Healthcare & Medicaid Expansion
Supporting Immigrant and Refugee Families through Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Services: Infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) services can play an important part in supporting young children’s well-being and development. For young children in immigrant and refugee families, who make up about one-fourth of all U.S. children ages 0–5, IECMH support can be particularly impactful. This issue brief highlights the importance of IECMH services for immigrant and refugee families as well as gaps in IECMH promotion, prevention, screening, and treatment that affect these families.
The Right Time, an initiative of Missouri Foundation for Health and is led by Missouri Family Health Council, is improving information about, and access to, quality contraceptive services by reducing costs and improving access. The initiative provides residents of Missouri with access to free and low-cost birth control, trustworthy information on birth control, and is committed to addressing persistent health disparities.
Missouri Family Health Council, Inc. champions access for every individual to culturally sensitive, quality sexual and reproductive health education and services. Correcting misinformation about the legality of birth control, including emergency contraception (EC), is one of MFHC’s primary goals with its newly launched Free EC contraceptive access project which offers free emergency contraception to Missourians. Free EC kits can be picked up at over 40 locations throughout the state or requested by mail on the MFHC website.
Engaging Diverse Audiences: This roadmap provides tools, strategies, recommendations, and fundamentals for working with diverse communities. Health departments, community-based organizations (CBOs), providers, and community health workers can use these resources for internal capacity building and developing outreach materials.
Service and Health Care Provider Collaboration: Promoting Clients’ Health Through Improved Coordination: This guide, created by Switchboard in partnership with the Society of Refugee Healthcare Providers, highlights tips from service and healthcare providers on how service providers can facilitate collaboration with healthcare provider colleagues to support newcomers’ health.
Missouri Medicaid renewals are happening and it’s important to make sure contact information is correct to get important updates and to keep your coverage. Missouri Foundation for Health has compiled new customizable flyers and social media content in seven languages (English, Spanish, Bosnian, Arabic, Simplified Chinese, French, and Vietnamese) to share with clients and community members.
Communications Tool: Strategies for Developing Culturally Driven Public Health Communications: The Public Health Communications Collaborative and HCN (Hispanic Communications Network) co-created this tool to help public health communicators effectively communicate with multicultural audiences. Each section offers strategies and tools to help you create materials that build stronger relationships, increase credibility, and improve health outcomes.
Switchboard video tutorial for Medicaid: This video tutorial, developed by Refugee Welcome Collective, provides an overview of Medicaid, who is eligible, what Medicaid helps pay for, and guidance on how to apply. This video is provided in Swahili, Spanish, Pashto, Dari, Burmese, and Arabic.
What Resettlement Staff Should Know About Public Health Reportable Conditions: This guide introduces resettlement staff to selected public health reportable conditions that are highly relevant to their work. The content was created by Switchboard in partnership with the Society of Refugee Healthcare Providers.
Vaccines Save Lives is now available on the Settle In website. This resource was created in partnership with The National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants (NRC-RIM) and includes a fact sheet, video, and podcast.
This resource is also available in the following languages: Arabic, Burmese, Dari, English, Kinyarwanda, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, and Ukrainian.
Supporting Newcomers’ Health: Addressing Respiratory Illnesses: This blog post from the National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants (NRC-RIM) provides guidance and resources for service providers on influenza (flu), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and coronavirus disease (COVID-19)—viral illnesses that are more common during colder months and that can cause significant illness.
GUIDE: Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Service Mapping: Alongside the National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants (NRC-RIM), CARRE has created a guide in mapping Mental Health and Psychosocial Supports (MHPSS) available to forcibly displaced families in the U.S. with the goal and aim of improving access to essential mental health services!
GUIDE: An Introduction to Refugee Health: This information guide, created in collaboration with the Society of Refugee Healthcare Providers, briefly introduces refugee health to service providers and includes resources that can be shared with medical provider partners new to serving refugee patients.
Women’s Wellness: These videos from the National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants (NRC-RIM) cover the women's wellness exam and information for your clients on their rights as patients:
Building Capacity to Support the Mental Health of Immigrants and Refugees: A Toolkit for Settlement, Social, and Health Service Providers: This toolkit from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health was designed to provide a snapshot of essential information, tools, resources, and offers examples of promising practices that can be integrated into the daily work of service providers.
Helping Clients Prepare for Initial Medical Appointments: Switchboard shares ideas about how service providers can help prepare newcomer clients for their initial medical appointments, including what clients need to know and do prior to their first appointment, what they need to bring, what to expect, and more.
Tip Sheet: Important information for Cubans and Haitians entering the United States regarding Medical Care: This resource, created by NRC-RIM, is intended to provide information for Cubans and Haitians entering the United States regarding Medical Care.
A health needs assessment helps organizations identify gaps in health services, resources and health outcomes, and use the information to plan and implement programs and services to increase health equity and improve the overall health and well-being of the community. Now, organizations can conduct their own health needs assessments with NRC-RIM's toolkit, created in partnership with the International Rescue Committee. Learn more here.
New Administration for Children and Families Resource Guides: The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) released new resource guides to help communities connect to ACF programs that may be able to assist them. Each guide is geared towards specific communities to help community partners connect their clients with ACF programs. Some of the resource guides are available in Spanish, Arabic, and other languages.
A lot of the information about Medicaid and healthcare coverage can be difficult to understand and navigate. This conversation guide and accompanying fact sheets in English, Dari, Pashto, Russian, and Ukrainian aid service providers in guiding newcomers as they learn about Medicaid and its benefits.
Mental Health Policy Guide: The Lab, the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) and the Center for Victims of Torture (CVT) released a new policy guide on “Improving Access to Mental Healthcare for Refugees & Other Displaced People in the United States.” This guide provides an overview of the existing mental healthcare infrastructure, and highlights challenges and opportunities for policy advancement and advocacy at the local, state, and federal levels.
Podcast: A Discussion on Refugee Mental Health: This episodes features Megan Rafferty, Switchboard's training officer, focusing on mental health and wellness, and Selina Mate, Switchboard's digital content manager with a background in case management. They discuss ways to support newcomers with a trauma-informed lens.
NRC-RIM and partners at the International Rescue Committee this week published a new Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Glossary. The purpose of the glossary is to provide a standardized reference tool of SRH terms, translated from English into Dari and Pashto, that have been culturally validated and reviewed by a group of Afghan subject matter experts.
Staying Safe in the Summer: Water and Extreme Heat: Many newly arriving refugees and humanitarian parolees are about to experience their first summer in the United States. Depending on where they have settled, they may find themselves in an unfamiliar weather environment with new summer activities available to them. These new environments may include exposure to extreme and prolonged heat, different UV indexes, and having the opportunity to play in or near water.
Looking for local healthcare providers who can serve refugee and immigrant patients? A new directory can help! Read more here.
Afghan and Ukrainian new arrivals have a new tool for learning how to navigate the U.S. healthcare system. Our friends at CORE held Facebook Live events in Dari, Pashto, Russian, and Ukrainian to aid clients in understanding everything from what to do in an emergency to how to pick up a prescription and more. Clients who missed the live events can now view the videos on-demand. Watch Navigating the U.S. Healthcare System:
Archived Webinar: A Trauma-Informed Understanding of Mental Health & Psychosocial Support: This webinar covers key concepts related to Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) and describes how unique traumas impact the health and wellbeing of newcomers during forced migration and resettlement.
Brain Boost: Brain boost offers mental health providers free educational resources and products to expand their knowledge and skills in culturally responsive treatments and best practices with Hispanic and Latinx clients. New resources are available the last Tuesday of each month.
End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency: Four Changes That May Impact Your Clients: The U.S. government announced that the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) will end on May 11, 2023. The end of the PHE is likely to impact the clients you serve. This blog post shares four key changes you should know about and ways you can help clients prepare.
End of the Public Health Emergency: On May 11, 2023, the public health emergency (PHE) will expire, and many will see changes in COVID-19 healthcare costs, insurance coverage and renewals, and food benefits. These changes are likely to disproportionately impact some refugee, immigrant, and migrant (RIM) communities. You can use these resources to equip your organization and the clients to be prepared for these changes when they begin this spring. NRC-RIM resources include:
Supporting Mental Health of Immigrant Women: Women migrants are especially vulnerable to migration-related stressors and mental health distress often due to exposure to traumatic experiences before, during, and after migration. Once settled in this country, immigration policies, loss of social networks, discrimination, financial pressures, dangerous working conditions, and low socioeconomic status can further increase stress and unhealthy coping strategies.
IRC Training Course: Suicide Prevention in Resettlement, Asylum and Integration Settings - This module focuses on the foundational skills of suicide prevention and will cover what steps all direct service staff can take to prevent suicide, and how to use suicide prevention practices with your clients. Learn more.
Missouri Foundation for Health recently hosted a webinar, Missouri Medicaid in 2023. You can find the recording of the webinar here along with slides from the webinar, their Medicaid Basics Publication, and an At-a-Glance factsheet.
Missouri Medicaid has expanded to cover more people. Now, more adults can get low-cost or free health insurance through Missouri Medicaid (called MO HealthNet). You can use this toolkit to spread the word about enrollment and connect Missourians to free, local help through Cover Missouri.
New COVID-19 resources:
NRC-RIM compiled instructions on how to take at-home COVID-19 tests for seven brands in a combined 30 languages in video or written format curated from organizations across the country.
Each U.S. household is eligible to order four free at-home COVID-19 tests. Order tests online at covid.gov/tests; the website is available in English and Spanish, and NRC-RIM has guides in several other languages that help people navigate the site
Order COVID-19 Tests in 150+ Languages: The U.S. Government has set up a hotline for people who have trouble using the online ordering site or need help in languages other than English. Call 1-800-232-0233 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. CT to order four tests per household.
Archived Webinar: Assisting Newcomers with Navigating the U.S. Health Care System: An Introduction for Direct Service Providers: Hosted on October 19, 2022, this training will review U.S. health care coverage options and health-related benefits, including the initial domestic medical screening available to newcomers.
Webinar: Involving Refugees, Immigrants and Migrants in Creating Public Health Messaging: If you missed last week's webinar held in collaboration with partners at the International Rescue Committee, the slides, recording and a list of resources are available on NRC-RIM's website.
New Toolkit: Healthy Spaces: As staying up to date on COVID-19 boosters and catching up on routine vaccinations becomes more important, having a thoughtfully designed space can ultimately support healthier communities. Learn how you can create Healthy Spaces with a new toolkit, which is the latest collaboration between NRC-RIM and IDEO.org Translations now available in French, Pashto, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
Translated Resources for Flu Season: This fall, flu vaccines are being offered alongside new bivalent COVID-19 boosters that are effective against Omicron and other variants. NRC-RIM has translated resources about flu season that explain symptoms, the importance of testing, and why it is important to be vaccinated against both COVID-19 and the flu. Download the fact sheet, read the conversation guide and share their social media assets.
Assister Video and Eligibility One Pager: Missouri Foundation for Health has created a new video to educate more Missourians about expansion and the help that’s available.
Income Eligibility Guide One-Pager (for assisters and outreach workers)
Healthcare in the United States, a suite of resources for newcomers created by the Cultural Orientation Resource Exchange (CORE), are available in several languages and now reflect that the eligibility period for Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA) has changed from eight to 12 months. CORE also added a new activity to teach newcomers about different types of medical specialists.
Addressing the Contraceptive Needs of Refugee Youth and Women: Accessing quality contraceptive care services in the United States is a complex landscape to navigate. Cicatelli Associates Inc, in partnership with Advocates for Youth, the International Rescue Committee, and Oakhurst Medical Centers, created this set of micromodules aimed at building the capacity of healthcare providers to address the contraceptive care needs of refugee women and youth. Click here to access the modules.
You Know Your Body Best: A Palm Card for Urgent Maternal Warning Signs, From the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this card provides a list of urgent maternal warning signs and discusses ways that pregnant people can advocate for themselves in clinical settings. Click here to download the card, available in over 12 languages.
Poster: Urgent Maternal Warning Signs, From the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this poster offers guidelines for when pregnant people should seek medical care if they experience certain symptoms. Click here for the poster, available in over 12 languages.
Hellooo America: From Advocates for Youth and the International Rescue Committee, this three-part mini-series, for and by refugee youth, explores the often-stigmatized conversations around sexual health and rights in the refugee community. Click here to watch.
CORE has updated its Healthcare in the United States suite for newcomers. The resources, available in several languages, now reflect that the eligibility period for Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA) has changed from eight to 12 months. CORE also added a new activity to teach newcomers about different types of medical specialists. Learn more about this update and other resources on CORE’s website.
Medicaid Expansion Message Guides available in 15 different languages from Missouri Foundation for Health.
Coverage to Care (C2C) Enrollment Toolkit supports community partners, assisters, and others who help consumers enroll in health insurance coverage or change their health plan.
Missouri Foundation for Health has developed communications resources to help spread the word. Click here to check out all of the available resources.
Legal Aid offices in Missouri are available to provide Medicaid enrollment technical assistance Virtual Office Hours: All four legal aid offices host office hours weekly through one Zoom link. When assisters log in, they are assigned to a break out room with the legal aid staff for their region. The weekly office hour is an opportunity for all MO assisters to receive limited consultations with legal aid staff. Join them each Thursday at 1pm. You can log in anytime during the hour.
Meeting ID: 872 8486 2861
Slack Channel: In addition, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, through funding from Missouri Foundation for Health, has created a Slack website to answer Medicaid expansion questions from all assisters. Legal Services staff are available 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. to answer chat questions on the site. This is the link to sign up for the Assister Slack site for Medicaid Expansion.
Medicaid Expansion Helpline for St. Louis Region: There’s a new resource available to consumers in the St. Louis region who are seeking Medicaid expansion information and assistance. SLU Law Center for Health Law Studies, the STL Regional Health Commission, and Legal Services of Eastern Missouri have created a Medicaid Expansion Helpline, which trained volunteers are staffing. The number is: 1-888-686-1744.
Three flyers are available to help you share information about this resource:
Cover Missouri Coalition’s Find Local Help Zip Code Locator and Appointment Scheduler serves to help consumers find free, in-person help for signing up for health insurance through the Missouri Marketplace and Medicaid. Consumers can search by city or zip code for the assister location most convenient for them.