Refugee health and wellbeing

Eid Festival, BroadmeadowsMore than 13,750 people from refugee backgrounds settle in Australia each year. Their prolonged experiences of poverty, displacement, torture and trauma have resulted in a range of health inequalities.

Australian health and community services have made many achievements to date in addressing these inequalities. This stream will provide the opportunity to explore some of these achievements and to identify emerging issues. In particular, we will ask:

  • What issues are emerging in refugee health and wellbeing? 
  • What health promotion approaches are most effective in working with refugee communities? 
  • What are the most effective ways to provide health services, especially in regard to early intervention?

The Refugee Health and Wellbeing stream will engage health practitioners, health service managers, policy-makers and academics in a multidisciplinary discussion on the range of issues associated with the health and wellbeing of refugee communities living in Australia. 

Conference content

Plenary session: Tuesday 8 June

Perspectives on refugee health and wellbeing 

Paper presentations

Refugee perceptions of health and health services (8 June)

Refugee young people and transitions (8 June)

Refugee health: engagement and access (9 June)

 

Refugee Health
Sub-committee 

Sue Casey (Chair)
 Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture

Dr I-Hao Cheng
Dandenong Casey GP Association

Sally Richardson
Department of Health, Victoria

Lee Kennedy
West Bay Primary Care Partnership

Lindy Marlow
Western Region Health Centre

Louise Crowe
Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture (Foundation House)

Diana Amato
Centre for Multicultural Youth