CALD and refugee health resources

Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) Health assessment for refugees and other humanitarian entrants

Department of Health fact sheet giving details of health assessments for refugees and other humanitarian entrants under Medicare items 701, 703, 705 and 707.

Health Resource Directory

Health Resource Directory connects people diagnosed with a health condition with information and resources. The information is developed from the clinical guidelines GPs use in south western Sydney.

The information has been reviewed and endorsed by local community members and GPs.

Log in to HealthPathways

Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS)

TIS provides access to phone and on-site interpreting services in over 160 languages and dialects.

Service NSW “Help in your language”

How Service NSW provide many translation and interpreter services.

Working with Interpreters in the Healthcare Setting publications

Publications available from Western Sydney LHD on their Health Care Interpreter Service.

Health Translations

The Victorian Government's Health Translations is a free online library of high-quality translated Australian health and wellbeing information.

Diversity Aged Care – Better connecting with diverse audiences

Not everyone who needs aged care speaks and reads English.

The Australian Government Department of Health wants to make it easier for senior Australians to access the aged care information they need in their chosen language, and easier for you to provide it.

To assist, they’re providing a free translation service to make it easier for you to translate or interpret information on the care and services you provide. This service is available for audiences with diverse needs and backgrounds such as multicultural communities, people who are deaf or hard of hearing, people who are blind or have low vision and Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders.

Translated health information about medicines

There are potential risks involved in using all medicines, including prescription, over-the-counter, traditional and herbal medicines. These risks can be higher for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, particularly those with low English language proficiency and literacy levels.

NPS MedicineWise has produced translated resources for communities speaking a range of languages. These include Arabic, simplified and traditional Chinese, Croatian, French, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Korean, Macedonian, Spanish, Vietnamese. Not all resources are available in all languages.

NSW Multilingual Quitline

Provides free, confidential and individually-tailored service telephone advice to assist smokers in the quitting process. The Multilingual Quitline is managed by Quitline NSW in partnership with the NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service and funded by  the Cancer Institute NSW.

Australian Refugee Health Practice Guide

The Australian Refugee Health Practice Guide can be used by doctors, nurses and other primary care providers to inform on-arrival and ongoing health care for people from refugee backgrounds, including people seeking asylum.

Paediatric Refugee Clinic

SWSLHD Community Paediatrics provide a Paediatric Refugee Clinic for children and young people of refugee backgrounds from South Western Sydney. The refugee clinic runs out of Liverpool Community Health Service and the Refugee Clinic-Fairfield. It has a specific developmental disability refugee clinic in Fairfield to respond to the growing need for developmental assessment services for this vulnerable population.

Download a referral form.

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country. It also has a mandate to help stateless people.

Since 1950, the agency has helped tens of millions of people restart their lives. Today, a staff of more than 9,300 people in 123 countries continues to help and protect millions of refugees, returnees, internally displaced and stateless people.

Resources:
Australian Refugee Data 

Embrace – Multicultural mental health

Embrace Multicultural Mental Health provides mental health information, and training for professionals who work with clients from multicultural backgrounds.

Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing

Diversity Aged Care – Better connecting with diverse audiences

Not everyone who needs aged care speaks and reads English.

The Australian Government Department of Health wants to make it easier for senior Australians to access the aged care information they need in their chosen language, and easier for you to provide it.

To assist, they’re providing a free translation service to make it easier for you to translate or interpret information on the care and services you provide. This service is available for audiences with diverse needs and backgrounds such as multicultural communities, people who are deaf or hard of hearing, people who are blind or have low vision and Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders.

SBS Cultural Atlas

SBS's Cultural Atlas is an educational resource providing comprehensive information on the cultural background of Australia’s migrant populations. The aim is to improve social cohesion and promote inclusion in an increasingly culturally diverse society.

Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA)

The national umbrella body for refugees and the organisations and individuals who support them. It has more than 200 organisational and over 900 individual members.

Formed in November 1981, RCOA is a non-profit, non-government organisation registered as an incorporated association in the Australian Capital Territory. It is funded through contributions from its members and by project grants from philanthropic bodies and government agencies. The priority activities for RCOA are set by its members, as represented by an elected Board.

Factsheets
Resource

The Centre for Culture, Ethnicity & Health – CALD community statistics

Comprehensive data statistics about the communities that live in your area, the population groups that are currently accessing your services and the groups that could potentially be missing out on your services. CCE&H also provides training in culturally responsive health services and resources on multiculturism and health.

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Multicultural Health Communication service

For more information on health, diet and nutrition, exercise, and quitting smoking

NSW Refugee Health Service

The NSW Refugee Health Service (RHS) is a state-wide service, funded by the Ministry of Health. It provides a range of clinical services and medical assessments for recently arrived refugees and asylum seekers. Activities also include policy input, research, projects and a range of health promotion initiatives.

NSW Refugee Health Programs

A range of services aimed to protect and promote the health of refugees living in NSW

Settlement Service International

Settlement Services International (SSI) is a leading community-based not-for-profit organisation that provides a range of services in the areas of refugee settlement, asylum seeker assistance, housing, multicultural foster care, disability support and employment services in NSW.

SSI is committed to ensuring that people in vulnerable communities in NSW are supported and resourced to fulfill their potential as members of the Australian community.

CALD Assist: Supporting communication with patients from non-English speaking backgrounds

Western Health's CALD Assist™ offers a simple and dynamic way for health care workers to communicate with patients from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds when an interpreter is not available.

List of Australian visas – Department of Home Affairs

Details the many subclasses of visa available in Australia. For example the Global Special Humanitarian visa (202) is available for people who need to leave their home country.

Refugee Health Assessment Template

A template to assist in performing the MBS Refugee Health Assessment from the Victorian Refugee Health Network. 

Translated cancer resources for multicultural communities

Access cancer prevention and screening information, and resources for people with cancer in over 46 languages. Published by Cancer Institute NSW.