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Table 2 Networking plan to improve African immigrant and refugee families’ access to health care services

From: A qualitative study on African immigrant and refugee families’ experiences of accessing primary health care services in Manitoba, Canada: it’s not easy!

Immigrant/refugee families’ barriers

Health care and social service providers’ actions

Community members’ actions

Policy implications

• Unmet expectations

 - Lengthy wait times

 - shortage of health care providers

 - high cost of medication and non-basic health care

 - less than ideal care

• Provide more walk in clinics in sections of the city where recent African immigrant and refugee families live

• Provide more continuous education forums that focus on providing health care to immigrant and refugee populations

• Engagement of key community leaders on developing a buddy support system to help immigrant and refugee families access health care services

• Training and remuneration of key community leaders who support immigrant and refugee families access health care services

• Provision of resources specifically for newcomer families

• Subsidising certain non-essential health care costs (e.g. dental care) as well as medications for newcomer families who do not have health insurance

  

• Community members to liaise with health care providers and social service providers (e.g. schools) to connect with new immigrant and refugee families

• Fast track the recruitment and retention of internationally trained health care professionals

• Facing a new life:

 - Language and cultural differences

• Health care providers need to be aware and supportive of linguistic needs and cultural differences of the immigrant/refugee families

• Community members to link newcomer families from similar linguistic and cultural backgrounds to health care services

• Provide and/or increase funding to networking organizations that facilitate immigrant and refugee families’ access to health

 - Getting used to a new and unfamiliar environment

• Working as a team, health care and social service providers need to promote awareness and information sharing sessions to immigrant and refugee communities on health, health care systems, and accessing health care services

• Community members to liaise with health care providers to offer workshops and training sessions to immigrant and refugee communities on health, health care systems and how to access health care services, how to relate with health care providers

• Allow time and resources to develop health care providers’ competencies

 - Lack of social support

 - Employment Challenges

 - Transportation

 - Weather

• Awareness of social support, transportation and employment needs, and challenges of adjusting to poor weather by immigrant and refugee families

• Health care and social service providers should liaise with community members to offer support

• Community members to liaise with health care providers and other service providers (e.g. immigration department) to identify and recruit new immigrant and refugee families into the community support network

• Foster relationships with community liaisons