Kenan-Biddle Partnership team holds group discussion with community health workers in North Carolina

Members from the Kenan Biddle Partnership team met with a group of community health workers that are supported by the Center for New North Carolinians (CNNC) as part of ongoing discussions to better understand the challenges faced by refugees and immigrant communities when accessing healthcare and social services across the state of North Carolina.

This project is supported by The Refugee Community Partnership, a community-driven organization based in Carrboro, NC focused on intentional support for relocated families in North Carolina and Advance Access & Delivery, a non-profit based in Durham, NC committed to fighting double standards in healthcare policies and access to medicines.

The project aims to create a robust set of training materials that can be used by community organizations working to accompany individuals and families that are new to North Carolina. Through a series of interviews and focus groups, team members have met with volunteers, community health workers, and the leaders of refugee support programs to hear first-hand how they are addressing service barriers within their communities. The team will use this information collected to create a training package to be shared widely with community partners.

The team’s meeting in Greensboro explored the complexities that are often faced when working with refugee and immigrant communities to access even the most basic healthcare services. Several of the community health workers underscored the importance of resourcefulness, flexibility, and compassion in their roles.