Journal of Religion and Health
Volume 58, Issue 5, 2019, Pages 1687-1697

Community Intervention for Syrian Refugees in Baltimore City: The Lay Health Educator Program at a Local Mosque (Article)

Chaudhary A. , Dosto N. , Hill R. , Lehmijoki-Gardner M. , Sharp P. , Daniel Hale W. , Galiatsatos P.*
  • a Medicine for the Greater Good, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 4940 Eastern Avenue, Asthma & Allergy Building, 4th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21224, United States, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States
  • b Medicine for the Greater Good, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 4940 Eastern Avenue, Asthma & Allergy Building, 4th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21224, United States
  • c Medicine for the Greater Good, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 4940 Eastern Avenue, Asthma & Allergy Building, 4th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21224, United States
  • d Department of Theology, Loyola University Maryland, Baltimore, MD, United States
  • e Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD, United States
  • f Medicine for the Greater Good, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 4940 Eastern Avenue, Asthma & Allergy Building, 4th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21224, United States, Division of Geriatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
  • g Medicine for the Greater Good, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 4940 Eastern Avenue, Asthma & Allergy Building, 4th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21224, United States, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States

Abstract

This study focused on a partnership with a mosque in Baltimore, MD, and its impact on the local Syrian refugee population through a peer-to-peer healthcare training program. We implemented the Lay Health Educator Program over a 6-week period in an effort to teach members of the mosque about healthcare-related topics that they could then disseminate to the Syrian refugee population that attends the mosque. Physicians and nurses instructed community members on health, healthcare resources, and healthcare information during 2-h long sessions once a week. A total of 18 community members took part in the program, and their participation highlighted that the most significant health issues for the Syrian refugees are “access to healthcare,” “mental health,” and insight into certain noncommunicable disease. Finally, the community program graduates implemented several health-related campaigns over 2 years in an effort to disseminate information taught to them. In doing so, they significantly impacted the ability of the refugees to assimilate to the US healthcare system. © 2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Author Keywords

Community health Refugees Faith-based intervention Islam

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85070695450&doi=10.1007%2fs10943-019-00893-9&partnerID=40&md5=4584d38a8d41718273a8554f4cd0a6e0
DOI: 10.1007/s10943-019-00893-9
ISSN: 00224197
Original Language: English