‘All refugees, asylum seekers and humanitarian migrants, are and will always be welcome at North Richmond Community Health, and will be treated with great empathy, dignity and respect.’
Since the 1970’s North Richmond Community Health (NRCH) has been committed to serving some of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable members of our community, including refugees, asylum seekers and humanitarian migrants.
Most refugees, if given a choice, would not leave their homeland, venture onto the open seas in makeshift vessels, or walk thousands of kilometres, just to be safe. There is an undeniable crisis of safety around the world, and every year millions of people are forcibly displaced and, on the move, looking for safety for themselves and their loved ones.
The journeys to Australia are fraught with perils and driven by despair. Successfully arriving in Australia is no guarantee that refugees, asylum seekers and humanitarian migrants, will be welcomed and accepted into the Australian mainstream immediately.
At NRCH, we believe we already do good work, but we also know there is more we can do as an organisation, and collectively as part of the wider Australian society.
Since the 1970s, we have developed very good local responses to the needs of our refugees, asylum seekers and humanitarian migrants.
Together, with the expertise and activities of one of our services, the Centre for Culture, Ethnicity and Health (CEH), we work to improve the collective responsiveness of the service industry to provide fairer, accessible and equitable services to refugees, asylum seekers and humanitarian migrants.
We acknowledge the important contributions of people from a refugee, asylum seeker, and humanitarian migrant background as part of our workforce, and their invaluable contributions to civic and community life.
We are committed to reducing all access barriers to health services for refugees, asylum seekers and humanitarian migrants, including not charging fees for services.
We examine social determinants preventing refugees, asylum seekers and humanitarian migrants, from accessing health, and work diligently to ensure access is equitable, culturally relevant, timely, and responsive to each person’s needs.
We understand the needs of refugees through pro-active community engagement to find sustainable solutions that address the needs of refugees, asylum seekers and humanitarian migrants.
All refugees, asylum seekers and humanitarian migrants, are and will always be welcome at North Richmond Community Health, and will be treated with great empathy, dignity and respect. We will continue to work to provide equitable access to quality health and support services that actively involve them in their wellbeing.
