Other Refugee Health Care Programs

In addition to direct clinical services at YNHH, we build programs that optimize the experience of refugees within the health care system.

Interested medical students participate in a voluntary program for health navigation for refugees. First and second year students are paired together. Each student pair is assigned one or two refugees who are identified by their primary care physician as having difficulty navigating the health system. The student duties include calling refugee patients periodically to assist in making appointments, clarifying recommendations from physician visits and communicating with physicians and pharmacies when needed.

The program was started in 2015 by Paul Bourdillon, then a second year medical student. Nursing students joined this program in 2017. Current student and resident leaders running the navigator program are Samer Hassan (MD student), Harry Cheung (MD candidate) and Sumitha Raman (Internal Medicine resident).

Yale Health Education and Literacy for Asylees and Refugees (Y-HEALAR) is a collaboration between Yale healthcare providers and trainees and local organizations that strives to improve health education among New Haven refugee and asylee populations. Y-HEALAR is made up of pediatric resident physicians and dentists, nurses, and students of medicine, nursing, and public health. The group works in partnership with Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS) and Elena’s Light to accomplish two aims:

1. Improve health literacy among refugees and asylees to empower this population in managing their health in their new geographic, linguistic, and social context
2. Create opportunities for healthcare providers to learn about the particular health needs of refugees and asylees and to serve this population.

For more information, please visit Y-HEALAR's website.