Building healthy communities with immigrants and refugees

Immigration fueled by large population shifts across international borders will be an ongoing phenomenon throughout the world for the foreseeable future. Forces raising concern for the development of healthy immigrant communities in the United States are the scapegoating of immigrants as the cause of many of the problems of society, a growing lack of tolerance for diversity, and the need for rapid acculturation. A construct of what constitutes healthy communities for immigrants is discussed. The construct is built around the concepts of convergent stereotyping, solidarity, and agency. To help build healthy communities, transcultural nurses must assist other nurses and health care providers to function from a transcultural posture to develop culture competence, reconceptualize how immigrants are viewed, avoid reductionism of the immigrant experience into a psycho-emotional phenomenon, and actualize human development as part of community development.