library – A hub of over 8,000 translated health materials for refugees from across the US compiled by NRC-RIM covering different topics, formats, and languages

NOTE: For health resource translations in Dari and Pashto, see the Wisconsin Refugee Health Program's Afghan Health Resources webpage.

• ACF Secondary Traumatic Stress Resource Guide – A webpage by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) providing a description of secondary traumatic stress, symptoms of compassion fatigue, and relevant interventions and approaches
• Bearing Witness: Traumatic Stress and the Helping Professional – A webinar by the University of Minnesota's Center for Practice Transformation focusing on how to identify and manage secondary traumatic stress, as well as the differences between secondary traumatic stress, vicarious trauma, moral injury, compassion fatigue, and burnout
• "I Was Already Burned Out, and Now This..." Strategies for Staff and Supervisors to Mitigate Burnout, Vicarious Trauma, and Other Occupational Hazards – A 2020 Switchboard training for front-line and management staff working with refugees which outlines types of occupational hazards for emotional distress, organizational responses, and personal and organizational response plans
• NCTSN Secondary Traumatic Stress Series – A series of webinars by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) which includes "Cultural Implications of Secondary Traumatic Stress," "Secondary Traumatic Stress and Provider Self Care in Disaster and Terrorism Settings, Organizational Secondary Traumatic Stress," and "Secondary Traumatic Stress... What is it?"
• ProQOL Secondary Traumatic Stress Handout – A PDF handout by ProQOL with English, Arabic, and Kiswahili translations which outlines the definition of secondary traumatic stress, symptoms, risk factors, and self-care practices
• Wellbeing for Service Providers During COVID-19: Managing our Own Emotional Needs While Helping Refugee Clients – A Switchboard article for those helping refugees that discusses the emotional challenges in helping professions and ways to recognize and address them
• Working with Young People in the Trauma Space: Vicarious Trauma – An Orygen webinar for professionals working with young people who have gone through trauma and injustice that describes a framework of self-care rather than specific self-care practices