Services
Refugee Health ProgramPlease note that the Refugee Health Assessment Program sees patients that are referred from specific resettlement agencies; thus we do not make appointments for these patients outside this system. New immigrants to the U.S. should have their appointments made with primary care professionals with whom they plan to establish long-term care. Up to 75,000 refugees arrive each year in the United States, and about 5% of them have settled in Massachusetts in recent years. All refugees are entitled to a health assessment which needs to be initiated within three months of arrival in the U.S. Refugees are directed to the International Clinic by their sponsoring agencies. Trained medical interpreters and outreach workers affiliated with Boston Medical Center and the Refugee Health Program of the Department of Public Health provide interpretation of language as well as information about cultural traditions and practices that may impact upon health. The goals of the refugee health assessment are:
Unique Needs War, violence, and extreme living conditions are experiences shared by many refugee children. A survey of Bosnian children performed in the clinic showed that most children or their parents reported multiple exposures to wartime violence. Behavioral symptoms possibly related to these exposures were reported to be present in nearly half of all children. We have gradually expanded our role to provide additional services, collaborating with other BMC services as needed. These services include:
Travel Medicine ProgramThe International Clinic provides a family-oriented program to reduce the incidence of travel related illness. Most patients are from the international community of Boston Medical Center, where more than half of all children have at least one parent who was born outside the United States. The Travel Medicine program provides:
For health information on international travel, see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. Tropical Medicine ProgramThe International Clinic provides consultation services for diseases acquired abroad, including parasitic infections and other conditions such as malaria, schistosomiasis and strongyloides. The clinic maintains ties with the Hanson’s Disease Center in order to provide the most current diagnostic and treatment services. Close contact is maintained with each patient’s primary care provider during each consultation. Both adult and pediatric infectious disease specialists with training in international health and tropical medicine are available to see patients in the clinic. Research ActivitiesThe Travel Medicine clinic is one of 5 travel clinics participating in the Boston Area Travel Medicine Network (BATMN), a research network of travel clinics funded with a cooperative agreement with CDC. Research activities of the clinic include:
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