June 20 is World Refugee Day, a day to honour those who have been forced to flee their homes to escape conflict or persecution.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) 2023 Global Trends report, the number of forced migrants has drastically increased in the last decade. There are an estimated 120 million refugees globally. This includes women, men and children who are forced to flee their country in fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, membership in a particular social group, armed conflict or violence. Most have experienced immeasurable violence, trauma, poverty and discrimination.
Last year, Canada accepted over 75,000 refugees with a large number settling in Toronto and south-western Ontario. Many of these people share similar experiences to that of Yvonne, a former Women’s College Hospital Crossroads Clinic patient who arrived in Canada as a refugee in 2016.
Yvonne was forced to part with her family in Uganda to avoid persecution, and she remembers how her mother sold one of their cows to pay for her flight to Canada. However, even as escaping a potentially dangerous environment can be a relief for many refugees, the challenges don’t end upon arrival in Canada.
Like most refugees, Yvonne didn’t have housing or a job lined up when she arrived.
“For many refugees, accessing healthcare might be just one among many competing priorities for settlement, such as finding housing, a job, childcare for their children, and more,” shares Ellen Tang, a social worker with Crossroads Clinic. “We aim to make healthcare for refugees as barrier free as possible knowing that this can be a really difficult time for our patients.”
After spending some time living with a relative outside the city, Yvonne moved to Toronto to make an appeal for her refugee status after it was initially denied – a last-ditch effort to avoid being deported back to Uganda where she would face arrest.
Through the satellite health clinics that operate at two refugee shelters in the city, Yvonne found her way to Crossroads Clinic. WCH’s Crossroads Clinic is designed to deliver trauma-informed healthcare to newcomer refugees during the arduous time of first arrival. The clinic is comprised of a team of physicians, nurse practitioners and nurses, a social worker, peer navigator, medical secretaries, a clinic aide and administrators, all knowledgeable about the difficulties faced by refugee clients.
Yvonne built a profound connection with her physician Dr. Meb Rashid, medical director of the Crossroads Clinic, and other members of the team, who not only helped her with her physical health conditions but also supported her as she moved through the process of getting permanent residency.
Yvonne shares, “Dr. Rashid felt like home. He felt familiar and comforting, he had that really personal factor to him and he knew how to help me voice my concerns, even outside the scope of health.”
Now a Canadian citizen and owner of her own business, Yvonne is working hard to help immigrants and Canadians alike learn essential life skills, highlighting the importance of self-discovery, personal growth and authenticity. Yvonne is also using her experiences to help improve the healthcare journey for other newcomers as a WCH Experience Advisor.
“The Crossroads Clinic and my role as an Experience Advisor gave me a foundation that propelled me to where I am, having a career in finance, achieving 40-under-40 awards, even the interactions I have with my children and the principles I bring to my community,” Yvonne describes. “It was all built from Dr. Rashid being really caring and understanding and patient with me, and Women’s inviting me to contribute to my community as an Experience Advisor.”
Journeys like Yvonne’s illustrate the greater impact of the Crossroads Clinic and other clinics like it. Having support for physical and mental well-being while people traverse the challenge of building a new life from the ground up can mean all the difference.
A big thanks to our Crossroads Clinic for all the work they do to create a positive space for newly arrived refugees!