e-Bulletin December 2010

The HMHB Innovative Grant Projects have funded four projects that focus on supporting the needs of pregnant women from refugee backgrounds. The four agencies funded for this are Eastern Access Community Health, Southern Health (Greater Dandenong/Casey Cardinia), Ballarat Community Health Service and Western Region Health Centre. Foundation House will provide a secondary support role so that the projects can draw on its diverse range of experiences, networks and expertise in refugee health in ways that might assist in project development, implementation and promoting findings/resources/service models to the wider maternity care sector. For more information contact Sue Casey 

Resources

4. Resources for new mothers. The booklet ‘Exercises before and after birth’ is available in a number of refugee-relevant languages including: Arabic, Chinese, Dari, Dinka, English, Farsi, Turkish, and Urdu. A new factsheet ‘Information about Vitamin D for pregnant women and new mothers’ is available in Arabic, Chinese, Dari, English, Farsi, Tamil, Turkish and Urdu

5. Gambling brochure in Burmese & Sgaw Karen. The Multicultural Gambler’s Help Program run by the Centre for Culture, Ethnicity and Health (CEH) has been working with the Burmese community on a new brochure on gambling and problem gambling. The brochure is available in Burmese and Sgaw Karen, with English translations and can be found on the CEH website

6. Sexual health of refugees – presentation now available. A presentation from the Australasian Sexual Health Conference in NSW is now available on podcast from the SBS website The Victorian Refugee Health Network has also established a working group on sexual and reproductive health, for more information contact Sue Casey

Research/Reports

7. Cultural Competence in Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) reports. The Victorian Transcultural Psychiatry Unit (VPTU) has released reports on two projects commissioned by the Victorian Department of Human Services’ Mental Health Branch between 1997 and 2000. These online reports have been made available as the work undertaken in these projects continues to influence development of cultural competence in CAMHS. Electronic copies can be found on the VTPU website

8. Diabetes projects for immigrant and refugee women. TheMulticultural Centre for Women’s Health (MCWH) has published two project reports: Using Bilingual Health Educators in Diabetes Prevention Education for Immigrant and Refugee Women; and Diabetes Prevention for Immigrant and Refugee Women: Findings from the Diabetes Healthy Living Project. Further information on the projects and copies of the reports can be found on the MCWH website

9. Carolan, M. (2010). Pregnancy health status of sub-Saharan refugee women who have resettled in developed countries: A review of the literature, Midwifery, 26 (4): 407-414.

10. Wong, E., Marshal. G., Schell, T., Elliot, M., Babey, S. & Hambarsoomians, K. (2010). The unusually poor physical health status of Cambodian refugees two decades after resettlement, Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, DOI: 10.1007/s10903-010-9392-y.

11. Woodland, L., Burgner, D., Paxton, G. & Zwi, K. (2010). Health service delivery for newly arrived refuge children: a framework for good practice, Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 46 (1): 560-567.