VCH prepares for arrival of Syrian refugees

He was one of the 60,000 Vietnamese ‘boat people’ who came to Canada in the late 70’s/early 80’s fleeing the fall of Saigon. Now Dr Soma Ganesan, VCH-Vancouver’s Head of Mental Health, gives back by helping other refugees cope.

Ganesan didn’t speak English when he first arrived in 1981 and took a job as a forklift driver before working his way back into the medical profession – he had been a doctor in his native Vietnam.

Out of his personal experience and work with refugees helping them cope with trauma, Ganesan says, “The loss of their background, culture, family and status…that continues to linger on in their lives in the first few years of settlement and we need to deal with that.”

Ganesan says what the estimated 1,700 refugees from Syria who will be arriving in B.C. as early as this month will need most is a safe place to stay, health care supports and a welcoming community.

VCH’s Public Health and Vancouver Community are working together on a health response plan to prepare for the required resources, staffing and supplies needed to support arriving refugees’ health care needs through the Bridge Clinic for refugees, located at Evergreen Community Health Centre in Vancouver.

Although a basic health screening will take place prior to refugees’ arrival in Canada, Dr Mei-ling Wiedmeyer, Medical Coordinator for the Clinic, says that Bridge Clinic will be the first point of contact with our health care system for most Syrians coming to B.C.

“Bridge will send outreach teams to get a health history, do some initial screening and then triage people according to how much and how quickly they need medical attention. Once their initial health care needs are met by the Clinic, we will then work in partnership with local health authorities and organizations to transition them to local health care services in the communities where they will eventually reside,” Wiedmeyer says.

She adds, “The Clinic supports hundreds of refugees every year and the majority of all refugees arriving in the province are first assessed through the Clinic. We also provide consultation for primary care providers across B.C. in relation to refugee health.”

Bridge Clinic is a specialized centre providing a variety of primary and preventative health care services including: screening for communicable diseases; mental health; primary health care, including women’s and children’s health; and referrals to community services and support groups such as housing. Some specialist services such as pediatrics and internal medicine are also provided.

VCH is also working with local organizations such as the Immigrant Services Society of BC, Fraser Health, Interior Health, City of Vancouver and BC Housing to develop a coordinated and prepared response.

“VCH and the Bridge Clinic have experienced increases in refugee numbers in the past and we are confident that we will be able to ramp up staffing and coordination to ensure all Syrian refugees receive the health care services they need upon arrival in B.C.,” says Wiedmeyer.

Related Links:

• Read VCH Medical Health Officer Reka Gustafson’s blog on her experiences as a refugee to Canada
• Check out this week’s People in Profile to find out more about Bridge Clinic’s coordinator, Annette Floyd