Archive

Refugee Arrivals

• Arizona arrivals for week ending September 28th: 24
• Total Arizona Arrivals FY2020: 527
• U.S. Refugee Arrivals for FY2020: 11,814
• Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2020: 18,000
• **NEW Proposed Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2021: 15,000

Quick Links

• Order FREE face masks here.
• ADHS COVID-19 Data Dashboard
• ADHS Guidelines on when it’s ok to leave your home after isolating or quarantining: ‘Release from Isolation and Quarantine’ Guidance & Arizona COVID-19 Guidance ‘Release from Isolation’ Flow Chart
• Maricopa County COVID-19 Data and Information (TIP: Sign up for their Daily COVID-19 Updates to stay up to date on COVID-19 in Maricopa County. Daily COVID-19 Update: August 6 )
• Pima County COVID-19 Data and Information
• List of Arizona Schools and back to school plans 
  ADHS COVID-19 Testing Locations

COVID-19 Testing

Tucson

FREE testing sponsored by the IRC and Pima County Health Department:

Resources / Benefits for Clients

**NEW Maricopa County Public Health (MCDPH) announced the launch of its revamped website www.FindHelpPHX.org to help county residents affected by the COVID-19 pandemic easily access the free and almost-free health and social services they need. Free and Almost-Free Health & Social Services for Residents Affected by COVID-19 via FindHelp PHX.org

• Housing and Utility Services
• Food and Clothing Services
• Employment Services
• Parenting and Childcare Services
• Kids and Youth Services
• Domestic Violence Victim Services
• Mental Health/Addiction Services
• and many more

**NEW Raising Special Kids Raising Special Kids exists to improve the lives of children with the full range of disabilities, from birth to age 26, by providing support, training, information and individual assistance so families can become effective advocates for their children. RSK received a grant from the CARES act specifically to serve refugees. RSK offers “programs and services designed to help families understand their health care plan services, find community programs & resources, connect with other families and participate in developing an appropriate education for their children. All offered at no charge and without qualifying eligibility requirements.” The referral form is attached. TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PROGRAM, join the weekly refugee provider call on Thursday, October 15th, 12pm. meet.google.com/mhm-byoy-epv (US) +1 541-709-5216‬ PIN: ‪149 678 455‬#

**NEW  MCDPH has hired a team of COVID-19 multilingual contact tracers. David Habib (Languages: French and Arabic), Nelly Kanyange (Languages: French, Kirundi, Kiswahili, and Kinyarwanda), Aime Bideri (Languages: French, Swahili, Kirundi, Kinyarwanda and Kinyamulenge), Janet Zan (Languages: Native Karen (S’Gaw), Burmese, and Thai) TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PROGRAM, join the weekly refugee provider call on Thursday, October 15th, 12pm. meet.google.com/mhm-byoy-epv (US) +1 541-709-5216‬ PIN: ‪149 678 455‬#

**NEW For providers and clients in Tucson: Please see attached a tri-fold brochure for the Southern Arizona Family Support Alliance. Please take the time to read it and become informed about this amazing resource for young families. Supported by First-Things-First, and in collaboration with a network of agencies who stand ready to support parents and children.

Valley of the Sun United Way (VSUW) is collaborating with Maricopa County, to run the Maricopa County Funeral Assistance Program.  The purpose of this program is to support community members experiencing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and have suffered the loss of a loved one so that they may proceed with final disposition of decedents in Maricopa County.

COVID-19 has caused considerable economic distress for Maricopa County residents.  Many members of the community have lost their jobs, been furloughed, and/or experienced reduction in hours or hourly rate as a result of the pandemic. This financial instability has resulted in the overwhelming and unprecedented demand for social safety net programs.  Burial or cremation of a loved one is a significant investment, and usually unplanned. In the unfortunate event a loved one passes away, the family may not have the financial capability to pay for final disposition. The Maricopa County Funeral Assistance Program does not require that a decedents cause of death be associated with COVID-19. The program will pay up to $1,200.00 per a decedent to offset the financial burden of final disposition of a family member at a licensed facility WITHIN MARICOPA COUNTY.  If the itemized price total from the licensed Funeral Home is under $1,200.00, that amount will be paid.  If the invoice total is above $1,200.00, only $1,200.00 will be paid to the licensed Funeral Home.  The difference will need to be paid by the family PRIOR to Maricopa County payment.  To effectively carry out this program and determine eligibility, we are asking members visit our portal at  https://funeralassistanceprogram.org read and register to complete the application. Please contact Betty Hurtado, Burial Support Program Manager, for any questions on this program/application or VSUW at 602-240-6384 and funeralassistance@vsuw.org.

AHCCCS (Arizona Medicaid)

Member Eligibility Verifications To Resume

Since the start of the Public Health Emergency (PHE) in March 2020, AHCCCS suspended all Medicaid disenrollments (unless a member moved out of state, voluntarily disenrolled, died, or aged out of KidsCare), per federal requirements. The PHE is scheduled to expire on Oct. 22, 2020 unless the United States Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services opts to extend it.

In anticipation of the expiration, AHCCCS will begin to request eligibility information from members whose eligibility requires additional information. However, no member will be disenrolled, regardless of eligibility, until after the PHE ends. AHCCCS will begin sending requests for information in the September member notifications. Members who receive a request for additional information are urged to respond in a timely manner so eligibility can be re-determined and renewed once the PHE ends.

Volunteer Opportunities

Area Agency on Aging Mosaic Elder Refugee Center  in Maricopa County is looking for volunteers. Their group classes are closed due to COVID-19 so they are looking for people to help by making phone calls to allow Elders to practice their English and review the history and citizenship questions (This needs to be done in English). The other opportunity is performing wellness calls. These volunteers will need to speak another language and will be matched up with refugees speaking the language they are fluent in. Any issues will be referred to case managers or the nurse for follow up. Please reach out to Derek for more information on how to volunteer in this capacity: Derek.Oetken@aaaphx.org Thank you for your interest in helping our Elder Refugees in this stressful time!

Job Opportunities

**NEW Banner Medical Center in Tucson is hiring a Refugee Health Screening Program Coordinator. Interested applicants should reach out to Monique Murillo, 520-289-6480. Job description is attached.

IRC Tucson is hiring a Case Manager who will report to the Health Program Manager and work on health related activities. Apply here.

IRC Tucson is also recruiting a Health Services Caseworker – Tucson. The Health Services Caseworker will be responsible for coordinating medical and behavioral health services to clients across different program. They will be working closely with the IRC caseworkers and Banner University Medical Center to coordinate all medical screenings for new arrivals. Under the direction of the Health Program Manager, the Health Services Caseworker is responsible for developing partnerships with community organizations and ensuring access to quality, culturally and linguistically appropriate physical and mental health services for IRC clients. Please direct interested candidates to apply for this full time regular status position online www.rescue.org/careers or Health Services Caseworker – Tucson.

Training Opportunities

SAVE THE DATE: RRP is hosting a Housing and Tenant Rights training on October 29th from 2:30-4:00pm. More info to come!

The Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Development Services offers FREE virtual Behavioral Health Interpreting Training. There are several different curriculums and the training schedule for 2021 is attached to this email. If your organization or facility has staff who interpret, I highly recommend looking into this opportunity.  *There is also a track for bilingual individuals with no interpreting experience.

Educational Resources

Multilingual COVID-19 resources are available here:

• *** NEW link RISPNet (Refugee and Immigrant Service Provider Network) http://www.rispnet.com/covid-19/
• Switchboard “Connecting Resettlement Experts” A Round-Up of Multilingual Resources on COVID-19 https://switchboardta.org/blog/a-round-up-of-multilingual-resources-on-covid-19/
• CORE (Cultural Orientation Resource Exchange) COVID-19 Resources https://coresourceexchange.org/covid-19-resources/
• CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) https://wwwn.cdc.gov/pubs/other-languages?Sort=Lang%3A%3Aasc

Resource Highlight

From the National Library of Medicine:

MedlinePlus will become the National Library of Medicine (NLM) home for health information in multiple languages as of October 1, 2020.

Since 2007, when it began as the Refugee Health Information Network, HealthReach (https://healthreach.nlm.nih.gov/) has provided access to free, high-quality multilingual consumer health information resources for those providing services to individuals with limited English proficiency. Most of the materials on HealthReach are also part of MedlinePlus, the NLM’s flagship website for health information for patients, families, and the general public.

As of October 1, 2020, NLM will no longer offer HealthReach as a stand-alone website; however, MedlinePlus will continue to provide access to health information in multiple languages. This change is part of NLM’s initiative to align and consolidate the Library’s consumer health information to make it easier for online health information seekers to find and navigate trusted health information from NLM.

We invite HealthReach users to explore health information in multiple languages in the following places on MedlinePlus:

MedlinePlus Health Information in Multiple Languages https://medlineplus.gov/languages/languages.html

MedlinePlus Multiple Languages by Health Topic https://medlineplus.gov/languages/all_healthtopics.html

Quick Links

• Order FREE face masks here.
• ADHS COVID-19 Data Dashboard
• ADHS Guidelines on when it’s ok to leave your home after isolating or quarantining: ‘Release from Isolation and Quarantine’ Guidance & Arizona COVID-19 Guidance ‘Release from Isolation’ Flow Chart
• Maricopa County COVID-19 Data and Information (TIP: Sign up for their Daily COVID-19 Updates to stay up to date on COVID-19 in Maricopa County. Daily COVID-19 Update: August 6 )
• Pima County COVID-19 Data and Information
• List of Arizona Schools and back to school plans 
  ADHS COVID-19 Testing Locations

Resources / Benefits for Clients

***NEW Valley of the Sun United Way (VSUW) is collaborating with Maricopa County, to run the Maricopa County Funeral Assistance Program.  The purpose of this program is to support community members experiencing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and have suffered the loss of a loved one so that they may proceed with final disposition of decedents in Maricopa County.

COVID-19 has caused considerable economic distress for Maricopa County residents.  Many members of the community have lost their jobs, been furloughed, and/or experienced reduction in hours or hourly rate as a result of the pandemic. This financial instability has resulted in the overwhelming and unprecedented demand for social safety net programs.  Burial or cremation of a loved one is a significant investment, and usually unplanned. In the unfortunate event a loved one passes away, the family may not have the financial capability to pay for final disposition. The Maricopa County Funeral Assistance Program does not require that a decedents cause of death be associated with COVID-19. The program will pay up to $1,200.00 per a decedent to offset the financial burden of final disposition of a family member at a licensed facility WITHIN MARICOPA COUNTY.  If the itemized price total from the licensed Funeral Home is under $1,200.00, that amount will be paid.  If the invoice total is above $1,200.00, only $1,200.00 will be paid to the licensed Funeral Home.  The difference will need to be paid by the family PRIOR to Maricopa County payment.  To effectively carry out this program and determine eligibility, we are asking members visit our portal at  https://funeralassistanceprogram.org read and register to complete the application. Please contact Betty Hurtado, Burial Support Program Manager, for any questions on this program/application or VSUW at 602-240-6384 and funeralassistance@vsuw.org.

***NEW Tucson Unified School District meals program has a new option for weekly meal sign up if clients can’t do daily bus stop pickup. More info at: http://www.tusd1.org/GrabAndGo

***NEW SRP Extends Disconnect Moratorium for Limited Income Customers Through End of 2020.  In July SRP announced it was extending the pause of disconnections until October.  As part of their latest
customer support efforts, SRP will extend its disconnect moratorium for customers on its limited income program the Economy Price Plan (EPP) through the end of 2020. More info on RISP Net.

***NEW Jewish Family and Child Services TUCSON  is currently accepting new clients and has immediate availability.  From JFCS: “All services are being provided via telehealth at this time.

JFCS is currently accepting new clients and we have immediate availability.  All services are being provided via telehealth at this time. Individuals seeking services can call (520) 795-0300 ext. 2402 or email the intake team at intake@jfcstucson.org.  If you would like to refer a client, please follow the same process of calling or emailing the intake team and provide the appropriate contact information for the referred individual so that the team can do outreach. After several months of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have all learned a lot regarding the effects the pandemic is having on mental health.  Necessary public health measures have had, and will continue to have, secondary consequences such as economic stress, increased isolation, decreased access to community supports, and barriers related to accessing care. Researchers believe that the pandemic will have long-lasting effects on mental health and suicide risk.  JFCS is here to provide therapeutic support to anyone who needs it.  We accept Medicaid (all three of the AHCCCS health plans) and Medicare, and we also have a grant-funded free therapy program for individuals who have been victims of a crime at some point in their lives (i.e. domestic violence, child abuse, sex trafficking, homicide survivor, etc.).  We also have a self-pay option. We provide therapy services for individuals, couples, and families and we serve all ages. I look forward to (actually) seeing all of you sometime in the not too far away future.  Please do not hesitate to reach out to me personally with any questions or concerns at (520) 795-0300 ext. 2381.”Melissa Zimmerman, LMSW, CCTP, BHP

AHCCCS (Arizona Medicaid)

Member Eligibility Verifications To Resume

Since the start of the Public Health Emergency (PHE) in March 2020, AHCCCS suspended all Medicaid disenrollments (unless a member moved out of state, voluntarily disenrolled, died, or aged out of KidsCare), per federal requirements. The PHE is scheduled to expire on Oct. 22, 2020 unless the United States Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services opts to extend it.

In anticipation of the expiration, AHCCCS will begin to request eligibility information from members whose eligibility requires additional information. However, no member will be disenrolled, regardless of eligibility, until after the PHE ends. AHCCCS will begin sending requests for information in the September member notifications. Members who receive a request for additional information are urged to respond in a timely manner so eligibility can be re-determined and renewed once the PHE ends.

Volunteer Opportunities

Area Agency on Aging Mosaic Elder Refugee Center  in Maricopa County is looking for volunteers. Their group classes are closed due to COVID-19 so they are looking for people to help by making phone calls to allow Elders to practice their English and review the history and citizenship questions (This needs to be done in English). The other opportunity is performing wellness calls. These volunteers will need to speak another language and will be matched up with refugees speaking the language they are fluent in. Any issues will be referred to case managers or the nurse for follow up. Please reach out to Derek for more information on how to volunteer in this capacity: Derek.Oetken@aaaphx.org Thank you for your interest in helping our Elder Refugees in this stressful time!

Job Opportunities

IRC Tucson is hiring a Case Manager who will report to the Health Program Manager and work on health related activities. Apply here.

***NEW IRC Tucson is also recruiting a Health Services Caseworker – Tucson. The Health Services Caseworker will be responsible for coordinating medical and behavioral health services to clients across different program. They will be working closely with the IRC caseworkers and Banner University Medical Center to coordinate all medical screenings for new arrivals. Under the direction of the Health Program Manager, the Health Services Caseworker is responsible for developing partnerships with community organizations and ensuring access to quality, culturally and linguistically appropriate physical and mental health services for IRC clients. Please direct interested candidates to apply for this full time regular status position online www.rescue.org/careers or Health Services Caseworker – Tucson.

Training Opportunities

***NEW September 29 Migration Policy Institute Webinar: COVID-19’s Disruptions to In-Person Instruction Deal a Particularly Harsh Blow to English Learners, Whose Losses Could Linger for Years; New Brief Explores Solutions for Educators. Join an MPI webchat next week to discuss findings, options for school districts. The brief is available here: www.migrationpolicy.org/research/english-learners-covid-19-pandemic-policy-ideas.  The Center will host a webchat on September 29 with the brief’s authors and other experts to discuss the policies and practices that school systems will need to put in place to support ELs and their families through the public-health and education crisis. To learn more or register, click here. For the Center’s collection of work on English Learners and ESSA, visit: www.migrationpolicy.org/programs/nciip-english-learners-and-every-student-succeeds-act-essa.

***NEW The Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Development Services offers FREE virtual Behavioral Health Interpreting Training. There are several different curriculums and the training schedule for 2021 is attached to this email. If your organization or facility has staff who interpret, I highly recommend looking into this opportunity.  *There is also a track for bilingual individuals with no interpreting experience.

Educational Resources

Multilingual COVID-19 resources are available here:

• *** NEW link RISPNet (Refugee and Immigrant Service Provider Network) http://www.rispnet.com/covid-19/
• Switchboard “Connecting Resettlement Experts” A Round-Up of Multilingual Resources on COVID-19 https://switchboardta.org/blog/a-round-up-of-multilingual-resources-on-covid-19/
• CORE (Cultural Orientation Resource Exchange) COVID-19 Resources https://coresourceexchange.org/covid-19-resources/
• CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) https://wwwn.cdc.gov/pubs/other-languages?Sort=Lang%3A%3Aasc

Resource Highlight: 

U of A College of Pharmacy  Pharmacy Education Resource Videos – What is a Pharmacy, Getting Your Medicine from the Pharmacy,  Medication Refill: How to Get More Medicine, Remembering to Take Your Medicine

•  Arabic Language Videos
• Nepali Language Videos 
• Kinyarwanda Language Videos

Tucson Family Advocacy Program: What to do Before, During, and After your Medical Visit

Health literacy teaching tool and pre/post teaching survey:

• English
• Arabic
• Farsi
• French
• Kinyarwanda
• Nepali
• Swahili
• Tigrinya
• Pre/Post Teaching Survey