Refugee, Immigrant, and Newcomer Health Services

We only accept referrals from resettlement agencies and CRSP to provide these exams for ORR-eligible individuals.

Accepting referrals from resettlement agencies and Colorado Refugee Services Program only to provide comprehensive health screenings for Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)-eligible individuals.

• Domestic Medical Examinations (DMEs)
  Denver Health is contracted with Colorado Refugee Services Program to provide one-time, patient-centered comprehensive medical and mental health evaluations, also called domestic medical examinations, within 30-90 days of arrival. We also offer connection to ongoing healthcare as part of the Office of Refugee Resettlement process. Denver Health has completed over 4,000 DMEs since 2014.
• Pre-Screening (Triage and Class B)
  Pre-Screen appointments occur before refugee screening visits. Pre-screening appointments are required to ensure early identification and management of refugees, and other eligible statuses, infected with, or at risk for, communicable diseases of potential public health importance and for identification and referral of refugees for evaluation of health conditions that could adversely impact effective resettlement and quality of life of individuals and/or families, and is a grant deliverable.
• Unaccompanied Refugee Minor (URM) Screening
  The URM program provides culturally and linguistically appropriate foster care and independent living placements for refugee-eligible unaccompanied minors in the United States. URM’s referred for DME receive a health screening within 10 days of arrival.
• Connection to Care
• Ongoing Primary and Specialty Care - After patients have completed their DME screening visits, they are given the opportunity to connect to a medical home for ongoing care.
• Wrap-around Services - Screening visits are done within the Lowry Family Health Center which has many wrap-around services.
• Volunteer - We currently do not have any volunteer opportunities.

• Forensic Medical and Mental Health Evaluations (FMEs)
• Volunteer clinicians provide FMEs for asylum seekers. Findings from these evaluations provide objective documentation of physical and psychological injuries and trauma, which can be used to corroborate the asylum seeker’s narrative of persecution in their immigration case.
• To refer a client for an FME, please complete a Forensic Evaluation Request Form
• We only accept FME referrals from attorneys
• Volunteer - If you are a licensed medical or mental health professional interested in volunteering, please complete the FME Volunteer Evaluator Interest Form
• Humanitarian Release Letters - To request a humanitarian release letter for a client, please complete a Humanitarian Letter Request Form

Our navigation is unique nationally in its culturally and linguistically responsive approach, staff retention, sustainability and more than 10-year history. Refugee, Immigrant, and Newcomer Health Services Navigation, which remains grant-funded and project-based, serves our patients throughout Denver Health Ambulatory Care Services and currently includes three navigators and two project specialists, who collectively speak Amharic, Arabic, English, French, Karen, Kikongo, Lingala, Maay Maay, Somali, Spanish, and Swahili.

Refugee, Immigrant, and Newcomer Health Services Navigation’s multicultural, multilingual team also provide cultural consultation for research and patient care efforts at Denver Health and nationally.

Denver Health is a site for the Minnesota Center of Excellence in Newcomer Health with Refugee, Immigrant, and Newcomer Health Services contributing to national efforts to improve health care delivery for Refugee, Immigrant, and Newcomer populations, including multiple publications, abstract presentations, workshops, and webinars.

We have demonstrated improvement in refugee medical home connection and NENS developmental screening and referrals, COVID-19 vaccination, and cancer screening rates.

We provide Refugee, Immigrant, and Newcomer Health Services specific clinical rotations for residents and students.

Learners (medical students, residents, and community groups)

• Hiring, training, and career promotion of a workforce that shares the life experience and culture of Denver Health’s Patients
• Research, publications, workshops, presentations, news (how to keep this up to date)