Archive

Quick Links

• Order FREE face masks here.
• ADHS COVID-19 Data Dashboard
• *****UPDATED: 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. )
• Pima County COVID-19 Data and Information
• List of Arizona Schools and back to school plans 
  ADHS COVID-19 Testing Locations
• ****Maricopa County Department of Public Health has a COVID-19 refugee outreach team! The team includes four CHNs, all previously resettled as refugees. Collectively, the CHNs speak Arabic, French, Karen, Thai, Burmese, Swahili, Kinyarwanda, Kinyamulenge, and Kirundi. For presentations or information on case investigations, contact tracing, and community outreach, please contact them at RefugeeOutreach@maricopa.gov

Biweekly Refugee Provider Healthcare Calls

Maricopa County Call is every other Thursday at 12pm. Link to join: meet.google.com/jjg-stiy-sdx  Call in number: ‪(US) +1 860-540-6107‬ PIN: ‪105 874 898‬#  Next call: December 17th.

Pima County Call is every other Wednesday at 12pm. Link to join: meet.google.com/cjz-zgth-tvv Call in number: ‪(US) +1 470-242-8289‬ PIN: ‪691 214 821‬#  Next call: December 16th.

Resources  / Services

****STATE WIDE– from Raising Special Kids: Raising Special Kids has created a video to introduce our services to refugee families. The video is available in English and has been translated into Arabic, Kinyarwanda, Rohingya, Somali and Swahili. Please give the website below to families you work with who could use our services. Also let your staff know that these videos are available and the link can be sent to families. All the services that Raising Special Kids provides are free. We assist families with children who have disabilities and are from birth to 26 years of age. We can help the families with school issues as well as get them connected to appropriate community agencies such as DDD, ALTCS, Behavioral Health, Social Security etc. If your agency would like to learn more about our services, I would be happy to do a presentation at a staff meeting. The videos live on a page on our website which can be accessed at: https://raisingspecialkids.org/resources/education/special-education-ramp.
Contact: Kathy Gray-Mangerson, Education System Administrator, Raising Special Kids.

520-441-4416
800-237-3007
Kathygm@raisingspecialkids.org
raisingspecialkids.org

Testing

***FREE COVID-19 testing events this week in Phoenix and in Chandler. Pre-registering online is encouraged, but no one will be turned away that walks up to the event. Each are completely free and photo id/insurance are not required.

Sign up for Chandler testing event: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d45a4aa2aa3f9ce9-121820

12.18.20 COVID Testing Event at the Islamic Center of the East Valley

The Islamic Center of the East Valley, in partnership with Maricopa County and Innovative Connections will be administering COVID-19 PCR tests at ZERO COST to the patient. Individuals wishing to be tested MUST pre-register online. Walk ups will be accommodated to the best of our ability.

Sign up for Phoenix testing event (Drive through!): https://www.southwellness.com/free-testing-events/

Free Testing Events | Southwellness

Southwellness has partnered with Maricopa County to provide no-cost COVID-19 community testing. A strong, happy community is a healthy community.

Transportation to Testing

***If you or your client have MercyCare AHCCCS plan and need transportation to COVID-19 testing (walk up or drive through), call the ComTrans COVID-19 phone line directly at 602-332-2056. Please try to call at least 24 hours before you need transportation. You / your client will need to exit the car as the test is administered.

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!

Multilingual Resources

IRC is piloting digital literacy videos. They cover Computer Basics (2 part), distance learning K-12 and general distance learning, School websites, Internet safety, Google translate, Google maps, and Finding Information (2 part) in 5 languages.

• https://bit.ly/DL_arabic
• https://bit.ly/DL_dari
• https://bit.ly/DL_spanish
• https://bit.ly/DL_kinyarwanda
• https://bit.ly/DL_swahili

The CDC COVID-19 Public Service Announcements (PSAs) webpage, with the following PSAs available:

• Key Times to Wear a Mask
• How to Wear a Mask
• Key Times to Practice Social Distancing
• I Think/Know I had COVID-19

Please see updates below for new PSAs in target languages:

• Arabic
• Burmese
• Chinese
• Kinyarwanda
• Korean
• Russian
• Vietnamese
• *new* Spanish
• *new* Tagalog
• *new* Ukrainian

Note that in addition to the PSAs, there’s a corresponding translated transcript.

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. )
• Pima County COVID-19 Data and Information
• List of Arizona Schools and back to school plans
• ADHS COVID-19 Testing Locations

Biweekly Refugee Provider Healthcare Calls

Maricopa County Call is every other Thursday at 12pm. Link to join: meet.google.com/jjg-stiy-sdx  Call in number: ‪(US) +1 860-540-6107‬ PIN: ‪105 874 898‬#  Next call: November 19th.

Pima County Call is every other Wednesday at 12pm. Link to join: meet.google.com/cjz-zgth-tvv Call in number: ‪(US) +1 470-242-8289‬ PIN: ‪691 214 821‬#  October 28th notes I November 18th notes  Next call: December 2.

Resources  / Grants

Housing Resource: Arizona Housing Coalition: “Our CDC Eviction Moratorium Summary explains the steps a renter needs to take to use the CDC moratorium and our List of Known Rental Assistance Resources and Eviction Prevention Programs can be used to identify available rental assistance funds statewide. This list is being updated every two weeks in partnership with the Crisis Response Network.”

Domestic Violence Survivors: Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation  [SAAF] is awarding grants up to $700 to survivors of domestic violence age 14 or older who are experiencing medical or financial hardships due to COVID-19.  For more information and eligibility screening, call Eddie at (520) 547-6190 or Ali at (520) 274-7723.  Leave a message with your name and phone number and someone from SAAF will call you back.

Childcare Scholarships: Families living in the City of Tucson or the City of South Tucson affected by COVID-19 can apply to Catholic Community Services for funds to cover child care costs through 12/31/20.  Childcare providers must be a DHS licensed child center or group home or a DES certified family child care provider. Children must be 12 years or younger. Eligibility information and applications available at https://www.ccs-soaz.org/childcare-scholarships

Emergency Rent and Utility Funds: Pio Decimo Center is providing emergency rent/utility funds for COVID-19 related hardship (e.g., decreased work hours, job loss, illness, etc.). Must meet income guidelines.  Call (520) 416-4760 for more information and application appointment

Refugee Family Assistance Program – For clients in Phoenix only. Please see attached flier or reach out to: Aubrey Held, Refugee Youth Mentoring Manager Chicanos Por La Causa, Inc. | Workforce Solutions C: 602.206.4587

Testing

Statewide COVID-19 community resources, testing sites and updates: https://arizonatogether.org/#individual-resources

Additional resources posted at: https://www.fcm.arizona.edu/covid-19-resources

Pima County Health Department and IRC will be providing multiple opportunities to access free COVID testing in the upcoming weeks all throughout Tucson. You can check upcoming testing sites here.

Tests are FREE, walk-in (not drive thru), no appointment is necessary, interpretation is available, each participant will receive a free hygiene kit (facemask, hand sanitizer, thermometer and health education materials) and flu shots may also be offered at each location.

The next testing site locations and dates are:

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!

Multilingual Resources

IRC is piloting digital literacy videos. They cover Computer Basics (2 part), distance learning K-12 and general distance learning, School websites, Internet safety, Google translate, Google maps, and Finding Information (2 part) in 5 languages.

• https://bit.ly/DL_arabic
• https://bit.ly/DL_dari
• https://bit.ly/DL_spanish
• https://bit.ly/DL_kinyarwanda
• https://bit.ly/DL_swahili

The CDC COVID-19 Public Service Announcements (PSAs) webpage, with the following PSAs available:

• Key Times to Wear a Mask
• How to Wear a Mask
• Key Times to Practice Social Distancing
• I Think/Know I had COVID-19

Please see updates below for new PSAs in target languages:

• Arabic
• Burmese
• Chinese
• Kinyarwanda
• Korean
• Russian
• Vietnamese
• *new* Spanish
• *new* Tagalog
• *new* Ukrainian

Note that in addition to the PSAs, there’s a corresponding translated transcript.

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