ReproNet: Voicing Refugee Communities during a Pandemic

Written by Hannah Segal and Edited by Josephine Chan

Image by Ruud Morijn Photographer on Shutterstock

Refugee Reproductive Health Network (ReproNet) is an engagement award project that works with refugee communities from Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo that have resettled in California and their social, educational, and health care services [1]. Through ReproNet, Dr. Thiel de Bocanegra, the main instructor, aims to strengthen regional refugee-academic community partnerships, engage in dialogue in order to capture experiences of refugee communities, and collaborate in further research efforts with refugee women. ReproNet’s research engages with refugee narratives in order to explore how to address the issue of unequal access of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services when resettling in California [2]. A proposed solution involves ReproNet building upon established local partnerships between organizations and communities, the end goal being to ultimately develop a statement partnership that engages in regular coordination collaboration. This proposed framework will consist of clinicians, social services, community leaders, patient partners, and researchers, all of whom will work together to build a framework that will prioritize a patient-driven research agenda that reflects the needs of refugee women in relation to SRH services [1].

PI Heike Thiel de Bocanegra, PhD, MPH, from the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, created this partnership with the refugee community in order to provide insight, awareness, and action to capture the experiences of and preferences for well-woman care among refugees [2]. The decline in women’s access to SRH services has been associated with forced migration; the displacement of such services has led to various barriers to access, use, and implement such resources and knowledge [3] [4].

The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the needs and resources for refugees. As such, ReproNet has developed the “COVID-19 Pandemic Needs Assessment of Refugee Families” project in order to learn more about the current refugee crisis and their needs in order to offer a voice to their narrative. Collaborating with the Sacramento County Department of Health, ReproNet set up a COVID-19 phone survey and sent them to Afghan refugee families who arrived in March 2020 and could not receive a refugee assessment appointment due to the pandemic. Questions in the survey asked about social distancing practices, quarantine, etc, upon their arrival to the U.S. In total, 37 Afghan families (169 individuals) were interviewed to discuss SRH services. Methods of contraception use were discussed, and it was found that the majority used no method (42%), while a minority used an IUD, patch, and injections (3% each) [2] [5].

In addition, ReproNet formed a Patient and Stakeholder Engagement Plan, which includes patient partners from regions of Northern and Southern California representing diverse refugee groups. These groups meet quarterly and are comprised of a Patient Task Force (PFT), governance board (GB), and a panel of research and service providers (PRSP) to set norms/policies of ReproNet’s engagement [1] [2].

Though the project is ongoing, as more data from refugee communities continues to be gathered, ReproNet has continued to pilot virtual interaction during the pandemic. Its digital readiness and outreach to refugee communities have shed light on a range of issues, such as coping with COVID-19, general access to prenatal care, cancer screening, and stressors on domestic relationships.

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