Important Facts for Refugee Arrivals

Definition

Number of refugee arrivals. Arrival numbers include all populations supported by the Office of Refugee Resettlement.

Numerator

Number of refugee arrivals.

Denominator

Not applicable.

Why Is This Important?

A refugee is any person who is unable or unwilling to return to their country because of fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Refugees often flee their homes with very few possessions and may spend years in refugee camps living under very difficult conditions prior to being resettled in the U.S. It is important to understand newly-settled populations and the health problems common to the areas they have arrived from to identify conditions of public health significance and other chronic health conditions that may adversely affect resettlement.

Other Objectives

The Refugee Federal Act of 1980 entitles each newly arriving refugee to a complete health screening within the first 30-90 days after arriving in the U.S. The health screening focuses on the following categories of risk assessment and health promotion: [[br]] *tuberculosis *hepatitis B *parasites *HIV/AIDS *STDs *anemia *diabetes *hypertension *cardiovascular disease *lead screening *immunizations *pregnancy *hearing acuity *visual acuity *mental health conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder *any infectious disease that may be present in the country arriving from

How Are We Doing?

Health Screening Compliance and Tuberculosis (TB) Screen Follow-up: [[br]] *Refugees receive a health screening within 30-90 days of arrival *All refugees are screened for TB *All those with positive TB screen receive a chest X-ray and full TB evaluation

How Do We Compare With the U.S.?

More than two million refugees have arrived in the U.S. since the Federal Refugee Act of 1980 was established. These arrivals were primarily from Southeast Asia and the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 1980s during the Cold War period, followed by Europe in the 1990s during the Balkans period, and now a growing number from Africa in the 2000s during the civil conflict and from the Middle East as a result of the current conflict. Utah has resettled over 25,000 refugee cases since 1995 and ranks in the top 25 for refugee arrivals in the U.S.

What Is Being Done?

The primary goal of the Utah Department of Health and Human Services Refugee Health Program is to offer health screening related services to all newly arriving refugees and newcomers in Utah. This is accomplished by working closely with the refugee resettlement agencies and with the health screening clinics and providers.

Evidence-based Practices

The refugee health screening process of newly arriving refugees to Utah is conducted in accordance with the [https://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/guidelines/domestic-guidelines.html CDC Guidelines for the U.S. Domestic Medical Examination for Newly Arriving Refugees] and [https://drive.google.com/file/d/101-vkyV8jq_5NMqRmZn1EtqkykPD_78l/view Utah Refugee Health Screening Provider Resource Guide]