Caring for the Karen. A newly arrived refugee group

Minn Med. 2010 Apr;93(4):49-53.

Abstract

Since 2004, Minnesota has seen an influx of refugees from Burma. Many of these newcomers came from the Karen state and spent time in refugee camps in Thailand before resettling in the United States. To better understand the health needs of this population, the authors of this article conducted chart reviews at a St. Paul family medicine clinic that serves a number of Karen refugees and reviewed formal data from the Minnesota Department of Health's Refugee Health Program. Here, they briefly describe this community, the cultural issues that could affect health care providers' ability to care for Karen patients, and the health concerns of these refugees.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Asian People / statistics & numerical data*
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Communicable Disease Control / statistics & numerical data*
  • Emigrants and Immigrants / statistics & numerical data*
  • Female
  • Health Services Needs and Demand / statistics & numerical data*
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Male
  • Mass Screening / statistics & numerical data*
  • Middle Aged
  • Minnesota
  • Myanmar / ethnology
  • Public Health / statistics & numerical data*
  • Refugees / statistics & numerical data*
  • Thailand / ethnology