Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #108448

Jose Antonio Gonzalez, MPH, Health Education -State Health Programs, Health Net of California Inc., 7485 N. Palm, Suite 101, Fresno, CA 93711, 559-447-6138, jose.a.gonzalez@healthnet.com, Jennifer Nuovo, MD, Regional Medical Director State Health Programs, Health Net of California Inc., 11791 Foundation Place, Building D, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670, and Tracy Vang, BA, Cultural and Linguistics -State Health Programs, Health Net of California Inc., 11791 Foundation Place, Building D, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670.

As of June 2004, an estimated 5,900 Hmong refugees from the Wat Tham Krabok refugee camp in Thailand, will settle in California. An estimated 2,100 refugees are expected to settle in Fresno County, located in the San Joaquin Valley in Central California.

Wat Tham Krabok residents had limited access to Western-based clinical health care prior to 2004. Most refugees have relied on traditional forms of healing. Consequently, health status information for Wat residents is limited. However, in March 2004, a medical delegation to Wat from Fresno County Department of Health discovered a high prevalence of common disorders such as depression, anxiety, anemia, hearing loss from untreated ear infections, asthma, hypertension and diabetes.

In April 2004, Health Net developed the Hmong Refugee Case Management Project to assist newly arrived Hmong refugee members through case management and health education programs. Our multidisciplinary integrated system of intervention includes case management, health education programs, and cultural and linguistic services specific to Hmong refugee health care needs. Critical components in a multidisciplinary intervention initiative includes: providing Hmong refugees access to health and wellness information in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner; assisting refugee members to become knowledgeable of Western medicine, management of common illnesses and principles of preventative health care; introduction to health insurance process and managed care. Ensuring refugee members receive preventive care and access to health education programs can have substantial health benefits in preventing chronic diseases. Processes of program development, challenges, successes, and applicability of lessons learned will be discussed.

Learning Objectives: Learning Objectives

• Identify effective strategies utilized to engage Hmong refugee participants in health education programs,
• Identify key steps needed for effective program development,
• Identify barriers in program implementation, and
• Assess feasibility of using multidisciplinary approach in other settings.

Keywords: Access to Health Care, Refugees

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commertial supporters WITH THE EXCEPTION OF Heatlh Net of California, Inc. (employment).