RSC Health

As a mentor, if you are making a medical appointment for a refugee family member, you will need the following items:

date of birth
social security number
medicaid number
type of medicaid

Please indicate when you are making the appointment if the refugee will be needing the use of the translation services and what language the office will need to secure. When the refugee does go to their appointment, he/she must bring with them

a picture ID
their social security card
their I94
their Current medicaid (each month they are issued a new medicaid) any medications that they are currently taking
and their shot record as well.

Sometimes the doctors offices want you to bring your own translators, however you may not always get the most accurate translation. It may be more inconvenient for them, but it is to the advantage of the refugee to have accurate translation, and it is also the law for translation services to be provided.

As a mentor if you are wondering if the refugee family you are mentoring is on their time line with their immunizations, there is a simple way to check these by looking at the back of their shot records. The column on the right says the due date of the immunization and the column on the left says the date that the immunization was actually given!

Preventive health is an important piece to teach the refugees but also to keep in mind as a mentor. If you have not had your Hep A or Hep B shots and plan to work with the refugees on a continual basis, than it would be a good idea to go ahead and get these shots. The refugees receive these shots when they come into the states, and if you were traveling you would take the same precautions. These shots may be obtained at the:

Dallas County Department of Health and Human Services International Travel Clinic
2377 N Stemmons Freeway
Dallas, Tx 75207

Medical

Emergencies – call 911
Emergency room will serve everyone & will ask questions later. The resettlement agencies stress trying to teach the refugees to access the services available past their 8 month period and not to use the emergency room for their primary care. Once they have been here for 8 months they may use the Refugee Clinic for shots only and they are encouraged to find their own Primary Care Physicians.

If it is critical you may need to go to the emergency room, however call first and seek advice. Then let the resettlement agency know the situation after the event if is in the first six months of resettlement.

Non-emergencies – Refugee Outreach Clinic (see contact info below) – Services clients for up to 2 years but does not charge a fee. Adults are schedule on Mon, Tue, Thu & children Tue & Thu. Clients may be referred to other clinics/hospitals.

Medicaid

Most refugees (They do have to go through an application process and meet the eligibility requirements set forth by the gov't) are covered for 8 months. That month starts on the 1st day of the month they arrive. See Important Dates for Refugees.
Up to three prescriptions per month are covered.
Translator services are provided by Medicaid (Doctors/clinics who accept Medicaid patients are legally obligated to provide an interpreter free of charge to the client. While it is required by Title VI, many providers try to avoid this obligation and you may need to advocate on the refugee's behalf.)
In some cases, Medicaid can arrange transportation to doctor appointments but must be requested 10 days in advance of appointment. Click here to learn more about the Medical Transportation Program.

Other medical options

CHIP - The Children's Health Insurance Program
Designed for families who earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid, yet cannot afford to buy private insurance for their children. CHIP coverage provides eligible children with coverage for a full range of health services including regular checkups, immunizations, prescription drugs, lab tests, X-rays, hospital visits and more.

Martin Luther King Jr. Family Clinic
2922 B Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd (214)426-3645
Provides pediatric care, adolescent and adult medical care, obstetrical care, voluntary family planning, laboratory services, radiological services, pharmacy, health education and nutrition counseling. Dental services are available to all ages by appointment. Call for an appointment.

East Dallas Health Clinic
General line 214-266-1000
Women's 214-823-6199
Pediatrics 214-266-1080

Presbyterian Pediatric Health Center
In the Heart Building on Greenville 214-345-2877, only takes patients under 5,

Presbyterian Women's Health Center
214-345-2777
The direct line to the Medicaid worker at the Pres. Women's Health Center is 214-345-4229. This is if you are pregnant and without Medicaid.

Refugee Clinic a.k.a. "The OutReach Clinic"
214 750 8448 7317 Holly Hill Dr. #1101
Dallas , Tx 75231
Appointments by phone really are not taken.
Show up at the clinic at 8:00 in the morning on the days it is open. Following is the schedule:
Mondays - Adults 8:00-3:00
Tuesdays- Adults and Children 8:00-3:00
Thursdays - Children 8-12:00

Dental

Baylor College of Dentistry
3302 Gaston - (214) 828-8100
Appointment information (214) 828-8441.
Dental School will service refugees over 21.
Services: General and specialty dental clinics for the purpose of teaching dental hygiene, dental, and postgraduate students. Patients are charged on a cost of materials basis rather than ability to pay.
No residence restrictions.

Vision

Medicaid
Covers an optometrist only (1 exam every 12 months). Glasses are not currently covered by Medicaid.

Eye Glass programs

Lions Sight and Tissue Foundation
5601 Medical Center Dr , 5323 Harry Hines Blvd (972) 239-3937
How to Apply : Referral through a social worker for adult eyeglass needs. Referral by school nurse for children's program.
Services : Operates eyeglass program for needy persons unable to get help through other agencies. Adult clients who need eyeglasses MUST be referred by a caseworker from an agency that is familiar with the client's situation and can document need. Call to schedule an appointment, follow up with a letter on agency letterhead.

Prevent Blindness Texas
3610 Fairmount (214) 528-5521
Adult vision and Glaucoma screening. Eye exams available for all ages and glasses for children who qualify financially.

Immunizations

Each refugee must have proof of immunizations to get green card. 3 rounds of immunizations are required of refugees. The 1st is received immediately upon arrival. The 2nd is required in 30 days after arrival. The last is required at 60 months. Chest X-ray may be required if TB test is positive.

Fridays you may get shots at the Refugee Services of Texas office which is located at 4113 Junius St., Dallas, Tx 75246 (214) 821-4883

Diseases

In short, refugees are carefully screened for communicable diseases as part of their pre-departure process. They also receive a follow-up health screening once they arrive in the U.S. to follow-up on concerns that may have been identified overseas as well as additional testing. The chances that a refugee would have a communicable disease, especially one that would be serious, are extremely limited.

At the same time, refugees come from areas that do not have the same basic public health system and precautions that we do. Many simply have not had the opportunity to access the same vaccinations most of us take for granted . . . and so on.

Volunteers who themselves have immune deficiency concerns, small children, etc. might want to be pro-active in discussing such issues with refugee agency staff. Volunteers need to understand that refugee agency staff cannot disclose medical information about a client without their permission. Some refugees may have Class-A conditions (e.g. HIV, Syphilis, and Tuberculosis). Mentors may request to not have Class-A condition refugees assigned to them.

Hygiene

Hand washing andgood health hygiene are critical to good health care. Click here to read an excellent article on hand washing from The Mayo Clinic. As a mentor one of the most significant lessons you may be teaching is the importance of hand washing!

Other lessons would include refrigerating foods, proper garbage sanitation, general home cleaning techniques, which may include dish washing and laundry. These things we take for granted, however many cultures have not had the opportunity to learn these lessons or the to the extent that we expect in our culture.

Medical Notes

Eye Glass programs