Caminhos para o bem-estar: Integrando saúde e bem-estar do refugiado
Esta inscrição foi selecionada como finalista no desafio
Making More Health: Achieving Individual, Family and Community Well-Being.
Caminhos para o bem-estar é uma nova abordagem para detectar depressão, ansiedade e estresse traumático em refugiados e oferecer os cuidados de que necessitam para se curar. O programa também treina profissionais de saúde mental para prestar serviços às populações de refugiados de forma mais efetiva, além de formar parcerias com comunidades de refugiados para melhor compreender e solucionar questões de saúde mental.
Sobre Você
Sobre Você
Nome
Elizabeth
Sobrenome
Farmer
Perfil no Facebook
Sobre Sua Organização
Nome da Organização
Lutheran Community Services Northwest
Página da organização na internet
Telefone da organização
206-816-3253
Endereço da organização
4040 S 188th Street, Suite 200
País da organização
Estados Unidos , WA, King County
Países onde este projeto vem gerando impacto social
Estados Unidos
Sua organização é
OSCIP/ONG
Há quanto tempo sua organização está em operação?
Mais de 5 anos
As informações que você fornecer aqui serão usadas para preencher todas as partes do seu perfil deixadas em branco, como interesses, informação da organização e website. Nenhuma informação do contato será tornada pública. Por favor, desmarque aqui se você não deseja que isso aconteça..
INOVAÇÃO
Nome Projeto/Inovação
Caminhos para o bem-estar: Integrando saúde e bem-estar do refugiado
Qual a mudança que você quer trazer para o mundo?
Caminhos para o bem-estar é uma nova abordagem para detectar depressão, ansiedade e estresse traumático em refugiados e oferecer os cuidados de que necessitam para se curar. O programa também treina profissionais de saúde mental para prestar serviços às populações de refugiados de forma mais efetiva, além de formar parcerias com comunidades de refugiados para melhor compreender e solucionar questões de saúde mental.
Quais são as principais atividades do seu projeto?
Refugees come from unimaginable situations—war, torture, being encamped for decades. King County, WA is one of the largest resettlement sites in the United States, with several thousand refugees arriving each year. Many of these newcomers experience significant and ongoing distress related to violence, trauma, and loss. Pathways to Wellness: Integrating Refugee Health and Well-Being offers an innovative model for finding refugees who are hurting the most and ensuring they get connected to the care they need to heal.
Pathways collaborated with refugee communities and a renowned psychiatrist to create a culturally competent, short assessment that detects symptoms of anxiety and depression in refugee populations from different countries. After a rigorous year-long evaluation, the assessment was empirically proven to be reliable and effective, with 35% - 40% of people showing significant distress. The tool is now fully integrated into the physical health screening that every new refugee arrival receives.
Every Iraqi, Bhutanese, Burmese and Karen refugee 14 years of age or older being resettled in King County is now screened for mental health issues, and if they have significant symptoms, connected to an agency for further support. To make sure that providers can effectively deliver services, Pathways provides training and consultation on culturally-responsive assessment, treatment planning, and therapy. The project also partners with refugee communities to design and deliver effective education on stress, resettlement, and mental health.
In 2011, the Pathways tool was cited as an emerging best practice by the Refugee Health Technical Assistance Center. Several refugee resettlement programs from Vancouver, BC, to Phoenix, AZ, and Philadelphia, PA have expressed interest in replicating the model. Our goal is to get Pathways tools into the hands of those serving refugees so that nationwide, more refugees can get the care they need to heal and begin again in their new home in the United States.
O que é inovador sobre a seu projeto? De que forma ele é uma nova contribuição para esse campo de atuação?
Pathways to Wellness is working on enhancing culturally-responsive health services to newly arrived refugees. All refugees are required to have a health screening when they enter the United States. Each state contracts with counties and other medical entities to conduct these screenings. Part of the mandate of the health screening is to assess mental health in some way. However, it has rarely been done because of a number of factors:
- Few evidenced-based tools that effectively capture mental health issues across cultures
- Lack of time from medical staff
- Lack of referral resources
The Pathways to Wellness’ Refugee Health Screening (RHS-1) takes less than 10-minutes to administer, which is critical to primary care staff who have limited time. It is also validated, meaning it has empirically been shown to effectively capture symptoms of depression and anxiety – the most common mental health problems among refugee populations. Because it was designed with refugees and translated through a vigorous community translation process, the RHS-1 is unique in its effectiveness across cultures.
Em que estágio está seu projeto?
Em execução entre 1 e 5 anos
Conte-nos sobre a comunidade em que atua. Por exemplo, as condições econômicas, as estruturas políticas, normas e valores, as tendências demográficas, história e experiência com as tentativas de mobilização.
The United States settles close to 80,000 refugees annually. Refugees come from the direst of situations – war, violence, deprivation and persecution. Violence, fear, deprivation, and loss are catalysts for depression, anxiety and other mental health issues. Research supports the relationship between trauma and poor mental health, and numerous studies prove that refugees are acutely at risk when it comes to mental health issues. Refugees have been found to have ten times the rate of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD] as compared to the general population, and higher rates of mental disorders in general.
When refugees resettle to the U.S. they are given a short duration of assistance (90 days), and are expected to become self-sufficient quickly, with cash and medical assistance ending at eight months. Most refugees will live in poverty for many years after coming to the United States as they attempt to learn English, get employment, and make connections.
Compartilhe a história do(a) fundador(a) e o que o(a) inspirou a iniciar este projeto
Beth Farmer is a social worker with a long-history managing various non-profit projects. In 2006, Beth was employed in resettlement, placing newly arrived refugees into housing, jobs, English classes and more. She noticed a large number of refugees who had symptoms of traumatic stress and depression, but found it almost impossible to find mental health resources. Beth was also surprised that given refugees trauma history, mental health was not considered in any systematic way during resettlement.
Later that year Beth began working for Lutheran Community Services Northwest, and the agency agreed to explore the issue further. LCSNW has a long history of working with refugees as well as a community mental health program. A number of meetings were held with refugees, mutual assistance organizations, primary care doctors and more. A tentative project plan was created and Asian Counseling and Referral Services, Public Health Seattle & King County, and Dr. Michael Hollifield became partners in the project.
The Pathways to Wellness project was later funded in part by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. All tools created through the project will be free and open to the public. The goal is to have mental health be considered for every new arrival refugee, so that these new members to our neighborhoods and communities can get the help they need to heal.
IMPACTO SOCIAL
Temas relacionados à inscrição
Por favor, descreva como o projeto tem sido bem sucedido e como esse sucesso é medido.
Pathways has validated a Refugee Health Screening tool, and the tool is currently integrated into Public Health Seattle & King County. This means that now every Nepali, Karen, Burmese and Iraqi refugee that arrives in King County is being screened for symptoms of depression and anxiety and referred to care when needed. Additional translations are forthcoming.
Of those that have been screened, approximately 35% have screened positive for significant symptoms. Over 70% of those referred to care have entered and stayed in services.
The project is a collaborative attempt to create cross-cultural, evidenced-based tools that can be used in any primary care setting. The Pathways project partners are excited about the opportunity to create lasting change in how refugee mental health services are delivered in the United States.
Quantas pessoas foram impactadas por seu projeto?
101-1,000
Quantas pessoas poderão ser impactadas por seu projeto nos próximos três anos?
> 10.000
Em desafios anteriores, participantes bem sucedidos apresentaram um plano sólido detalhando como farão para crescer. Informe os principais marcos de crescimento do seu impacto previstos para os próximos seis meses .
Replication in two new sites and national webinars to inform people about the project and train the on the tools.
Atividade 1
Market the Pathways tool packets to sites that have refugee health screening programs.
Atividade 2
Arrange for a training webinar.
Atividade 3
Create agreements with two provider sites to implement the project.
Informe os principais marcos de impacto previstos para os próximos 12 meses.
Have 5 sites in the U.S. screen refugees for mental health issues and to have the Centers for Disease Control add mental health screening into its' refugee health care screening guidelines.
Atividade 1
Discuss project and tools with the Office of Refugee Resettlement's state health directors.
Atividade 2
Leverage current relationships at the Centers for Disease Control and at ORR to revisit the guidelines for refugee health screening.
Atividade 3
Continue to provide training webinars through the Refugee Health Technical Assistance project.
Como seu projeto se expandirá ao longo dos próximos três anos?
The project will move to expansion of languages and to provide ongoing technical assistance to replication sites.
SUSTENTABILIDADE
Quais são as barreiras que podem dificultar o sucesso de seu projeto e como pretende superá-las?
The Pathways project is time limited and so we have thought very strategically about how to achieve replicability and sustainability. Current barriers are state and local budget cuts that tax already overworked providers in refugee health screening programs. The tool was designed to overcome this barrier by being short and simple to use. Currently it takes ten minutes or less and can be self-administered. Screening will be embedded into the existing refugee health screening structures in each locale. Because refugees have medical coupons, they will be able to access community mental health agencies. Training materials and screening tools will be free and open to the public use and embedded into existing technical assistance platforms, including www.EthnoMed.org. Distribution will occur through both these technical assistance platforms and through avenues within the Office of Refugee Resettlement.
Por favor, explique de que forma o estabelecimento de parcerias é importante para o sucesso de sua inovação
Pathways has partnered with numerous refugee communities, as well as with Asian Counseling and Referral Services, Public Health Seattle & King County, and Dr. Michael Hollifield. The entire project has been collaborative across systems, from those who use the services to state and national agencies responsible for resettlement and health care. This integrated approach has led to the success and embrace of this project on all levels.
Orçamento anual atual do projeto em US$:
$100.000‐250.000
Detalhe as suas escolhas acima
Pathways has been supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, United Way King County, the Medina Foundation, and the Seattle Foundation. Pay points within current state contracts have also allowed sites to be reimbursed for mental health screening.
De que forma você planeja fortalecer financeiramente seu projeto ao longo dos próximos três anos?
We have agreements with all sites that implement the project to share data. that way the tools can constantly be evaluated and changed as needed. In addition, the tools will continue to be translated through rigorous back and forth community participatory translation process into new languages. Lastly, we hope to expand our reach to traditional primary care offices and offer this tool as a solid mental health screening for cross-cultural populations.
Desafios
Quais desafios/obstáculos na área da saúde e bem estar seu projeto busca solucionar?
Por favor, selecione até três opções, em ordem de importância (a mais importante deve ser indicada como 1 e a menos como 3)
Primário
Acesso limitado a ferramentas ou recursos de prevenção
SEGUNDO
Capital humano limitado (médicos, enfermeiras, etc.)
TERCEIRO
Normas culturais restritivas
Por favor, descreva como a sua inovação aborda especificamente os obstáculos listados acima.
The screening tool is evidenced-based and has been proven to work well cross-culturally. It is short and easy to use, and a training curriculum has been designed. Because the project has collaborated extensively with refugee communities, the language used in the tools and subsequent referral are non-stigmatizing and educate refugees on what mental health means in the U.S. versus their country.
O que você está fazendo para ampliar o impacto de sua organização ou iniciativa?
Por favor, selecione até três estratégias abaixo, em ordem de importância (a mais importante deve ser indicada como 1 e a menos como 3).
primário
Alcance geográfico: No país de atuação
SEGUNDO
Influenciando outras organizações e instituições através da disseminação das melhores práticas
TERCEIRO
Reforçando o impacto existente através da adição de serviços complementares
Por favor, descreva qual ou quais das atividades de seu crescimento estão em curso ou planejadas para o futuro imediato.
The goal of Pathways is to enhance culturally-relevant mental health screening for all new refugee arrivals. Pathways believes that we can support other locales in implementing the project's tools so that they can begin to get refugees suffering from mental health symptoms the care they need. By having evidenced-based, easy to use tools, we also hope to influence the inclusion of mental health into standard primary care services. The project would like to complement its existing products by providing ongoing capacity building around best practices in cross-cultural mental health delivery.
Você colabora ou faz parcerias com algum dos abaixo? (marque todas que se aplicam)
ONGs / entidades sem fins lucrativos.
Se sim, como essas colaborações e parcerias vêm ajudando sua inovação a obter sucesso?
Collaboration has been key. While the output of the project is a refugee health screening and supportive curriculums, it was critical to understand systems and service delivery. To do that, the project has had to look at how health screening is funded, the process of the screening, where refugees could get referred, and how refugee communities might view a mental health referral. All systems had to be engaged for this project to be a successfully designed.
| Anexo | Tamanho |
|---|---|
| pathways_to_wellness.jpg | 1.08 MB |
