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Complete Indicator Report of Refugee ArrivalsDefinitionNumber of refugee arrivals.NumeratorNumber of refugee arrivals.DenominatorNot 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.Refugees can introduce and transmit communicable diseases from foreign countries; therefore, it is important to understand newly-settled populations and the health problems common to the areas they have arrived from. Other ObjectivesThe Refugee Federal Act of 1980 entitles each newly arriving refugee to a complete health screening within the first 30 days after arriving in the U.S. The health screening focuses on the following categories of risk assessment and health promotion:- 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 TB Screen Follow-up:- 2010 Utah arrivals = 1,035 refugees - 1,018 refugees (100%) received health screening (17 outmigrated to other states prior to health screening). - 252 had positive TB screen test. A positive screen test is not active TB. - 100% of those with positive TB screen received a chest X-ray. How Do We Compare With 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 12,000 refugees since 1995. What Is Being Done?The primary goal of the Utah Department of Health Refugee Health Program is to offer health screening related services to all newly arriving refugees in Utah. This is accomplished by working closely with the refugee resettlement agencies and with the Salt Lake Family Health Center, where all refugee screenings have been conducted since October 2001.Available ServicesCatholic Community Services - Utah745 E. 300 S. Salt Lake City, UT 84102 Phone: (801) 977-9119 Fax: (801) 977-9224 International Rescue Committee 321 East 400 South Suite 50 Salt Lake City, UT 84111 Phone: (801) 328-1091 Fax: (801) 328-1094 Utah Refugee Employment and Community Center 1588 South Major Street Salt Lake City, UT 84115 Phone: (801) 412-0577 Fax: (801) 412-9925 Refugee Services Office Utah Department of Workforce Services 140 E 300 South Salt Lake City, UT 84111 Phone: (801)526-9483 Fax: (801)526-9239 Other Program InformationMore information on the conditions identified at the health screening are available on the Bureau of Communicable Disease Control/Tuberculosis Control and Refugee Health website:http://health.utah.gov/cdc Related IndicatorsRelated Relevant Population Characteristics Indicator Reports:Graphical Data ViewsNumber of Refugee Arrivals, Utah, 1998-2010
Record Count: 13
Data SourcesBureau of Communicable Disease Control, Utah Department of Health.Number of Refugee Arrivals by Nativity and Country Arriving From (>10 arrivals), Utah, 2005-2011 YTD
Record Count: 64
Data NotesMany refugees have fled to other countries and refugee camps in countries they are not native to. Others were born in refugee camps in countries they are not native to. "Refugee Arrivals by Nativity" indicates the culture or ethnicity of arriving refugees. "Refugee Arrivals by Country" indicates the actual country they were in prior to coming to Utah and is important when tracking diseases and conditions from specific geographic locations.Data SourcesBureau of Communicable Disease Control, Utah Department of Health.Number of Refugee Arrivals by Age Group, Utah, 1998-2010
Record Count: 65
Data SourcesBureau of Communicable Disease Control, Utah Department of Health.Number of Reportable Conditions in Refugee Arrivals, Utah, 2010
Record Count: 12
Data NotesNOT positive for active TB disease. Only children <7 years old tested for Blood Lead, positive >1-mg/dL.Data SourcesBureau of Communicable Disease Control, Utah Department of Health.References and Community ResourcesINTERNET RESOURCES FOR REFUGEES:Utah Department of Health Tuberculosis Control & Refugee Health Program http://health.utah.gov/cdc Catholic Community Services - Utah www.ccsutah.org International Rescue Committee www.theIRC.org U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Refugee Resettlement www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration www.state.gov/g/prm Utah Department of Workforce Services, Utah Refugee Resettlement Program jobs.utah.gov/services/financial/refuge.asp More Resources and LinksEvidence-based community health improvement ideas and interventions may be found at the following sites:
Additional indicator data by state and county may be found on these Websites:
Medical literature can be queried at the PubMed website. For an on-line medical dictionary, click on this Dictionary link.
Page Content Updated On 10/05/2011,
Published on 11/23/2011
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