Refugee Health and Wellbeing – Adult/Paediatric Community

Introduction

Monash Health Refugee Health and Wellbeing aims to provide holistic care for asylum seekers and refugees with complex health needs. The service provides comprehensive primary care together with integrated specialist services, inclusive of adult infectious diseases and internal medicine, paediatrics, and psychiatry, all conveniently co-located at 122 Thomas Street, Dandenong.

Services include:

• Refugee Health assessments
• Refugee health nurse care management
• Complex case management
• Immunization
• Sexual health
• Capacity building and education

Introduction

Monash Health Refugee Health and Wellbeing is a multi-disciplinary refugee health service that prioritises patients with complex health needs and significant vulnerability. General Practitioners (GPs) within the service aim to provide intensive support to patients during a period of high need and facilitate transition to universal care as appropriate.

Introduction

Monash Health Refugee Health and Wellbeing provides a non-urgent psychiatry service for asylum seeker and refugee patients aged 18 to 65 years old, presenting with a range of mental health issues including:

• post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• depression
• anxiety
• complex grief and loss

Psychiatry clinic (outpatient)

Located at 122 Thomas Street, Dandenong, the outpatient psychiatry clinic is part of an integrated refugee health service. Patients have access to the broader refugee health team, including psychological support, and the clinic is closely linked to mental health services available through Monash Health.

The psychiatry service also provides primary, secondary, and tertiary consultation.

The clinic is an appointment-based service for asylum seeker and refugee patients who require non-urgent psychiatric care.

Eligibility criteria

All referrals received via HealthLink. Incomplete referrals will not be accepted.

Additional information required

To assist with triage and ensure timely access to care, we request that all referrals include the following information:

• Asylum seeker or refugee status, visa type and year of arrival details
• Previous mental health diagnosis
• Details of previous mental health services
• Torture and trauma history
• Current medications
• History of suicidal ideation, homicidal ideation, aggression, psychosis

Contact

Refugee Health Nurse on Triage

• Phone: 03 9792 8100
• Email: RefugeeHealthNurseonTriage@monashhealth.org
• Contact hours: 8.30am – 4.30pm, Monday to Friday (except public holidays)

Please review the eligibility criteria before submitting a referral.

Introduction

Monash Health Refugee Health and Wellbeing provides a tertiary referral medical service for adults aged 18 years and older, presenting with a range of health issues including:

• latent TB infection
• chronic viral hepatitis (B and C)
• other infectious diseases; and
• chronic medical conditions

The adult infectious diseases and internal medicine clinic is part of the integrated refugee health service located at 122 Thomas Street, Dandenong. The clinic provides non-urgent medical care to patients of refugee background. The primary focus of the clinic is infectious diseases, but other medical conditions and diagnostic problems can be addressed. If more specialised investigation or management is required, patients may be referred to sub-specialty clinical services elsewhere in Monash Health.

Eligibility Criteria

• Adults aged 18 years and older
• Refugees and asylum seekers including:
  • recent humanitarian arrivals or people from refugee-like backgrounds (100 visa holders) who have arrived in the last 5 years; or
  • bridging visa holders who have applied for protection, including those without Medicare,

Referral Method(s)

All referrals are received via HealthLink. Incomplete referrals will not be accepted.

Additional information required

To assist with triage and ensure timely access to care, we request all referrals must be accompanied by:

• asylum seeker or refugee status, visa type and year of arrival details
• immunisation status including catch-up immunisation schedule if in place
• copies of pathology and screening results, including:
  • full blood count or film
  • liver function tests
  • iron, vitamin D, calcium, phosphate, and vitamin B12
  • folate (if there are nutritional or developmental concerns)
  • Mantoux test or QuantiFERON Gold®
  • malaria screen
  • hepatitis B serology (HBsAg, HBsAb, HBcAb)
  • hepatitis C serology (HCV antibodies)
  • Schistosoma and Strongyloides serology (faecal specimen)
  • STI screen ( gonorrhoeae and C. trachomatis, urine nucleic acid detection, syphilis serology, HIV serology; and
  • chest x-ray.
• details of any treatment commenced and current medication.

Contact

Refugee Health Nurse on Triage

• Phone: (03) 9792 8100
• Service Enquiries Email: RefugeeHealthNurseonTriage@monashhealth.org
• Contact hours: 8.30am – 4.30pm, Monday to Friday (except public holidays)

Please review the eligibility criteria before submitting a referral.

Introduction

Monash Health Refugee Health and Wellbeing provides a paediatric tertiary referral medical service for children aged 0 to 17 years old, who present with a range of health issues including:

• general and developmental/ behavioural paediatrics
• latent TB Infection
• infectious Diseases
• vitamin D Deficiency – providing vitamin D (as vitamin D3 100,000IU/ml in olive oil) to vitamin D deficient children (stoss dosing).

Eligibility Criteria

Referral Method(s)

All referrals received via HealthLink. Incomplete referrals will not be accepted.

Additional information required

Please make note of the refugee or asylum-seeker status, interpreter needs, and include any refugee health assessment and screening that has been performed.

Contact

Refugee Health Nurse on Triage

• Phone: (03) 9792 8100
• Email: RefugeeHealthNurseonTriage@monashhealth.org
• Contact hours: 8.30am – 4.30pm, Monday to Friday (except public holidays)

Please review the eligibility criteria before submitting a referral.