WOMEN’S HEALTH |

REFUGEE SERVICES
OF TEXAS

By Katya Salas
University of Texas at Arlington
KINE 4359 Cumulative Experience
Abstract
In the world there are approximately 68.5 million people who are displaced from their

home country, 25.4 million of them are fleeing to neighboring countries in search of refuge and

asylum (WHO, 2019). Gaining admission to a resettlement country can take months upon years

where refugees are left to live in overcrowded camps built to only withstand a short lived period.

Poor living conditions include poor sanitation, contaminated water, malnutrition, and remote

locations where education and health services are limited. The project developed with Refugee

Services of Texas provided a comprehensive health education program for the women of RST.

The Program touched on key health topics presented by a women’s health expert, and included a

interpreter present during the orientation to ensure the information was being absorbed by the

participants.

Problem Statement
Women experience different health challeges than men and are more likely to be

diagnosed with certain diseases as opposed to men. In women, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes

are just a few of the leading causes of death in women, (WHO, 2020). My project focused on

providing better health education to the refugee women at RST by presenting preventative health

strategies, and women’s health resources services to the participants of the women’s health

program.

“Refugee: A person forced to flee their home country to escape war, violence or persecution.
Resettlement: The careful selection by governments for purpose of lawful admission of the
most vulnerable refugees who can neither return to their home country nor live in neighboring
host countries.” (UNHCR, 2020)
Solution
My solution to this problem is integrating health education programs to the vulnerable

population of refugees and migrants in the U.S. and provide them with the resources needed to

prevent poor health outcomes. To achieve this, I assembled a health education program focused

on the women of RST as they are the most underserved population compared to men. I

collaborated with expert Shelah Larson, DNP, APRN, WHNP-bc, NCMP, a part of the Health

Center for Women in Fort Worth. She instructed a course to the participants, discussing key

women’s health issues such as reproductive health, mental health, and healthy aging. The

program was held via zoom and the women were selected based on language spoken, and

availability to attend the program. For this program, we anticipated an interpreter would be

needed during the presentation therefore we focused on the women who spoke Swahili and hired

a Swahili interpreter to join the orientation. In the future, Refugee Services of Texas hopes to

continue the program to feature other languages and invite more women to the orientation.

Conclusion
 In conclusion, more resources should be considered for better healthcare education for

the refugee population. The refugee population grows more and more vulnerable everyday as

refugee admission continues to decline and budget cuts force agencies to decrease their

involvement. In this report I detailed the history and background of the refugee journey to the

U.S. I discussed the health intervention that I contributed in for my community at Refugee

Services of Texas and how improvements can be made in the future of the organization. My

specific program focused on the health issues of women in the refugee population, but I hope to

have influenced a program for men or children in the time to come. This project aimed at

providing better health outcomes for the refugee population and for the overall DFW community.

References
Mackenzie, L (2019, January 21) 10 Things to know about the health of refugees and migrants.

World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/10-

things-to-know-about-the-health-of-refugees-and-migrants

UNHCR. (2020, March). Refugee resettlement facts. UNHCR Multi-Country Office Washington.

https://www.unhcr.org/en-us/resettlement-in-the-united-states.html

Unite for Sight. (2015). Module 1: Healthcare in refugee camps and settlements. Unite for Sight.

https://www.uniteforsight.org/refugee-health/module1

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. (2020). The United States Refugee Admissions

Program (USRAP) Consultation and Worldwide Processing Priorities. Department of

Homeland Security. Retrieved from https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/refugees-and-

asylum/refugees/united-states-refugee-admissions-program-usrap-consultation-and-

worldwide-processing-priorities

WHO. (2018). Report on the health of refugees and migrants in the WHO european region: no

public health without refugee and migrant health. World Health Organization.

https://www.euro.who.int/en/publications/html/report-on-the-health-of-refugees-and-

migrants-in-the-who-european-region-no-public-health-without-refugee-and-migrant-

health-2018/en/index.html