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Refugee Health and Wellbeing

Monash Health Refugee Health and Wellbeing service provides comprehensive primary care services together with tertiary services including infectious diseases, paediatrics and psychiatry.

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Overview

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

Other services

A range of other refugee health services are available in both acute and primary settings to provide secondary consultation, clinical advice, referral pathways, and capacity building. These include:

  • Refugee Health Nurse on Triage
  • Refugee Health Nurse Liaison; and
  • Refugee Health Fellow.

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Primary Care

Monash Health Refugee Health and Wellbeing is a multi-disciplinary refugee health service, prioritising patients with complex health needs and high levels of vulnerability. The service aims to provide intensive support to patients during a period of high need and facilitate transition to universal care as appropriate. Services include:

  • refugee health assessments
  • refugee health nurse care management
  • care coordination
  • counselling
  • immunisation; and
  • sexual health.

Visit the service’s referral page for more information.

Contact

Refugee Health Nurse on Triage

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General medicine

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.

Visit the service’s referral page for more information.

Contact

Refugee Health Nurse on Triage

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Adult Infectious Disease and Internal Medicine

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:

Refugees and asylum seekers including:

  • Recent Humanitarian Arrivals or people from refugee-like backgrounds (100 visa holders) who have arrived in the last five years; or
  • Bridging Visa Holders who have applied for protection, including those without Medicare.

Visit the service’s referral page for more information.

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Paediatrics

Monash Health Refugee Health and Wellbeing provides a paediatric outpatient clinic for children aged 0 to 17 years old, presenting with a range of health issues, including:

  • general and developmental or 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’)

The paediatric clinic is part of the integrated refugee health service located at 122 Thomas Street, Dandenong and is for asylum seeker and refugee patients who require non-urgent paediatric care. Please note that paediatric subspecialty referrals should be forwarded directly to the relevant unit.

Eligibility:

Refugees and asylum seekers including:

  • recent Humanitarian Arrivals or people from refugee like backgrounds (100 visa holders) who have arrived in the last five years
  • Bridging Visa Holders who have applied for protection, including those without Medicare.

Visit the service’s referral page for more information.

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Psychiatry

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

Refugees and asylum seekers who are of the following:

  • 18 to 65 years old
  • Humanitarian Arrivals or people from refugee-like backgrounds (100 visa holders) who have arrived in the last five years
  • Bridging Visa Holders who have applied for protection, including those without Medicare

Longer settled people of refugee background with complex mental health history, requiring the support of a multidisciplinary team and or otherwise unlikely to access psychiatric care will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Referrals for the purpose of citizenship, NDIS or DSP support letters will not be accepted.

Visit the service’s referral page for more information.

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Referral guidelines

Visit the service’s referral page for more information.

Patients referred to specialist clinics will need to comply with individual clinic eligibility criteria.

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Contact information

Refugee Health Nurse on Triage

Refugee Health Nurse Liaison

Refugee Health Fellow

Manager, Monash Health Refugee Health and Wellbeing

Address

Refugee Health and Wellbeing
Level 1, 122 Thomas Street
Dandenong VIC 3175

Hours

Open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm

Help contacting us

For people who need help with English or an interpreter: : TIS: 131 450

For people with hearing or speech loss: TTY: 1800 555 677

Speak and Listen: 1800 555 727

Internet relay: National Relay Service: www.relayservice.gov.au