Case management responses for post-resettlement chronic and emergency health problems among refugee arrivals: A perspective from the Triad region of North Carolina

An increasing number of refugees are being resettled in non-traditional reception areas such as the Piedmont Triad of Central North Carolina. Many arrive with health conditions that if left unattended become exacerbated and eventually require chronic and/or emergency care services. The coordination of such care often poses a challenge to local resettlement agencies that are working towards refugee individual and household “economic self-sufficiency”. Agency resources must therefore be directed towards responding to these health promotion issues among their newly and recently arrived refugee clients. This presentation will provide a brief overview of the local refugee resettlement context and highlight findings from a case study conducted in partnership with the Department of Public Health Education at the University of North Carolina and Church World Service (CWS), an international not-for-profit refugee resettlement agency located in the Greensboro community of the Triad region. Specifically, the case study sought to gather both provider and client perspectives on the scope and extent of strategies used in responding to chronic and emergency health problems 6-months post-arrival. Data for the case were extracted from case manager notes, in-depth interviews with resettlement staff (current and former) and a representative pool of clients who received post-resettlement assistance for chronic health problems and emergencies. Data analysis included content analysis of case notes and interview transcripts to identify and characterize practice related themes. These will be framed as “response scenarios” and discussed in relation to other agency resettlement activities (i.e. housing acquisition, English-language education, job training and employment placement).