Refugee Health Community Partners and Sponsors

The Refugee Health Assessment is a special medical appointment for people that are newly arrived to the United States. The Minnesota Department of Health Refugee Health Program trains the health care providers who do these clinic visits to provide the best care possible to newcomers to the country. The health care providers will also refill medication and help ensure newcomers have a primary doctor and can go to specialty doctors if needed (like a heart doctor or orthopedist). Typically, a Refugee Health Assessment takes 1-2 clinic visits.

A Refugee Health Assessment involves many different things that are not usually done by health care providers during normal clinic visits. This includes testing for and treating illnesses that are more common in different countries and reviewing immunization and medical records from other countries.

Newcomer groups who are eligible for Federal Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) benefits may receive a Refugee Health Assessment. This includes:

• All primary refugees and most secondary refugees
• Amerasians
• Asylees and Derivative asylees (family members joining asylees)
• Certified Victims of Human Trafficking
• Cuban and Haitian entrants (including humanitarian parolees)
• Humanitarian parolees from Afghanistan
• Humanitarian parolees from Ukraine
• Special Immigrant Visa holders

Refer to the table in the health insurance and other benefits section for more information. If you have a question about eligibility, please reach out to us at refugeehealth@state.mn.us.

A Refugee Health Assessment is a very important step to make sure newcomers are able to successfully settle in the United States, since it is hard to live, work, and play when you are not healthy. This visit provides the best care for people who are new to the country by health care providers who have been specially trained. Health care providers in Minnesota have done thousands of these visits and enjoy helping new Americans be as healthy as they can be.

Health care providers should be trained by the Minnesota Department of Health to do these assessments. If you call your local doctor, they may not know what this assessment is and may not have been trained. We have many providers around the state who do these visits, and local public health clinics help coordinate the visits. If you are a refugee health care provider interested in providing Refugee Health Assessments, please contact us at refugeehealth@state.mn.us.

Yes. These clinic visits are covered by Medical Assistance (Minnesota Medicaid). If someone is denied Medical Assistance, the Minnesota Department of Health pays for the visit.

No. This visit is only to help new arrivals stay healthy and has no effect on immigration status.

No. A green card (adjustment of status) exam is done for people who are eligible to become permanent residents, normally after they have been living in the United State for at least a year.