Worldwide, refugee women are more likely to experience pregnancy complications, poor birth outcomes, postpartum depression, and have unmet health needs after childbirth. Resettled refugees in the U.S., including those in Wisconsin, face many barriers to accessing health care, which can amplify their already poor maternal-child health outcomes, Refugees’ poor maternal and perinatal health profile is influenced by a combination of pre- and post-migration risk factors operating at individual, group and institutional/societal levels. Importantly, refugees are incredibly resilient–indeed many have survived unimaginably difficult and heartbreaking situations in their countries of origin and in refugee camps. Rather than mere survival, however, refugees want the opportunity to flourish as they reconstitute their lives in the United States. Our work with refugee women and their families at the MatCHES Lab is aimed at helping refugees thrive in WI and beyond through evidence-based, community-embedded interventions and programs that support maternal-child health and human thriving.
The goal of this initiative is to improve overall maternal-child health outcomes among refugees in Wisconsin by increasing (i) health education on reproductive, perinatal and women’s health, (i) access to social services and health care, and (iii) supporting healthy behaviors and lifestyles through culturally appropriate programs and interventions. To accomplish this, we collaborate with refugee communities, resettlement agencies, state and local health departments, non-profit organizations, schools, hospitals/clinics, health care providers, and other stakeholders to develop community-based interventions, programs, and research that is culturally grounded and prioritizes communities’ needs.