New Routes to Community Health
An RWJF National Program
Field of Work: Immigration and refugee media projects to address health and health care issues
Problem Synopsis: Immigrants and refugees often struggle to obtain the health care they need because of cultural and language barriers. One of the key ways they can get information about health issues is through media, but the media must be culturally and linguistically relevant to immigrants and refugees.
Synopsis of the Work: From 2006 to 2011, New Routes to Community Health brought together immigrant-led groups, local media organizations, and community institutions in eight cities to use storytelling and media making to address the health concerns of immigrants and refugees.
Key Results: Immigrant groups, media makers and community institutions worked together to produce original media content in immigrants' first languages including Amharic, Chinese, Creole, French, Lao, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, and Vietnamese. The sites created a wide range of media, including television and radio features, telenovelas, first-person narratives, live theater, print materials, and social marketing campaigns.
The program also developed leaders who advocated for the needs of their community on a local, state, and national basis. In addition, the sites created media projects that addressed the often rarely discussed topic of mental health in immigrant and refugee communities.
Related Websites
Recommended Reading
- Fresh Ideas: Improving the Health of Immigrant and Refugee Communities
- The Midwest Immigrant Health Project
- Providing Aid to Children Released to North Carolina From Immigrant Detention
- The Immigrants and Refugees New Arrivals Advocacy Project
- Classes to Improve Health Literacy for Immigrants in Lincoln, Neb.