Public Health Initiatives for Afghans

The Atlanta office is conducting home visits, including a health needs assessment to evaluate the types and levels of health services needed. The team will create referrals (both internal to IRC and to partner organizations) to meet clients’ health needs. After 30 days, the team will follow up with each client/family with a post-assessment. 

IRC Denver will be holding health education classes and they are onboarding volunteers who were former midwives and doulas to facilitate the women’s health classes. They are also exploring the idea of having a workshop focused on men’s health.

The team will also hold individualized classes around health navigation topics such as when to go to a primary care provider vs. an emergency room.

IRC Oakland is implementing support groups to promote healthy relationships, taking a broad approach including healthy relationships with child, partners, community, classmates, etc. They are also creating sexual and reproductive health workshops with a focus on youth and unmarried adults, and healthy relationships workshops with a focus on domestic and gender-based violence as well as mental health. 

The team is also working to better understand recruitment for workshops (e.g. how to most effectively recruit, how to engage male clients in these types of workshops). 

IRC Sacramento is developing wellness workshops featuring guest speakers and different themes per workshop, psychosocial support groups where staff work with clients to create safe space for psychodynamic support sessions, and health and wellness fairs to promote healthy lifestyles, preventative care, and mental health and wellness

IRC Salt Lake City is developing a health needs assessment with clients to better understand sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs and barriers to accessing SRH care. They will then create SRH education classes/ workshops based on results of needs assessment, primarily focusing family planning and access to contraception.

The team will also work with providers (health screening providers, OBGYNs) to understand the clinical barriers when it comes to SRH education.

IRC San Diego will conduct a needs assessment to inform topics for Dialogue-with-a-Doctor Q&A sessions geared towards the Afghan community, and host a maternal support group with an ultimate goal of creating community connectedness and support.

IRC  Spokane will partner with health agencies to do mobile health clinics to ensure people are accessing services, and pair individuals or families with health navigators to discuss all the types of services/health care providers they might need to engage with. The health navigator will then provide advice on these types of services and how to engage digitally (doing remote check-ins, how to call to request an appointment, how to sign up for e-charts, etc.). The team also is in discussions about hosting basic computer literacy courses.
 

IRC Tucson will create and distribute early childhood development kits with age-appropriate toys, laminated step by step guidelines on how to engage with kids when using toys, and books in Dari and/or Pashto. They will also expand children's access to healthcare by helping parents schedule appointments and arranging transportation to and from appointment.
The team will then train local health department on the types of early childhood development services available.