The Potentials of Actively Engaging Refugees in Creating Canadian Healthcare Policies Aimed at Improving Their Mental...

Refugees immigrating and settling into new countries face several factors that negatively impact their mental health and general wellbeing. Accompanying this, refugees encounter various barriers impacting their access to social support, mental health assistance, and healthcare services. In Canada, there is a call for healthcare professionals working with refugees to implement more culturally appropriate methods to form the necessary human connections that will foster refugees' access and utilization of mental health services. This column discusses how leaders and policy makers in Canada, or in similar settings, may want to consider including refugees in the decision-making and action plans aimed to address barriers impacting their mental health. Investing in patient-orientated research may assist leaders in Canada, or in comparable locations, to develop culturally appropriate and relevant policies that may address the refugee's mental health needs.