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The goal
of the Refugee Health Program (RHP) is to be a leader in
providing culturally sensitive health services to persons who
have fled their home country due to persecution (political,
religious, or economic) in search for a better life and
self-sufficiency in America. The RHP reviews overseas medical
examination records and provides domestic health screenings and
immunizations to refugees to enhance personal health status and
protect Florida's public health. The RHP provides these services
through funding from the Office of Refugee Resettlement and the
Florida Department of Children and Families, Refugee Services.
Florida is
a national leader in refugee resettlement, receiving the largest
volume of participants in the United States' Refugee
Resettlement Program. The state received a three-year total
(2005-2008) of 65,977 participants, while California received
27,068, Minnesota received 15,665, and New York received
11,932. In spite of Florida's large volume of refugees, the RHP
has achieved a completion rate of over 92% for refugee domestic
health assessments.
The RHP
serves the following groups of individuals: refugees, asylees,
Cuban/Haitian asylum applicants, Cuban/Haitian entrants,
Amerasians, Iraqi/Afghan special immigrants, and certain victims
of severe forms of human trafficking.
The
majority of participants who currently resettle in Florida
originate from Cuba, Haiti, or Burma. Most of Florida's new
arrivals are Cuban entrants, although the state is experiencing
a greater influx of refugees and special immigrants,
particularly from Bhutan and Iraq. Of the 67 counties in
Florida, 40 receive refugees on a regular basis. Geographically,
new arrivals tend to resettle in one of eight Florida counties:
Miami-Dade, Hillsborough, Duval, Palm Beach, Broward, Orange,
Collier, or Lee.
To
contact the RHP in your area, view our
RHP contact listing
(pdf 89.0 kb). |
