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Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services

CT Immigrant Day Honors Yale-New Haven Hospital Refugee Clinics

On April 20, 2010, IRIS joined with other members of the Connecticut Immigrant and Refugee Coalition (CIRC) to celebrate the 13th Annual CT Immigrant Day at the State Capitol.  CT Immigrant Day honored fourteen immigrants who have received US citizenship for their contributions to the community.  Awards were presented by Susan Bysiewicz, Secretary of the State; Nancy Wyman, State Comptroller; and other elected officials.

CT Immigrant Day also honored the Pediatric and Adult Refugee Clinics of the Yale-New Haven Hospital Primary Care Center with the Myra M. Oliver Award.  The Myra M. Oliver Award is given to those who work beyond the call of duty to help refugees and immigrants, in memory of her lifetime of leadership and service. 

Six years ago the Primary Care Center responded to the need to offer high quality, culturally- and linguistically-appropriate primary care medical services to refugees who have recently arrived in CT.  In consultation with IRIS, medical residents took the initiative to set up designated appointment times to meet the medical needs of this unique population.  They called it a “Refugee Clinic.”  These residents worked diligently to develop this innovative idea into a sustained reality.  Each year, the doctors and nurses of the Refugee Clinics provide exceptional care to over 100 adult patients and 40 children.  Many of these clinicians graciously volunteer their time to meet the medical and mental health needs of IRIS’s refugee clients.

The Myra M. Oliver Award was presented to five representatives from the Refugee Clinics.

The Myra M. Oliver Award was presented to five representatives from the Refugee Clinics.  IRIS believes that these Refugee Clinics are a remarkable model in the field of refugee medicine, and joins with CIRC in thanking the Yale-New Haven Hospital Primary Care Center and these outstanding practitioners for their vision in making the clinics happen, their dedication to seeking continuous improvements, and their compassionate care for new Americans.