Nonrefugee Migrants & Newcomers

Nonrefugee migrants and newcomers enter the country in different ways and access health care at different points. These populations who are not eligible for benefits to the same extent as refugees may have additional challenges in accessing quality health care, including being unable to access state or federal benefits, being underinsured or uninsured, and being ineligible for work authorization permits. 

This page provides guidance and general health resources for health care providers who serve newcomers ineligible for state or federal benefits, including those who may be undocumented or intending to or in the process of seeking asylum. 

These groups are not eligible for a Refugee Health Assessment but may have similar health care needs to refugee newcomers. 

Health screening and clinical guidance

• Newcomer Immunization Guidance for Health Professionals (PDF)
  Recommendations and resources to assess the immunization status of newcomers and identify when to provide vaccination.
• Newcomer Skin Conditions Guidance for Health Professionals
  A guide to possible skin conditions that may be encountered in primary care settings where newcomers are screened and receive care.
• Newcomer Survivors of Trauma Guidance for Health Professionals
  Health professionals play a vital role in providing direct care to patients with physical and mental health needs as well as assisting with asylum claims by providing objective documentation of physical and psychological injuries. 
• Newcomer TB Guidance for Health Professionals (PDF)
  This provider guide contains MDH TB screening recommendations for patients who are newcomers without official immigration status. 
• Newcomer Health Profiles: Minnesota Center of Excellence in Newcomer Health
  Comprehensive resource describing demographics, cultural, and health characteristic of a population. Includes priority health conditions and related clinical recommendations. 
• Migrant Clinicians Network
  Provides virtual case management for migrant patients, develops and disseminates resources, and builds health care capacity for health professional who provide care for migrants, immigrants, and asylum seekers, and other marginalized and underserved people. 

Health care service providers

• Health Services Serving Diverse Communities Directory
  Includes a listing of hospitals, clinics, organizations and services that offer dental services, disability services, domestic violence services and sexual assault services, health services, home health services, hotlines, mental health services, and vision services that are low-cost and immigrant-friendly.
• MN Health Centers: Find Health Care
  Find low-cost community health centers that provide care regardless of ability to pay. Includes ability to search by medical, dental, behavioral health, vision, and chiropractic.
• Minnesota Dental Association: Low-cost Dental Care
  List of reduced-cost clinics in the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
• Upcoming Vaccine Events for Newcomers Calendar

Training opportunities

• National Emergency Management Association’s Empowering Tomorrow: Integrating Asylum Seeker Support into Sustainable Community Solutions (YouTube)
  Speakers from Illinois, San Diego, and New York City share strategies for addressing the needs of asylum seeker populations.  
• Newcomer Health ECHO
  Designed to increase medical providers' knowledge of the resettlement and health issues of newcomers, including refugee, immigrant, and migrant (RIM) populations. It will review resettlement pathways, evidence-based screening recommendations, and more common diagnoses and treatment approaches for pediatric and adult populations.
• New England Journal of Medicine: Healthcare on the Edge – Challenges of Refugee Medicine (YouTube)
  Refugee Health Alliance and the HEAL Refugee Health and Asylum Collaborative discuss the complex health care challenges, urgent needs, and substantial, multifaceted trauma that refugees experience in their journey to seek asylum in the United States. They summarize the range of services available to refugees at the U.S.–Mexico border and underscore the importance of taking a holistic approach when providing care to this patient population. 

Resources

• Minnesota Council on Latino Affairs Information for Newcomers
  Resources for newcomers including clothing and household items, education access, employment and labor rights, food shelves, housing and shelter, and legal services.
• Community Based Organizations Serving Diverse Communities Directory
  Community-based organizations that serve Minnesota's many diverse communities. Listings are divided by communities served (African, Asian, Multicultural, Eastern European, Latino, etc.).
• CareRef
  Interactive clinical tool that guides clinicians through conducting a Refugee Health Assessment. This tool will provide clinical recommendations based on country of origin even if a newcomer is not eligible for a formal Refugee Health Assessment.
  Note: data used for this clinical guidance tool is based on refugee health data.
• For Providers and Caregivers: Supporting the Mental Health of Children Seeking Asylum in NYC
  Resources to enhance emotional health and wellness of asylum-seeking children and caregivers.
• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Asylum-seeker reception toolkit
  Best Practices in Receiving Asylum-Seekers in Communities throughout the United States

Health education for newcomers

• Health Education: Minnesota Center of Excellence in Newcomer Health
  Newcomer health orientation and education resources that have been collected and vetted by the Center of Excellence (COE) in Newcomer Health and other partners. Topics include health insurance, mental health, health care orientation, and preventative health.
• Colorado COE in Newcomer Health: Translated Materials
  Database of translated materials in 64 languages (fact sheets, posters, multimedia, and videos) to support outreach and messaging to communities with limited English proficiency (including refugees, immigrants, and others).
• MDH: Translated Materials
  Written health education translated in languages other than English.