The Center of Excellence for Newcomer Health in Minnesota launched a toolkit, which is both informational and action-oriented, to empower healthcare providers to give culturally informed reproductive health care to newly arrived Afghans. Each section is equipped with a combination of supplemental trainings and resources for providers and translated educational handouts in Dari and Pashto.
Authors: Zahra Goliaei,MD,MPH,PHD, Maha Rauf,BS, Israa Al-Jumaa,BS, Asiya Yama,BS, Jenny Chang, MPH, Lana Machta,BS, Heike Thiel de Bocanegra,PHD,MPH
Under affiliation with University of California, School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Touro University, School of Medicine, Public Health Program Authors:
Authors: Maha Rauf, BS, Zahra Goliaei, MD, MPH, PhD, Israa Al-Jumaa, BS, Asiya Yama, BS, Heike Thiel de Bocanegra, PhD, MPH
Under affiliation with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California Irvine, School of Medicine, and Touro University, School of Medicine, Public Health Program.
Illinois Department of Public Health, Refugee Health Program October 25, 2022
Presenter: Heike Thiel de Bocanegra, PhD, MPH
ReproNet conducted a study to determine how well online video conference platforms (e.g. Zoom) could serve as a space for health discussions for refugee women. The brief providers several characteristics to meaningfully engage on a virtual platform with facilitation through community connections, ensuring women’s communication autonomy, offering technological access and support, and guaranteeing confidentiality and all-female groups.
On November 8, 2021, ReproNet hosted a virtual symposium with ReproNet stakeholders summarizing and reflecting on the in-person and virtual group sessions that were held over the past 2.5 years. This symposium was held virtually over Zoom with live interpretation in Arabic, Pashto, and Dari for plenary sessions as well as breakout rooms for respective discussions in each of these languages. A total of 62 refugee women and 18 stakeholders attended, and each breakout discussion had 12-15 participants across Dari (3), Pashto (1), and Arabic (1) language groups.
ReproNet conducted semi-structured interviews with 36 refugee women and stakeholders to assess factors that impact refugee women’s receptiveness for virtual platforms to obtain information and engage in discussions on reproductive health. Click here to see the report.
ReproNet developed a Checklist of Community Readiness for Virtual Health Engagement. This checklist can be used as a tool to systematically assess the experiences, resources, and limitations of using technologies with refugee groups and to elicit details that contribute to culturally appropriate planning and implementation of refugee virtual group meetings.
The National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants (NRC- RIM) developed a Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Glossary, a standardized reference tool to SRH terms, translated from English into Dari and Pashtho. The terms have been culturally validated and reviewed by a group of Afghan subject matter experts.
Health equity is the state in which everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health.” CDC, 2022. More.
One important step toward health equity is the promotion of health literacy. With funding from the National Library of Medicine G08 LM014109, the Refugee Reproductive Health Network promotes digital sexual and reproductive health literacy among Afghan and Arab refugees in Sacramento, California, and beyond.
Compile and curate resources in Dari, Pashto, and Arabic for audiences with limited literacy skills using standardized instruments to ensure that the materials are evidence-based, accurate, and culturally appropriate. The online library targets refugee women and service providers who work with refugees.
Conduct a series of 12 in-person and 12 online reproductive health education training sessions in coordination with the Sacramento Public Library and ReproNet partners in Sacramento. The training sessions adapt the ReproNet resource materials (i.e., PowerPoint presentations, YouTube video clips, online education training) and integrate additional didactic materials to develop and implement a three-session Reproductive Health Education program. All Dari-, Pashto-, Arabic-, and English-language materials used in this program are literacy-, linguistic, and culturally appropriate.
Disseminate reproductive health education resources nationwide through the National Medical Library, the ReproNet network and partners. Offer webinars to build capacities across the United States to integrate reproductive health education into clinical care, English as a Second or Other Language (ESOL), cultural awareness, and culturally competent health promotion programs.
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