The San Diego Refugee Communities Coalition’s COVID-19 Community Impact Assessment is the result of an unprecedented effort by the San Diego Refugee Communities Coalition, a collaborative of eleven ethnic-community based organizations, as well as local partners including Alliance Healthcare Foundation, The California Endowment, Price Philanthropies, San Diego Unified School District, and the San Diego Foundation with technical assistance and support by the University of California San Diego Center for Community Health’s Refugee Health Unit and Nash & Associates. The goal was to develop and deliver a comprehensive assessment that answers the question “How is the COVID-19 Pandemic Impacting families within San Diego’s Refugee Communities?”
The assessment process consisted of:
- Survey instrument creation and review for issues of cultural sensitivity.
- Recruitment and training of more than 20 staff and volunteers by SDRCC members to administer the survey.
- Phone or in-person survey administration with 306 families representing 18 countries from Africa, Middle East, Central, and South Asia, and the Caribbean. The survey was administered in 12 languages.
- A focus group session and individual key informant interviews with 11 community leaders.
UC San Diego Center for Community Health’s Refugee Health Unit (RHU) facilitated the planning process and serves as the “backbone” organization for the SDRCC. Founded and led by Amina Sheik Mohammed, RHU’s role is to:
- Coordinate coalition meetings and facilitate collaborative decision-making and planning.
- Develop and oversee community-based participatory action research, assessments, evaluation, and performance measurement.
- Build capacity through training, technical assistance, leadership support, and coaching
- Conduct outreach to community partners and stakeholders to engage in the development and delivery of strategies that improve outcomes for refugee communities.
Recent Comments