In 2014 Sojourn House partnered with Women’s College Hospital Crossroads Clinic to improve healthcare access for refugees. This clinic was initiated in response to Federal Government changes that terminated healthcare services to refugees. With these changes many of our clients were not covered by the Interim Federal Health Program (IFH) leaving them without access to even basic medical care. Additional to the termination of IFH a range of other factors were identified as impeding on refugees access to health care, resulting in late intervention and potential health-care risks and complications.
These factors include: refugees’ inability to navigate the medical system upon arriving in Canada and lack of familiarity with concepts of preventive services that may not have been available pre-migration. To address these factors and help make the transition easier for newly arrived refugees, Sojourn House in collaboration with WCH created the in house clinic.
In 2015 the Regent Park Community Health Center joined the clinic providing a Doctor for an additional day a week. The clinic medical team at Sojourn House has previously worked with hundreds of newly arrived refugees and is very familiar with the refugee process and all the stresses and challenges that it involves.
The in house clinic operates two days a week. Patients book appointments in advance and are seen by a nurse practitioner or a doctor on-site, in a safe and accessible environment. The in house clinic allows refugees to have easier access to healthcare soon upon arrival, thereby preventing illnesses that may consequently impair settlement or lead to health risks and complications.
The opportunity for close patient follow up to address ongoing mental and physical health care concerns has proved to be most beneficial to Sojourn House residents.
This is an internal clinic specific only for the current residents/clients of Sojourn House.
