Support health and wellness in refugee and immigrant communities in Washington State by cultivating a community of trusted support, health equity centered systems and evidence-based practices.
Values
- Health Equity
- Diversity in Perspectives, Partnership and Collaboration
- Evidence-Based Expertise and Practice
- Trusted Resource
- Humility
Background
A refugee is a person who is unable to return to their home country because of persecution, or a well-founded fear of persecution due to race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Other individuals who are eligible for services on the same basis as refugees include: persons granted asylum; certain Amerasians from Vietnam; Cuban/Haitian entrants; Iraqi and Afghan special immigrants; and victims of human trafficking.
- The Refugee Act of 1980 created The Federal Refugee Resettlement Program to provide for the effective resettlement of refugees and to assist them to achieve economic self-sufficiency after arrival in the U.S. Title IV, Chapter 2 of the Immigration and Nationality Act contains the provisions of the Refugee Act.
- Washington State is home to a diverse refugee community and is one of the top ten states for refugee arrivals.
- Washington State Department of Health partners with DSHS Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance (ORIA) and community partners to ensure refugees receive a health screening within 90 days of arrival to the United States. List of clinics providing health screening
- A short video overview of the process of refugee resettlement is available through Switchboard.
Activities
We collaborate with federal, state and local partners to promote refugee health. Our work includes:
- Coordinate and collaborate with DOH subject matter experts to monitor the health of refugee populations.
- Maintain the Washington State Domestic Medical Screening Guidelines in accordance with Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines.
- Utilize surveillance and evaluation data to guide health program activities for refugee populations.
- Share information and resources with clinicians and community partners.
Contact us
Mailing address
Washington State Department of Health
Communicable Disease Epidemiology – Refugee and Immigrant Health Program
1610 NE 150th Street, MS: K17-9
Shoreline, WA 98155
(206) 418-5500 Phone
(206) 418-5515 Fax
refugeehealthprogram@doh.wa.gov