Primary prevention for resettled refugees from Burma: Where to begin?

Title: Primary prevention for resettled refugees from Burma: Where to begin?

Author: Haley, Heather-Lyn; Walsh, Meredith; Tin Maung, Nang H.; Savage, Clara P. and Cashman, Suzanne

Publication: Journal of Community Health

Date: 2013

Description: This research article argues that active primary prevention initiatives may help recently arrived refugees better maintain health in a new environment by keeping their own healthy cultural habits and building an awareness of harmful habits to avoid. The researchers developed an exploratory research project in conjunction with medical and nursing students and the Worcester Refugee Association Project (WRAP) to explore the knowledge of recently arrived Burmese refugees in Worcester, MA concerning eating behaviors, physical activity and sleep habits. With community members, the authors collaboratively developed and pilot tested a healthy living curriculum in focus groups.  The findings identified seven themes as particularly relevant: food choices, living environment, health information, financial stress, mobility/ transportation, social interaction and recreation, and hopes and dreams.  The study concluded that the refugees had a basic knowledge of healthy lifestyles but desired more specific information about recommended guidelines for healthy living and how to follow them. The results also suggest that community health workers would be effective in delivering this information since the refugees are familiar with and comfortable with community health outreach workers from their experience in refugee camps. The results of the research may prove useful for future health promotion with refugees from Burma.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249966683_Primary_Prevention_for_Resettled_Refugees_from_Burma_Where_to_Begin

Keywords: refugee health, prevention, healthy eating, physical activities, community-based participatory research

Cataloged by: Selina Sikder/ B.J. Perkins

Imaginarte: Unaccompanied Refugee Minors Tell Their Stories of Belonging Through Photography

Title: Imaginarte: Unaccompanied refugee minors tell their stories of belonging through photography

Author: Loustaunau, Esteban

Date: 2019

Description: This article describes a literacy through photography (LTP) project. The participants were a group of teenagers from Central America in the Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM) Program at Ascentria Care in Worcester MA. In collaboration with college students from Assumption College in Worcester the teenagers produced photographs that expressed their interpretations of cultural identity, adaptation and reinvention as they transitioned to life in the United States.

https://doi.org/10.1057/s41276-019-00180-4

Keywords: youth, unaccompanied minors, life experiences, community service, cultural reinvention, belonging

Tips for Mental Health Providers Working with Southeast Asian Immigrants/Refugees

Title: Tips for mental health providers working with Southeast Asian immigrants/refugees

Author: Southeast Asian Coalition of Central Massachusetts & Logan, D.

Date: 2017

Description: This tip sheet provides some culturally-informed strategies for mental health providers to use to build trusting and respectful bonds with their Southeast Asian clients.

http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/pib/vol14/iss5/1

Keywords: Southeast Asian Immigrants, Southeast Asian refugees, mental health, culturally appropriate services, stigma

A Community Mental Health Needs Assessment of a Racially and Ethnically Diverse Population in New England: Narratives from Community Stakeholders

Title: A community mental health needs assessment of a racially and ethically diverse population in New England: Narratives from community stakeholders

Author: Torres Stone, Rosalie A., Esteban V. Cardemil, Kristin Keefe, Paige Bik, Zachary Dyer, and Karyn E. Clark

Publication: Community Mental Health Journal, vol.56

Date: 2020

Description:  This article describes a community mental health needs assessment carried out in a midsize New England city with a racially and ethnically diverse population. The study’s purpose was to identify the mental health needs of the local community in order to improve the delivery of mental health services and to remove barriers to mental health treatment.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-020-00562-2

Keywords: mental health needs assessment, community health, race, ethnicity

Vulnerability, Risk Perception, and Health Profile of Marginalized People Exposed to Multiple Built-Environment Stressors in Worcester, Massachusetts: A Pilot Project

Title: Vulnerability, Risk Perception, and Health Profile of Marginalized People Exposed to Multiple Built-Environment Stressors in Worcester, Massachusetts: A Pilot Project

Author: Downs, Timothy J., Ross, L. Goble, R. Subedi, R. Greenberg, S. and Taylor, O.

Publication: Risk Analysis 31(4): 609-628

Date: 2011

Description: This article presents research on the vulnerability of the population of the Main South and Piedmont neighborhoods of Worcester, Massachusetts to various health impacts of built environment stressors. The stressors identified were: pollution stressors, physical environment stressors, social stressors and economic stressors. The results of this research were based on 80 surveys designed and conducted in partnership with local organizations. Social stressors followed by physical stressors were perceived to have the highest impact by survey participants, including psychosocial stressors of crime, violence and drug use in their communities. These neighborhoods include many recent refugees and immigrants, and the authors indicate that marginalized populations are especially vulnerable to external stressors.

Keywords: Built environment, disease burden, health disparities, marginalization, risk perception, vulnerability, health

Cataloged By: Patrick Barnosky / B.J. Perkins

The Latino Mental Health Project: A Local Mental Health Needs Assessment

Title: The Latino Mental Health Project: A Local Mental Health Needs Assessment

Author: Esteban V. Cardemil, Sara T. Adams, Joanne L. Calista, Joy Connell, José Encarnación, Nancy K. Esparza, Jeanne Frohock, Ellen Hicks, Saeromi Kim, Gerald Kokernak, Michael McGrenra, Ray Mestre, Maria Pérez, Tatiana M. Pinedo, Rosemary Quagan, Christina Rivera, Patsy Taucer, and Ed Wang

Publication: Administration and Policy in Mental Health. Vol. 34, No. 4: 331–341

Date: 2007

Description:  This article presents the results of a mental health needs assessment of Latinos in Worcester, Massachusetts, which was a conducted in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health and several health and education organizations. This study is based on 166 interviews with Latinos living in Worcester, which demonstrated high rates of mental health related problems, including many “culture-bound syndromes” and low rates of access to mental health services, especially for anxiety, depression and PTSD. Barriers to accessing mental health services included instrumental barriers, attitudinal barriers and language/cultural barriers. The Latino community is comprised of a high percentage of new or recent immigrants, which have been shown in other research to be especially vulnerable to mental health problems and have limited access to mental health services.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10488-007-0113-3

Keywords: Needs assessment; Latinos; Service utilization; Barriers; Mental Health

Cataloged By: Patrick Barnosky / B.J. Perkins

Empowering ELLs through strong community-school district partnerships for enrichment

Title: Empowering ELLs through strong community-school district partnerships for enrichment

Author: Rivera, Jessica; Donovan-Pendzic, Esperanza and Marion, Mary Jo

Publication: Annenberg institute for School Reform, Voices in Urban Education (VUE), no. 41

Date: 2015

Description:  This article offers an analysis of an English Language Learner (ELL) summer camp in Worcester, Massachusetts serving Worcester Public School middle and high school students.  The program was a collaboration between the school district, higher education institutes, and community organizations including a Spanish language television program.

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1074840.pdf

Keywords: English Language Learners (ELL), education, Worcester Public Schools

Cataloged By: Selina Sikder / B.J. Perkins

Preparing teachers to equitably serve ELLs in Worcester, Massachusetts

Title: Preparing teachers to equitably serve ELLs in Worcester, Massachusetts

Author: Ottow, Sarah

Publication: Annenberg Institute for School Reform, Voices in Urban Education (VUE), no. 37

Date: 2013

Description:  This article provides a description of the Worcester ELL Teacher Residency (WELLTR) program – a partnership between the Worcester Public Schools, Cambridge College and the Center for Collaborative Education. The residency program was created to address the problem of insufficient numbers of teachers trained to teach the growing number of English Language Learners in the Worcester Public Schools.

Keywords: English language Learners (ELL), Worcester Public Schools, education

Cataloged By: Selina Sikder / B.J. Perkins

A tale of two countries: Childhood lead poisoning, industrialization, and abatement in New England

Title: A tale of two countries: Childhood lead poisoning, industrialization, and abatement in New England

Author: Bailey, Adrian J.; Sargent, James D. and Blake, Megan K.

Publication: Economic Geography, Vol. 74

Date: 1998

Description: Childhood lead poisoning continues to be a significant public health concern in New England. This study investigates the spatial variation in childhood lead exposure within two industrial counties, Worcester County, Massachusetts and Providence County, Rhode Island. The analysis focuses on differences in industrialization, demographics and public health interventions.  The findings revealed that lead exposure is complexly linked to patterns of urbanization, industrial heritage and demography and that a history of abatement can reduce lead exposure. This complexity is apparent in the relationship between race/ethnicity/nativity and lead exposure between the two counties. As one of their conclusions, the authors call for more research to better understand this relationship.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1944-8287.1998.tb00033.x

Keywords: childhood lead poisoning, industrial history, abatement, medical geography

Cataloged by: Selina Sikder / B. J. Perkins

A systematic integrated approach for crafting poverty reduction and sustainable development projects

Title: A systematic integrated approach for crafting poverty reduction and sustainable development projects

Author: Downs, Timothy J.

Publication: Natural Resources Forum. Vol. 31

Date: 2007

Description: This article presents a systematic integrated approach to poverty reduction and sustainable development that can frame issues, simplify complexity and guide responses. The approach incorporates five theories: social learning theory and participatory methods, vulnerability theory, systems thinking, sustainability assessment, and capacity building. The author refers to the approach as SVSSC. The article provides three case studies to complete its summary of relevant literature. One case study uses the SVSSC approach to investigate environmental justice and health problems in the Main South and Peidmont neighborhoods in Worcester, Massachusetts. The immigrant populations in these two neighborhood include many resettled refugees.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1477-8947.2007.00129.x

Keywords: immigrants, refugees, poverty reduction, sustainable development, social learning, capacity building, vulnerability

Cataloged by: Selina Sikder / B. J. Perkins