The BMC Immigrant & Refugee Health Center connects all of Boston Medical Center’s existing programs and expertise in immigrant and refugee health care into one central point of entry where any immigrant patient can be connected with all of BMC’s medical, mental health and social services that they need in order to heal, rebuild and thrive.
We all know the challenge of navigating a complex health care system. By aligning BMC’s immigrant and refugee programs under one medical home model, we can ensure that all of our patients are connected with BMC’s full menu of comprehensive care, can access these services in an efficient way, and are supported by knowledgeable, caring staff in navigating our healthcare system.
Treatments and Services
The BMC Immigrant & Refugee Health Center (IRHC) works with providers across BMC to connect our patients with primary care, mental health care, medical specialty care, and social services, all tailored to the needs of immigrant and refugee patients. While we can help our patients connect with any services available across BMC, there are several departments and programs that are affiliated with our Center. Please refer to the drop-down list below.
Primary Care
The Immigrant & Refugee Health Program (IRHP) in the department of General Internal Medicine provides comprehensive primary care services to immigrant and refugee health patients through the practice at the Shapiro Center at Boston Medical Center.
Refugee Health Assessment Program
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 within three months of arrival in the U.S.
Mental Health
Through an innovative model of outpatient care, Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights (BCRHHR) provides comprehensive mental health services – including counseling and medication management – designed to meet the special needs of refugees and survivors of torture, asylum seekers and immigrants.
Obstetics & Gynecology
The Refugee Women’s Health Clinic (RWHC) is a program of the BMC Immigrant Health Center. The RWHC provides comprehensive and culturally sensitive women's health services to refugee, asylum seeking, and recent immigrant communities in the Greater Boston area.
Social Services
Boston Medical Center has long been a leader in recognizing that for our patients to be truly healthy, we cannot focus solely on their physical and mental wellbeing alone. We know that holistic health also requires us to address our patients’ access to social support, such as food and housing insecurity, legal needs or employment.
Case Management
Because we recognize that navigating the healthcare system can be challenging, we use a patient-centered approach to help orient our patients to the healthcare system and access care. We also know that accessing resources such as food and housing is important to our patients’ health. At the BMC Immigrant & Refugee Health Center, our team of Case Managers and Patient Navigators will partner with you to connect you with all of the health and social services that you need to stay healthy. If you are interested in becoming a patient of the BMC Immigrant & Refugee Health Center, please refer to this page.
The BMC Immigrant & Refugee Health Center is a place where patients know they can come to have their needs met—all of which we consider to be fundamental— in the most efficient way possible, especially when they first arrive and are learning our health care system. And we want them to feel safe every step of the way.
- Sarah Kimball, MD. Co-Director of the BMC Immigrant Health Center
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