Working with Refugee Populations: How Do We Optimize Their Welcome?

Although the United States has often been a haven for immigrants fleeing war, famine and other adverse circumstances, until the end of World War II, when the United States admitted Jews fleeing Nazi Germany, we did not have a legal category of refugee status. Subsequent to World War II, there has been considerable controversy about which populations should receive refugee status and the attendant services that assignation provides. There was a preference for white Europeans, making it more difficult to assign refugee status to non-Europeans and people of color. UVA psychiatrist and anthropologist Dr. Larry Merkel will discuss the politicization of refugee status and the diversity of refugee resettlement experiences. Some refugees encounter medical and/or mental health challenges in their journey to making a new life and require more intensive community services. Dr. Fern Hauck and Mirna Dickey will discuss the ways in which local organizations such as the UVA International Family Medicine Clinic and the International Rescue Committee meet the special needs of such refugees and some of the innovative strategies used by area caregivers to assist refugees affected by trauma.

Follow the link to view a recording of this event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O71M7dk21E4