Health planning for immigrants

Despite increased security, immigrants continue to enter the United States, most without resources to address health needs. That is the case in and around Richmond, VA, where a quickly growing immigrant population has become a priority for Bon Secours Richmond Health System (BSR), a member of Bon Secours Health System (BSHS), Marriottsville, MD. To plan for the impact of immigrants on community health resources, BSR's Office of Community Health Services in August 2002 brought together local health and human service providers, as well as community groups. As a result, BSR with funds from a BSHS grant contracted in January 2003 to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the health needs of the Hispanic and Asian populations in the greater Richmond area. The final needs assessment report was released in August The comprehensive assessment demonstrated that Richmond area immigrants need prenatal and obstetrical/gynecological care, behavioral health care, dental care, primary health and urgent care, and health screenings. Bilingual professionals or translators, mobile clinics or transportation to services, evening or weekend hours for services, trusted sources of care and referral, neighborhood or employment-based delivery, and low-cost or free services were all required to facilitate the delivery of the needed care. Given the assessment findings, women's services were identified as the area's top need. BSR has been widely recognized for its leadership and support for comprehensive planning for community health needs. The report's data and findings have been extensively used by organizations and agencies throughout greater Richmond.