Sixth National Conference on Quality Health Care for Culturally Diverse Populations: Peer-to-Peer Practice Advancement Sessions Promising Approaches to Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health and Social Adjustment
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D-6 Mental health service models for immigrants and refugees

Promising Approaches to Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health and Social Adjustment
Wednesday, September 24, 2008: 8:30 AM-10:30 AM, Minn Marriott, 8th Floor - Spring Park Bay
The health of all Minnesotans, including our newest neighbors, is a product of many interrelated factors.  Social, economic and environmental factors such as culture, the environment, education, income and housing often play a significant role in health status.  For all immigrant groups, the extent of integrating into the broader community as well as the degree of maintaining social connectedness among themselves are key factors in their overall mental, general health and quality of life.  This peer-to-peer presentation combines the projects of two health institutions:  Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation and Hennepin County Medical Center.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation’s Healthy Together: Creating Community with New Americans addresses the intersections of health, immigrant integration community connectedness.  Studies indicate that the process of adapting to a new community takes time and is shaped by individual experience and access to social support systems. Although immigrants usually benefit from protective factors such as spirituality and strong family support, they face enormous social and economic factors that expose them to higher levels of stress and disadvantage due to poverty, unemployment, lack of English proficiency, discrimination and the trauma associated with the immigrant experience. As many states become more diverse, it challenges providers in the mental health system to adopt culturally competent ways to prevent, diagnose, treat and address barriers to appropriate and timely mental health services. Grantees will highlight their work under different settings.
Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) incorporated mental health services in response to the large influx of East African refugees, a population typically reluctant to accept a traditional western approach of independent referrals.  Panelists will address the specific somatic presentation of the East African population and describe a structured approach to managing both the physical and psychological complaints in primary care.  Integrated somatic and mental health services for the select population, in effect co-managing these patients, addresses physical, social and psychological symptoms and sets the stage for a psychotherapeutic treatment plan. This clinic has now followed women for over seven years and reflects high patient satisfaction measured by retention in practice and patient self-report. We will discuss common patient complaints, assessment, specific relationship-building activities, patient education and treatment planning. 
Using the Peer-to-Peer format, presenters will provide a introduction of their project model that address mental health issues and tackle these questions: 
·        What is the strength of the model your agency is using that was useful for the community you are serving?
·        What are the results and impact of the approach and what have you done to improve upon the original approach?
·        What is your advice to practitioners who may be thinking about using these models?
Jocelyn Ancheta,MA, Program Officer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation (Moderator)

Roberto Avina, LICSW, LMFT, Executive Director, La Familia Guidance Center

Deborah Boehm, CNP, MPH, Primary Care Provider, Hennepin County Medical Center

Mary Bradmiller, PhD, Clinical Psychologist, Hennepin County Mediccal Cemter

Courtney Lawson, Intercultural Mutual Assistance Association,

Carol White, MA, MPH, Project Manager, Center for Victims of Torture,

Tony Yang, Executive Director, Amherst Wilder Foundation, Southeast Asian Program

Handouts
  • Objectives and Desired Outcome1 with NEW LOGO.pdf (32.2 kB)
  • Paddling Upstream.pdf (1.4 MB)

    • Presentation Information:

    Program: Peer-to-Peer Practice Advancement Sessions
    Primary Category: Organizational Cultural Competence
    Subtopics: Implementing disparity reduction programs

    Region Addressed by Presentation: US - Midwest
    Organization: Non-Profit Organization/Association
    Population/Demographic: immigrant and refugees, adults
    Keywords: Promising model for mental health, Immigrant and refugee population, Functional Family Therapy, Community-based , Psycho-educational
    Jocelyn L. Ancheta, MA , Community Affairs/Foundation, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, Eagan, MN
      Program Officer
      Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
      Community Affairs/Foundation
      3535 Blue Cross Rd.
      Eagan MN, USA 55122

      Phone: 651 662-2894
      Fax: 651 662 -1361
      Email Address: Jocelyn_L_Ancheta@bluecrossmn.com

      Biographical Sketch:       Jocelyn Ancheta joined Blue Cross Minnesota Foundation in October 2005. She manages Healthy Together: Creating Community with New Americans, a grantmaking initiative addressing the intersection of three important determinants of health: social connectedness, social adjustment and immigrant integration. She was a consultant with Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrant and Refugees, producing Immigrant and Refugee Funding Trends in Minnesota. Jocelyn was a program officer at The McKnight Foundation, Children and Families for almost 11 years. She worked at the Minnesota Department of Public Safety as a safety program coordinator monitoring grants in community-based traffic safety programs and emergency medical services. Other nonprofit positions included community worker with Catholic Charities; legal advocate with the Domestic Abuse Project and project manager for Metro Deaf Senior Citizens. She earned a masters or arts degree from the University of Minnesota, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. Her undergraduate work was also from the University of Minnesota, College of Education/Park and Recreation Administration. She emigrated from the Philippine to Minnesota with her family in 1966.
    Robert Avina, LICSW, LMFT , La Familia Guidance Center, St. Pau, MN
      Director
      La Familia Guidance Center
      155 S. Wabasha Street, Suite 120
      St. Pau MN, USA 55107

      Phone: 651 221-0913
      Fax: 651221-0785
      Email Address: dir@lafamiliaguidance.org

      Biographical Sketch:       Roberto Avina has over 20 years experience in managing and supervising clinical staff and providing psychotherapy to individuals and families. He has held the position of Executive director is the inception of the agency in 1995. He received the Master in Social Work degree form the University of Minnesota.
    Deborah Boehm, CNP, MPH , Medicine Clinic, P7, Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN
      Primary Care Provider
      Hennepin County Medical Center
      Medicine Clinic, P7
      710 Park Avenue South
      Minneapolis MN, USA 55415

      Phone: 612-873-3306
      Fax: 612-904-4262
      Email Address: deb.boehm@gmail.com

      Biographical Sketch:       Primary care provider Deborah Boehm has 30 years of experience with culturally diverse populations in both Minnesota and California. Her practical approach to the delivery of health care adapts western allopathic methods to the needs of specific populations, especially by addressing individual needs within the context of family and community. She has published on HIV/AIDS in women and has produced videos on approaches to domestic violence in the Somali community. Her current research looks at whether embedded mental health care in a primary care clinic reduces utilization of emergency services.
    Mary Bradmiller, PhD , Medicine Clinic, P7, Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN
      Clinical Psychologist
      Hennepin County Medical Center
      Medicine Clinic, P7
      710 Park Avenue South
      Minneapolis MN, USA 55415

      Phone: 612-873-4368
      Fax: 612-904-4261
      Email Address: mary.bradmiller@co.hennepin.mn.us

      Biographical Sketch:       Mary Bradmiller is a clinical psychologist specializing in the treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in immigrants and refugees. She has been treating survivors of interpersonal violence for 18 years from a cultural/relational therapy orientation. She also has experience in working with Severe and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI) and medically ill populations. Her current research concerns factors contributing to refugee retention in psychotherapy.
    Carol White, MA, MPH , Center for Victims of Torture, Minneapolis, MN
      Project Manager, National and International Capacity Building Project
      Center for Victims of Torture
      717 East River Road
      Minneapolis MN, USA 55455

      Phone: 612-436-4847
      Fax: 612-436-2606
      Email Address: cwhite@cvt.org

      Biographical Sketch:       Carol White, currently the project manager for the national and international capacity-building programs within the Center for Victims of Torture in Minneapolis, has trained and provided technical assistance to mental health and primary providers regarding competency-based services for torture survivors. Ms. White has twenty years of experience as an advocate, program specialist and director of non--profit health care organizations. Her current research looks at the promising practice to address suspected trauma in primary care specific in East African refugee women, providing specific ideas for removing barriers to treatment.
    Courtney Lawson, MPH , Intercultural Mutual Assistance Association, Rochester, MN
      Healthcare Access & Education Services Program Manager
      Intercultural Mutual Assistance Association
      2500 Valleyhigh Drive NW
      Rochester MN, USA 55901

      Phone: 507-289-5960, ext. 121
      Fax: 507-289-6199
      Email Address: courtney.lawson@imaa.net

      Biographical Sketch:       Ms.Courtney Lawson joined IMAA in April 2008 and oversees two programs designed to expand healthcare access for immigrants and refugees. The Community Health Worker program helps newcomers navigate the health care system and connect with needed medical/dental services. IMAA’s Nursing Career Academy creates a career ladder for refugees and asylees to obtain employment and education in the health care sector. Prior to working at IMAA, Courtney was the Development & Communication Director at Rochester’s Diversity Council, where she was responsible for the organization’s fundraising and public relations campaigns. Before joining the Diversity Council, Courtney worked in the advocacy division of the Michigan Health & Hospital Association, where she administered the HEALTH Political Action Committee and assisted with the association’s grassroots outreach efforts. Courtney earned a Master’s of Public Health in Health Management and Policy from the University of Michigan and holds a B.A. in General Business Administration/Pre-Law from Michigan State University. She is also a graduate of the inaugural class of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Strategic Connectors’ Leadership Institute.
    Tony Yang, MS, LMFT , Southeast Asian Services, Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, St. Paul, MN
      Director
      Amherst H. Wilder Foundation
      Southeast Asian Services
      451 Lexington Parkway North
      St. Paul MN, USA 55104

      Phone: 651 280-2111
      Fax: 651 644-1170
      Email Address: TOY2@wilder.org

      Biographical Sketch:       Tony Yang joined the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation in August 2006 as the Director of Southeast Asian Services. Prior to joining the Wilder team Tony was the Care Manager at Ramsey County Mental Health Center. He also operated a private practice for several years. Tony has 10 years experience providing psychotherapy to children and families who are either uninsured or underinsured. Tony received the Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Wisconsin in 1998.
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