University of British Columbia This year we continued to use multiple modalities to raise awareness around this year's theme of Immigrant and Refugee Health. Alongside raising awareness via posters placed throughout areas of BC Children's Hospital, we utilized the resident website, having a dedicated page to the event. We were also able to recruit an outspoken advocate of patient health, Dr. Dzung Vo to speak at our annual resident fall retreat on the topic of immigrant and refugee health, in the context of our theme of bridging cultural gaps. Through this presentation, we were able to facilitate a discussion amongst the resident body about the various challenges and potential but practical solutions surrounding Immigrant and Refugee Health. We will also be hosting an Academic Half Day presentation on the same topic within the next month by our CPS representative, Dr. Faith Cormier (re-scheduled from November due to an AHD scheduling conflict). Overall, utilizing different forums has helped raise the attention amongst residents towards immigrant and refugee health. University of Alberta For advocacy week this year, the U of A pediatric residents gave a talk about refugee health during our academic half day. Many residents were not previously aware of the issues. It turned into a great intellectual discussion. The following day, residents again discussed refugee health issues at pediatric Grand Rounds. All in all, it was an interesting, important topic, and a great week. University of Saskatchewan Advocacy day was incorporated into our academic half day for the week. We invited Dr Mahli Brindamour, who has been greatly involved in Canadian Doctors for Refugee Health Care, to come and facilitate a group discussion on the changes to the IFHP in 2012, the impact these have had, and all the current developments since that time. We brainstormed what potential roles we could have for advocacy as residents. We submitted a letter to the editor to the Star Pheonix briefly summarizing the changes and calling people to hold the Canadian government accountable to both federal law, and Canadian values. In addition, we presented Powerpoints and distributed the provided materials about Caring for Children new to Canada and cultural competency. McMaster University The advocacy week at McMaster University was very successful. Posters about Immigrant and Refugee health were distributed around the Hospital and two of our pediatric residents prepared a talk for the resident academic half day focused on Immigrants and Refugees, the challenges that they go through when they arrive to Canada and the social determinants of their health. This talk generated a great discussion between residents and wonderful ideas came from it. In addition, to support our ongoing advocacy ideas, the Pediatric program at McMaster University provides residents with the opportunity to do a Social Pediatrics rotation in the second year. This rotation is a great opportunity for residents to integrate into the Hamilton community and gain appreciation of the environment and
resources available to our patients and their families. During this rotation residents have the opportunity to attend a Refugee and Immigrant clinic in Hamilton and face the difficulties that newcomers go through when they arrive to the country. Northern Ontario School of Medicine NOSM s Refugee health advocacy week was held in numerous locations at the North, including Sudbury, Sioux Lookout, and the Laurentian University medical school. Posters were placed at the lobby and elevators to highlight the importance of refugee health. As some of the NOSM residents were doing their rotations at CHEO, we had a combined Residency advocacy week at Ottawa as well! We pooled our education tools and had a mini-booth at the cafeteria at CHEO. Many of the paediatricians stopped by our table and looked at the Refugee health checklistsmost commented that they will access them in future visits with immigrants/ future patients. I have a close up of the little cut-out paper people- these were individual crafts done by children at CHEO and every one of them is unique!
University of Toronto For this year s advocacy week, residents at the University of Toronto and Sick Kids hospital conducted multiple sessions related to immigrant and refugee health. In our academic resident lectures we heard from Dr. Tony Barozzino, co-editor-in-chief of KidsNewToCanada.ca. We talked about practical ways to improve our cultural competence and provide better care for new-comers to Canada, including helping them navigate our health care system and the use of cultural interpreters. Dr. Naheed Dosani, a recent graduate of family medicine and forerunner in palliative care, talked to us about his utilization of social media campaigns on Twitter and Facebook to advocate for changes in health care policy. His online presence was instrumental in opposing cuts to the Interim Federal Health Program, which affected access to health care for refugees. Finally, we heard from Pro Bono Ontario Lawyer Lee Ann Chapman. She introduced the UN convention document on the rights of the child, and its application to current cases in the media. A second set of activities were conducted on a hospital-wide level. At Grand Rounds, invited speaker Dr. Paul Wise of Stanford University addressed issues of differential access to health care with particular focus on Ebola. He also provided a historical context of the different approaches to global health that have been used in the past, contrasting child survival with children s rights movements. To further empower children, and provide information on a patient level, we worked with our public relations department to create a child friendly one-page version of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child. This was distributed by the residents in clinics and wards across the hospital. To cap off our week, Mr Stephen Lewis spoke as the keynote speaker to open the 25 th Anniversary of the UN Convention on the rights of the child. He was an engaging speaker overall and reflected on the Convention and its implications world-wide. Mr. Stephen Lewis, former politician, diplomat and broadcaster. Keynote speaker at the Symposium on the UN convention on the rights of the child.
University of Ottawa CHEO s Residency Advocacy week was a great success! Prior to National Advocacy Week, we introduced the CPS and it s various resources for residents during an academic half day. Residents were shown a Powerpoint presentation about what the CPS can do for residents, and likewise how residents can contribute to the CPS by sharing their experiences throughout residency. At this time we communicated Advocacy Day to our fellow residents, and again later via email. We developed a poster board with resources provided by CPS, and displayed the board in our cafeteria the busiest location in the hospital. The board was highly visible and attracted hospital staff, patients and colleagues alike to read a bit more about the CPS through pamphlets displayed at the advocacy table. Various residents representing both CHEO and NOSM pediatrics sat with the poster board to answer questions and publicize National Advocacy Day. Following National Advocacy Day, we continued to display the poster in our Resident s Lounge, and left pamphlets and flyers for residents to read at their leisure. We look forward to even more participation in National Advocacy Day next year!
Queen s University The pediatric residents of Queen s university were pleased to participate in this year s advocacy week concerning refugee health child health. We utilized this opportunity to familiarize residents and medical students with the various challenges facing the refugee population. We utilized a morning teaching session to review the origin of and situations faced by people seeking refugee status in Canada. Furthermore, we reviewed the Interim Federal Health Program, and discussed the changes proposed by the federal government. The CPS advocacy statement was used as a guide for discussion, with particular focus on the correlation between child health and adult health. Follow-up emails informed residents of ongoing developments in the ensuing court saga. The residents at Queen s also had a separate discussion specific to refugees in Kingston following our academic half-day. This included exploration of the size of the refugee population in Kingston, with particular emphasis on the pediatric population. Furthermore, we explored the various community resources available in Kingston, including translators and community agencies that may be useful in clinical practice. Residents were encourage to utilize this information as a launching point for future advocacy projects to improve patient care. Université de Montreal With this year's theme, being Immigrant and Refugee Health, our pediatric residents of Sainte-Justine's Hospital started off the National ResidentAdvocacy Day by raising awareness with an information booth, reaching out to our local paediatricians/practionners and health care professionals on-site. A presentation of the CPS statements related to the topic, followed by an interactive session, on how to navigate through the website "Caring for Kids New to Canada" were also held by our residents. Our guest-speaker Dr. Elizabeth Rousseau, a well-known pediatrician at Sainte-Justine who indeed played an integral part on the editorial board of the website, was able to share with us her personal experiences with regards to pediatric immigrants/refugees' unique health needs and what tools are at our disposal during these patient encounters. Furthermore, Dr. Ouimet and her team from Medecins du Monde, an international humanitarian non-profit organization providing medical care to vulnerable populations, presented us the different status of immigration in Quebec, their mandate and the different ways they have been able to overcome challenges when trying to access proper healthcare for these patients. Finally, we finished off the day with a documentary on female genital mutilation, in order to raise awareness of its existence, while having an open discussion concerning the psychosocial impact on the child's well-being and the possible medical complications that can arise
Laval Dans le cadre de la journée nationale pour la défense des intérêts des enfants organisée par la Société Canadienne de Pédiatrie, les résidents de l Université Laval ont assisté à une présentation de 30 minutes sur la prévention et la promotion de la santé auprès des enfants néo-canadiens. Ils ont ainsi pu explorer différents outils leur permettant d améliorer leur prise en charge des nouveaux arrivants. Ils ont aussi eu la chance de découvrir l expérience du Dre. Renée-Claude Duval, impliquée dans l adoption internationale des enfants du CHU de Québec. Cette journée leur a permis de devenir de meilleurs piliers dans la défense de la santé des enfants nouveaux arrivants. Dalhousie Every Tuesday morning, the Dalhousie Pediatric Residents gather for staff-led teaching in the pediatric lounge. On Resident Advocacy Day, we had a special change to our Tuesday teaching and invited a former pediatric resident, Alyson Holland, who has a strong interest in global health to come speak to us about the challenges immigrants and refugees face when encountering the health care system. She described a case she encountered in her resident continuity clinic and how she educated herself and advocated for a refugee family new to Canada. Residents were able to learn about the different types of immigrants and refugees and how different statuses lead to different levels of medical coverage and support. Alyson provided some ideas on how to get involved in global health in our community, without needing to go abroad. The event was well attended and generated a great deal of discussion among residents. Pamphlets with information on how to access the CPS Caring for Kids New to Canada website was provided to all residents.
Memorial University On advocacy day, Drs. Alison Lopez and Kescha Kazmi gave a presentation to medical students, residents and staff on the topic of Immigrant and Refugee Health. The talk focused on the unique health and developmental needs of children new to Canada. Fortunately for us, many of our staff have had a lot of experience working with newcomer populations and offered a lot of insight. In preparation for our advocacy week, we corresponded with local organizations such as the Association for New Canadians. This allowed us to have a better understanding of the health needs specific to newcomers living here in Newfoundland. The day was a great success and marked a real step forward in raising awareness about immigrant and refugee health, as this is a growing population here in Newfoundland. We are also scheduled to present on this topic for Grand Rounds in January 2015. Our aim is to bring awareness about this topic to a broader audience.