Multicultural and Refugee Health Service
Follow this link for information in language for patients.
The Multicultural and Refugee Health Service supports clinicians to provide equitable and accessible public health care to culturally and linguistically diverse patients and Deaf People.
The Service has three distinct programs
Health Care Interpreter Service provides interpreters by telephone, video and on site for health professional within Hunter New England Local Health Districts, and other districts and providers by agreement.
Multicultural Health Liaison Programs which works across clinical units to provide support for CALD clients, service planning, education and advice for staff
- The Refugee Health Service provides on arrival health screening and health care for refugees on arrival in the local health district
Contact - HNELHD-MulticulturalHealth@health.nsw.gov.au or 4924 6285
Service Manager - Ashley Young, ashley.young@health.nsw.gov.au
Health Care Interpreter Service
Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
There is no cost to patients. The service is booked by staff, and to be used in all essential communication.
Interpreters ensure;
- Accurate information is transmitted
- Informed consent is obtained
- information is being kept confidential
- Client privacy is protected.
Multicultural Health Liaison Service
- Liaise between Hunter New England Health staff and patients from CALD backgrounds and provide cultural consultations.
- Provide health information to CALD patients. It includes multilingual information.
- Design and deliver community education programs on various health topics.
- Make referrals to external community organisations, CALD support services as well as community members.
- Provide the Mothers Obstetrics and Maternity Program
Refugee Health Service
Free and confidential Refugee Health Clinic and community-based consultations for people who have recently arrived from overseas for humanitarian reasons.
The services provided include:
- Nurse-led assessment and screening
- Medical consultations
- Health education and information
- Immunisations
- Referrals to other specialist services where required
- Dental referrals
LanguageMatters Newsletters
February 2024 - Lunar New Year, Rachael Ferris, Mother Tongue Day, Witness to War, Welcoming Languages
January 2024 - PCP Working with Interpreters, 2024, Education Centre Against Violence, Wiradjuri taught in NSW schools
December 2023 - Languages of India, Mind the Gap, I-Kiribati, BabyMap, History of December
November 2023 - Arabic Expressions of Love, Diwali, Andi Pramono, Indigenous History Grounds New Australians, Simplified Chinese
October 2023 - National Deaf Week Awareness, Diabetes Australia CALD Programs, Artificial Intelligence for Interpreting and Translating, New database offers insight into consequences of language loss, International Coffee Day
September 2023 - Multicultural Health Week, Sami Heritage, Respecting Diversity - Addressing Islamic Faith in Healthcare Settings, Cancer Institute NSW - NSW Multicultural Profile tools and resources, Healthy Women and HIV
August 2023 - Deaf Engagement Project, Ten Things You Should Know About Sign Languages, NSW Health Education Centre Against Violence, Multicultural Community Drug Action Team, IPTAAS, Cancer Multilingual Resources
July 2023 - Translated NSW Health Care System Booklets, National Multicultural Health and Wellbeing Conference, SBS Cultural Atlas, Words of the Month – Hundred and Thousand, Timbuktu and the Manuscripts of Mali.
June 2023 - World Refugee Day, Multicultural Primary Care Cancer Forum, Yaani, HIV Testing Week, Shakespear's insults
May 2023 - HETI Training, Deaf Patient Engagement, Ezidi New Year, What's in a Name - Chin of Myanmar, Arabic Words of Love
April 2023 - Sri Lankan names, Promaja, Medical Student Reflections, Your Practice Bag
March 2023 - Lunar New Year, Ramadan and date fruit, Culturally safe health care for refugees, Oral Health videointerpreting
December 2022 - Ta'arof, Refugee Health Plan, Elizabeth Grist Christmas Story, HIV Awareness, JEV, Baklava
November 2022 - CALD Carers, Oubaitori, Medical Student Reflections, Vaping Toolkit, Warda Ali
October 2022 - Celebrity Interpreters and Language Awareness, Bilingual Clinician story, The Sanskrit Story, End of Life training
September 2022 - Multicultural Health Week, Shingi Chando, BreastScreen, Pakistani Truck Art
August 2022 - Coercive Control Resources, Chinese Names, English language oddities, Armidale Care Navigation, Medical Student Reflection
July 2022 - Census 2021, Medical Student Reflections, HNE Med Supplies to Ukraine, What's in a Name, CALD Communities & Health Research
June 2022 - Deaf Awareness, Cancer Screening, Welcome HCIS Manager Trish Owen, Multicultural Service Expo 2022
March 2022 - The Premiers Awards, Ezidi voices, CALD Assist, D&A issues of Refugee Youth, retiring HCIS Manager Therese Morris
December 2021 - Christmas update from Elizabeth Grist, BreastScreen, Forensic Medicine, Booking Office update
November 2021 - COVID19 update, Medical Student Reflections, HNE Oral Health, CALD Assist, Jiting Pan
July 2021 - NAIDOC Week Special Edition, Mother Tongue, Indigenous Sign Language, Uluru Statement from the Heart
June 2021 - Refugee Week, Multicultural COVID19 Research, Tibetan Patient Experience, Titus Alias, Farewell to Bing and Bessie
May 2021 - Clinical Supervision, Persian, Afghan Patient Experience
April 2021 - Ramadan, Interpreter Research, Thai Patient Experience, Diversity in Clinical Trials
March 2021 - Chinese, CALD Assist, Cantonese Patient Experience, Vince Wang
February 2021 - Refugee Health, Swahili, Joy Harrison, Happy Year of the Ox
December 2020 - CALD Assist, Linguistics Arabic and English, Alison Tonga
November 2020 - COVID19 Research, ED Interpreter Use, Nafi Ghafournia
October 2020 - Patient Care Board Interpreter Label, Italian, Oncology, Draga Majurovski
September 2020 - Multicultural Health Week, Auslan, Deaf Patient Experience, Maggie (Jinmei) Sun