High-Quality Health Care Services for Resettled Refugees: A Sustainable Model

By

NYHealth

Funding Area

Special Projects Fund

Date

May 3, 2016

Special Projects Fund

The United Nations reports that the number of refugees worldwide has reached nearly 60 million; not since World War II have there been so many refugees and displaced people.

Fleeing war and persecution, approximately 3,000–5,000 refugees per year find a new life resettling in New York State, most in the upstate region. Although many refugees make significant contributions to their new communities, they do face some challenges, including accessing quality health care. On the health care provider side, caring for refugees can be financially unsustainable, resulting in clinics either unable to see new refugee patients or closing down completely. With support from the New York Health Foundation (NYHealth), Rochester General Hospital developed and piloted a model of care that allows primary care providers to deliver health care services to refugees in a sustainable, cost-efficient manner.

Watch the video below to learn more about the model’s impact on newly resettled refugees, along with the community and health benefits it has generated.