As one of the largest destination states for United for Ukraine arrivals, Washington Department of Health (WA DOH) has implemented programs and community outreach strategies during the COVID-19 response aimed at engaging Russian and Ukrainian speaking communities.
For these communities, barriers to healthcare access have extended beyond the scope of COVID-19; addressing these barriers is critical to the larger public health response to the current war in Ukraine and refugee crisis. Join this webinar to learn how WA DOH developed several strategies for addressing public health needs in partnership with their local Ukrainian community that apply to COVID-19 and beyond.
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
- Articulate the value of hiring people from Ukrainian communities
- Replicate successful community capacity building practices
- Establish and cultivate community partnerships
- Apply COVID-19 response strategies to other public health needs in Ukrainian communities
Vadim Gaynaliy
Health Educator, WA DOH
Vadim Gaynaliy is a Health Educator who is finishing a master’s degree in community medicine. He immigrated to the United States from Ukraine as a refugee in 2002 and grew up in Portland, Oregon. His work at the Washington State Department of Health involves managing toolkits and health information material, translating, and editing vaccine information, and assisting the Former Soviet Union (FSU) Vaccine Outreach Program.
Vadim Kogan, MPH
Immunization Health Educator, WA DOH
Vadim Kogan, MPH, is an immunization health educator and manages the Vaccine Outreach Program for Former Soviet Union (FSU) Communities at the Washington State Department of Health. His background is in infectious disease epidemiology, health education, and community health advocacy. Throughout his career, Vadim has coordinated health programs in Boston, Delhi, and Lilongwe. Vadim immigrated to the U.S. as a refugee from Moldova and grew up in Chicago.
Jasmine Matheson, MPH
Program Manager, WA DOH
Jasmine Matheson is Program Manager of the Washington State Department of Health, Refugee Health Program and serves as the State Refugee Health Coordinator. She works with local, state, and federal partners to improve health outcomes of resettled refugees.
Prior to joining the Washington State Department of Health, Jasmine worked in communicable disease epidemiology and food safety in Virginia and New Zealand. She obtained her MPH from University of California, Berkeley and bachelor’s degree in biology from Mount Saint Mary’s College.
Olga Okhapkina
Director, Nashi Immigrants Health Board
Olga is the co-founder and director of operations for the Nashi Immigrants Health Board, a non-profit organization for Ukrainian and Russian speaking communities in Washington State. She previously served as a clinical research coordinator for the University of Washington Medical Center, a community outreach coordinator with the Washington State Department of Health, and community health coordinator for the Tacoma Refugee Choir. Olga holds a bachelor's degree in public health with a focus on epidemiology and community health.
Syreeta Wilkins
Communications Strategist, NRC-RIM
Syreeta is the communications strategist for the National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants and Migrants (NRC-RIM), where she leads the communications efforts for the center as well as guides the creation and dissemination of health communications materials.
She has more than a decade of experience in strategic communications, specializing in internal communications, digital media, and diverse and multilingual communities.
Syreeta holds a master’s degree in linguistics from New York University, where she explored socioeconomic influences on Spanish-speaking immigrants' speech patterns. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Macalester College.