State Letter #02-38
TO: STATE REFUGEE COORDINATORS
NATIONAL VOLUNTARY AGENCIES
OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES
FROM: Nguyen Van Hanh, Ph.D.
Director
Office of Refugee Resettlement
SUBJECT: Concerns related to mental health and availability of technical assistance
Several decades of work and research have increased our understanding of the forces which help prevent emotional problems and factors that promote healthy adaptation in resettling refugees. Over that time, the Federal refugee mental health agenda has developed from the establishment of state refugee health offices, implementing social needs assessments and promoting access to clinical services, either by developing freestanding ethnic specific clinics, or introducing refugees to mainstream community mental health centers and other clinical agencies. More recently, the focus has been on prevention and community-based interventions.
The general well-being and successful psychosocial adjustment of refugees continues to be of major importance to all of us involved in resettlement. While meeting all of the challenges of resettlement, unique problems can and sometimes do manifest within specific refugee communities (not unlike non-refugee populations in the United States). Additionally, certain vulnerable, or at risk, community members need to be identified and referred to appropriate services.
Recently, I became aware of several suicides and attempted suicides among members of refugee communities in different parts of the country. For instance, over the last four years, there were eight teen suicides in the Hmong refugee community in Fresno, California. In an effort to prevent further tragedies and to develop a plan of action for suicide prevention, I asked the staff of the Refugee Mental Health Program (RMHP – ORR’s refugee mental health technical assistance providers) - to conduct a limited assessment of the current status and needs of the Hmong teen population in Fresno. For your information, I have attached a copy of their findings and recommendations.
As I share with you information concerning the Hmong youth in Fresno, I would like to take the opportunity to invite you to inform my office of similar problems or situations you may be observing in any refugee communities in your state.
Finally, I would like to remind you of the mental health technical assistance (TA) available from RHMP staff. Through an intra-agency agreement (IAA) between ORR and the Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the RMHP provides consultation and TA to any public or private, federal, state, or local agency, and any other agency that provides services to refugees. There is no cost for RMHP TA services. Specific RMHP activities include: on-site and distance consultation, community assessments and program development services, and the provision of workshops and training programs for resettlement staff and mental health personnel.
For further refugee mental health information or assistance, please contact:
Captain John Tuskan
E-mail: jtuskan@samhsa.gov
Tel: 301-443-1761
Fax: 301-443-7912
or
Commander Angela Gonzalez Willis
E-mail: agonzal2@samhsa.gov
Tel: 301-443-2507
Fax: 301-443-7912
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Center for Mental Health Services
Refugee Mental Health Program
5600 Fishers Lane, Room 17C-05
Rockville, MD 20857
Enclosures
Current Status and Needs of the Hmong Community in Fresno, California