Building Bridges to Muslim Youth for Positive Impact

Greta’s knowledge of clinical and community resources through the RHC program and prior experience working alongside refugee communities through her role at WIC readied her for conversations with the Office of Emergency Management at Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, local resettlement agencies and clinical partners including Clinica Family Health in Thornton, Colorado.  Through numerous meetings with partners, Greta explored what role Tri-County Health Department was best positioned to take in aiding increased resettlement efforts for Afghan families arriving in Adams County. It became apparent through these conversations that the level of need among refugees resettling from Afghanistan is not only significant, but requires a holistic approach that addresses access to primary care, meeting social needs and encompasses support for behavioral and mental health through peer support.

Greta noted that the underfunding of resettlement agencies under the previous administration and burnout within the healthcare and public health workforce brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic have increased the burden on healthcare and social service providers in Adams County. Together, these factors have strained the capacity of providers to meet the needs of refugee communities who carry the additional hardship of overcoming language barriers, navigating cultural differences and harboring possible experiences with collective stress and trauma. 

In conducting her needs assessments for her Behavioral Health Recovery Act project, Greta learned that there are limited long-term, culturally-relevant behavioral health options for Afghan refugees in Adams County. In exploring solutions to address this gap, Greta connected with Muslim Youth for Positive Impact (MYPI), a local, grassroots non-profit organization whose mission is “to empower youth with the Islamic identity and principles to make a positive impact on their communities, environment, and relationships that promote responsible citizenship and stewardship.”

MYPI had already identified the need for building out mental wellness supports for refugee families through their Adopt-A-Family program led by Amina Hashem wherein youth ambassadors assist refugee families with making the transition to becoming self-sufficient and integrated into the community. This need spurred the development of MYPI’s Mental Wellness Program that strives to create access to culturally-competent mental and behavioral health services; build trust between youth and the community; address stigma within the Muslim faith; and empower youth through identity development and creative coping strategies. Within this program launched MYPI Wellness House which offers basic counseling services for youth and their families by trusted Muslim mental health professionals. Additionally, MYPI has begun training Imams, community leaders, and youth in mental health intervention and first aid with particular emphasis on centering youth voices in their mission towards mental wellness in the Muslim community.

With MYPI leading the development of a youth-centered mental wellness program, Greta’s work as an RHC is focused on supporting connection and collaboration between MYPI and Clinica Thornton, a local family health clinic in the region that predominantly serves Medicaid members and refugee populations. As Greta engaged with members from both MYPI and Clinica Thornton, she was moved to learn of the peer support efforts that were organically taking place among Afghan community members and arriving refugees.

By establishing a direct referral relationship between MYPI and Clinica Thornton, providers will be to directly refer families to MYPI after their initial medical screenings for wrap-around peer supports to address presenting social-emotional needs. Additionally, this clinic-community linkage has already opened doors for collaboration and learning between the two entities, including a cultural awareness training facilitated by MYPI for Clinica staff on how to communicate a medical diagnosis or health-related concern to Afghan community members in a manner that promotes understanding and acceptance. 

Notably, Greta’s work within the scope of her RHC role to support connection and collaboration between MYPI and Clinica Thornton is buoyed by a $50,000 grant from Colorado Access to help bolster MYPI’s existing programs. When determining how best to utilize the generous funding from Colorado Access, Greta recognized it was crucial that MYPI be the decision-makers in guiding how and where the funding is utilized as those who have the greatest knowledge of their community’s needs. As such, MYPI voiced a desire to leverage the funding to compensate volunteers and staff members who have informally taken on the role of patient navigators for Afghan evacuees in their community in their spare time and without pay.

Greta acknowledges that from an assessment perspective, directing funding towards paying staff and providing stipends to volunteers may be difficult outcomes to quantify. However, Greta advocates that there is much to be learned by listening to and trusting those working at the center of community needs. She also acknowledges that bolstering the administrative capacity of MYPI’s staff and volunteers is integral to amplifying their impact in Adams County and also serves to honor MYPI’s leadership and community of volunteers for their time, expertise and lived experience. She added that Colorado Access has been a phenomenal partner in their support of MYPI guiding how the grant funding ought to be utilized.

In March of 2022, funds from the Colorado Access grant were used to provide stipends to MYPI”s Adopt-A-Family Ambassadors and program staff to attend a Psychological First Aid Training hosted by Clinica Thornton. While the Psychological First Aid training was offered for free, the stipends served to recognize the generous support volunteers have offered to refugee families in their community. A second training on Mental Health First Aid will take place this summer with a similar stipend structure offered to attendees. 

When envisioning what additional impact could be possible with sustained funding, Greta shared that providing medical interpretation training for volunteers or community members identified through Masjid Ikhlas, the local mosque in Northglenn, or MYPI would serve as a vehicle for both economic mobility and meet an important need for Afghan community members. In particular, Greta noted there is a large need for female medical interpreters as it is viewed as culturally inappropriate for Muslim women to disclose personal health details to male providers or interpreters. 

In reflecting upon her Behavioral Health Recovery Act project, Greta pointed towards community engagement as a central and eye-opening element of her experience.