Refugee Arrivals Monthly Update:

JULY 2014

Refugee Health Stakeholder Newsletter
Utah Refugee Health
Program Contact
Amelia Self:
State Refugee
Health Coordinator
801-538-6221
[email protected]
Upcoming Events

Refugee Mental Health
Subcommittee Meeting
July 10, 2014 @ 1:00 p.m.
LDS Hospital (8th Ave. & C St.)
Classroom G

Refugee Provider Meeting
July 17, 2014 @ 9:30 a.m.
1385 S. State Street
Room 157A

*Please note that the Refugee
Health Advisory Committee is
not currently meeting.


Check it Out

Ramadan will take place
around June 28July 27,
this year.

Ethnomed has resources to
help providers understand
Ramadan and the potential
changes it may require
when providing services for
individuals.

See the link below for more
information.

http://ethnomed.org/
calendar/ramadan-2014

ORR Budget Shortfall and Potential Effects on
Refugee Health Programs in Utah
The US Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) announced on June 19, 2014 that
they plan to reprogram $94 million from their refugee services side to the
Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) side. This is being done to help meet the
needs of increasing numbers of children arriving in the United States, mainly from
Central America. Notification of this change in how funds will be used was made to
Congress on June 20 with the expected reprogram occurring as early as July 1,
2014. Funds are being reprogrammed from several different places including 100%
of monies designated for Preventive Health activities ($4.6 million).
This has concerned many providers of refugee health services across the country
as Preventive Health funds allow for the provision of critical services for refugees
being resettled in the U.S. Advocacy efforts are being made across the country to
stop these potential cuts to refugee services. Although the Refugee Health Program
is unable to advocate for specific changes, we did want to make you aware of what
is at stake if this money is lost. More information about these cuts is available from
Refugee Council USA at: http://www.rcusa.org/
Additionally, information about the influx of UACs to the United States can be found
here:
http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2014/06/03/child-migrants-driven-to-us-
by-violence-poverty
http://womensrefugeecommission.org/resources/document/844-forced-from-home-
the-lost-boys-and-girls-of-central-america
Total arrivals: 161 Arrivals by agency: CCS: 136 IRC: 25

3
1
6 5
28
35
1 1
3
73
1 1
June Arrivals 2014
n=161
Nati vity/Culture
Refugee Health Stakeholder Newsletter
Local Resource Spotlight: English Skills Learning
Center
Cultural Backgrounder: Refugees from Bhutan
The English Skills Learning Center (ESLC) provides free individualized English
instruction to adult English language learners in Salt Lake County. They have
operated continuously since 1988, and provide English classes for specific
purposes. Their students speak little or no English, and often are not literate in any
language. They recruit, train, and supervise volunteers who teach small groups of
students twice a week at a convenient location.
The ESLC teaches about 800 students from more than 40 different countries every
year with the assistance of 300 volunteers. The majority of their students are women,
and about half are immigrants and half are refugees. Their approach focuses on
empowering students to become better integrated members of American society.
New student registration is between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday-Thursday at the
ESLCs office which is located at 4444 South 700 East, Suite 100. Each new student
should bring a picture ID and a family member or friend who speaks English (if
needed).
For more information about the ESLCs programs, volunteer opportunities, or to
donate visit http://www.eslcenter.org or contact Beth Garstka at 801.328.5608.
Cultural Backgrounder
Additional Resources:

UNHCR Regional Operations
Profile South Asia
www.unhcr.org/
pages/49e487646.html

Proposed Refugee
Admissions Report for FY
2014, Pgs. 44-51
www.state.gov/documents/
organization/219137.pdf

About Refugees From Bhutan
www.culturalorientation.net/
learning/populations/
bhutanese

Nepali-Speaking Bhutanese
(Lhotsampa) Cultural Profile
http://ethnomed.org/culture/
nepali-speaking-bhutanese-
lhotsampa/nepali-speaking-
bhutanese-lhotsampa-cultural-
profile/?searchterm=bhutan

Bhutan Country Conditions
Report
http://
gulfcoastjewishfamilyandcom-
munityservices.org/refugee/
files/2011/07/CCR-
bhutan1.pdf

CDCs Bhutanese Refugee
Health Profile
http://www.cdc.gov/
immigrantrefugeehealth/
profiles/bhutanese/index.html

Association of Bhutanese in
America
http://www.aba-usa.org/

Newsletter Feedback and
subscription to Refugee
Health Program Listerv

If you have any feedback or
suggestions for the newsletter
or would like to subscribe to
the Refugee Health Program
Listerv please contact Chelsey
Butchereit.

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 801-538-6834

Thousands of ethnic Nepalis in Bhutan were forced out of Bhutan in the
early 1990s as a result of the Bhutanese governments policy of one nation and
one people (also referred to as Bhutanization). Despite many rounds of formal
negotiations between Bhutan and Nepal and pressure from the United States and
other governments, Bhutan has not changed its policy.

Due to concerted resettlement efforts that began in late 2007 by the United States
and other resettlement countries, approximately 80,000 of the original population of
108,000 Bhutanese refugees in Nepal have departed after spending two decades in
camps in eastern Nepal. As of May 2013, UNHCR had referred over 100,000
Bhutanese refugees for resettlement to eight countries and more than 80,000 of these
Bhutanese refugees have been resettled since late 2007. Many of these refugees
have come to the United States. (Proposed Refugee Admissions Report, 2014)

There have been 1335 Bhutanese refugees resettled in Utah since the Utah
Department of Health began recording refugee nativity/culture in 2005.
Clinical Refugee Health Resources and Updates:
Suicides Among Bhutanese Refugees in the US
Rates of suicide among Bhutanese refugees in the United States is higher than other
groups of resettled refugees. The CDC published a report about this titled ,An
Investigation into Suicides Among Bhutanese Refugees in the US 2009-2012. The
report can be accessed through this link: http://refugeehealthta.org/files/2012/10/
Bhutanese-Suicide-Stakeholder_Report_October_22_2012_Cleared_-
For_Dissemination1.pdf.

Additionally, the Refugee Health Technical Assistance Center has a toolkit specific to
suicide prevention among resettled refugees. It can be accessed at: http://
refugeehealthta.org/physical-mental-health/mental-health/suicide/suicide-prevention-
toolkit/
Newsletter Title
National Refugee Resources and Updates:
North American Refugee Health Conference 2014 Recap
The 4
th
Annual North American Refugee Health conference was held June 19-21, 2014 in Rochester, New York.
The conference, which is a collaborative effort between Rochester General Health System and the University of
Toronto, provides an opportunity to engage with stakeholders working with refugees throughout the U.S. and
Canada. Conference sessions strive to provide data-driven research and best practices, aimed at improving the
health of refugees.

This years conference was an exciting one for Utah, as representation from the Utah refugee health stakeholder
community accounted for 5% of all participants. Not only did Utah have a great turn out with regard to attendance,
but the state was also able to highlight the great work being done in refugee health in Utah. Yda Smith of the
University of Utah, Division of Occupational Therapy and Sheri Palmer of Brigham Young University, College of
Nursing, presented on their work with refugees. In addition, Dr. Karl Kirby and Dr. Brian Beesley, from St. Marks
Family Medicine Residency, presented a poster on abdominal complaints in the primary care setting.

Next years conference, Health Means the World to Us, will be held June 4-6, 2015 in Toronto, Canada.
Utah Refugee Health Program Update: Updated Website and Statistics
from Trimester Report
Updated Website:

The Utah Refugee Health Program recently updated its website. The new link to access information and materials is
http://health.utah.gov/epi/healthypeople/refugee/index.html. We hope you will visit the site and provide us with
any feedback!

Trimester Report:


Three times a year the Utah Refugee Health Program submits a report to the Refugee Services Office regarding
health services provided for refugees. The most recent trimester report was submitted in June and below are some of
the data that were included in the report detailing services provided between February 1, 2014 May 31, 2014.




0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
17
26
6
1
6
4
5
2
1
8 8
6
116
1
16
7
1
4
5
3
74
8
10
N
u
m
b
e
r

o
f

A
r
r
i
v
a
l
s
Nativity of Refugee
Refugee Arrivals by Nativity
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
10
3
5
11
4
36
7
1
92
1
13
30
21
7
26
2
4
1
29
20
10
2
N
u
m
b
e
r

o
f

A
r
r
i
v
a
l
s
Country Arriving From
Refugee Arrivals by Country
182 153
Refugee Arrivals
by Gender
Male Female
174
161
Refugee Arrivals
by Resettlement Agency
CCS
IRC
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
<15 15-24 25-44 45-64 64>
109
59
123
31
13
N
u
m
b
e
r

o
f

A
r
r
i
v
a
l
s
Refugee Arrivals
by Age Group