This section provides resources on immigrant and refugee service use and navigating access to care. Through highlighted organizations and their promising practices, government programs, and guides for interpretation services, the section gives you practical support.
Resources
Navigating mental health services in Toronto - a guide for newcomer communities
This guide is intended both for people dealing with mental illness or mental health problems and for their friends and families. It is meant to help them understand the mental health system.
Addiction and mental health information and services
This provides links to information and resources on mental health, substances and addiction in Alberta.
Mental health and substance use
This website provides information on mental health services and resources offered across British Columbia, including educational resources, prevention programs, early intervention initiatives and recovery and treatment options.
Cultural consultation: Considering the other in mental health care
This book explores the practice of cultural consultation as a strategy to improve the quality of mental health care for diverse populations. The contributors frame best practices in psychiatry clinical psychology, and social work in relation to empathy, human rights, and culturally responsive and ethically sound care. A detailed model of the process of cultural consultation, from initial intake, through assessment, to recommendations and referrals, provides guidelines for clinical practice.
MOSAIC – Interpretation and translation
MOSAIC coordinates over 300 language specialists working in more than 80 languages to provide the public and private sectors with professional interpretation and translation services.
The Language Bank
The Language Bank at Immigrant Services Calgary provides translation and interpretation services offered to individuals and organizations in over 50 languages.
Language bank services
Language Bank Services at Immigrant Centre Manitoba has over 400 translators and translators registered with them, with over 50 different languages.
Nova Scotia Interpreting Services
Nova Scotia Interpreting Services offers consecutive in-person and telephone interpreting services to hospitals, government departments and other organizations.
Access Alliance Language Services
Access Alliance Language Services provides translation services, and face-to-face and remote interpretation services to a diverse range of public sector organizations.
Reports
Mental health strategy for Canada
This report outlines the key recommendations for improving care for immigrants, refugees, ethno-cultural and racialized groups to improve access to, and the quality of, mental health care.
Common mental health problems in immigrants and refugees
This article identifies risk factors and strategies in the approach to mental health assessment and to prevention and treatment of common mental health problems for immigrants in primary care.
Supporting the mental health of refugees to Canada
This backgrounder report provides evidence-informed information and best practices for a coordinated mental health response.
Policy
Interim federal health program: summary of coverage
This website provides information on the Interim Federal Health Program – healthcare coverage initiative for refugees in Canada.
Promising Practices
Transitional health clinic for refugees
The Newcomer Health Clinic provides preventative health and primary medical services for government assisted refugees, privately sponsored refugees and refugee claimants in the greater Halifax area.
Crossroads Clinic
Crossroads Clinic at Women’s College Hospital aims to provide comprehensive primary care that is responsive to the unique and unmet needs of refugees during their first two years in Canada.
BridgeCare Clinic
BridgeCare Clinic provides a single point of access for the initial health assessment and primary care services for newly arrived, government sponsored refugees.
Guides
National standard guide for community interpreting services
This document outlines the core competencies and ethical principles for interpreters.