Helping refugees and other displaced people establish new lives, regain hope, and contribute to the vitality of Connecticut’s communities.
Affiliated with Church World Service
& Episcopal Migration Ministries
IRIS Newsroom
Items from IRIS —
Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services
CT Immigrant Day Honors Yale-New Haven Hospital Refugee Clinics
On April 20, 2010, IRIS joined with other members of the Connecticut Immigrant and Refugee Coalition (CIRC) to celebrate the 13th Annual CT Immigrant Day at the State Capitol. CT Immigrant Day honored fourteen immigrants who have received US citizenship for their contributions to the community. Awards were presented by Susan Bysiewicz, Secretary of the State; Nancy Wyman, State Comptroller; and other elected officials.
CT Immigrant Day also honored the Pediatric and Adult Refugee Clinics of the Yale-New Haven Hospital Primary Care Center with the Myra M. Oliver Award. The Myra M. Oliver Award is given to those who work beyond the call of duty to help refugees and immigrants, in memory of her lifetime of leadership and service.
Six years ago the Primary Care Center responded to the need to offer high quality, culturally- and linguistically-appropriate primary care medical services to refugees who have recently arrived in CT. In consultation with IRIS, medical residents took the initiative to set up designated appointment times to meet the medical needs of this unique population. They called it a “Refugee Clinic.” These residents worked diligently to develop this innovative idea into a sustained reality. Each year, the doctors and nurses of the Refugee Clinics provide exceptional care to over 100 adult patients and 40 children. Many of these clinicians graciously volunteer their time to meet the medical and mental health needs of IRIS’s refugee clients.
The Myra M. Oliver Award was presented to five representatives from the Refugee Clinics. IRIS believes that these Refugee Clinics are a remarkable model in the field of refugee medicine, and joins with CIRC in thanking the Yale-New Haven Hospital Primary Care Center and these outstanding practitioners for their vision in making the clinics happen, their dedication to seeking continuous improvements, and their compassionate care for new Americans.
IRIS Awarded $18,860 Grant from United Way of Greater New Haven to Provide Employment Support to Refugees
NEW HAVEN, CT- IRIS—Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services has been awarded a continuation grant of $18,860 from United Way of Greater New Haven for its program, Employment Support through Family Literacy. With this funding, IRIS assists refugees and asylees—new Americans—to learn English and connect with other immigrants, and provides them with employment services. It has also made it possible for the agency to reach out to area employers and forge partnerships with other area non-profit agencies, including STRIVE New Haven.
Read the entire press release »
Remembering Carol Brown
The staff of IRIS (formerly IRM - Interfaith Refugee Ministry) is sad to announce the passing of a former volunteer and staff member, Carol Brown. Carol dedicated a tremendous amount of time to help Sudanese “Lost Boys” resettle in Connecticut, and then worked with IRM as a Community Liaison in 2004. She will be greatly missed, but we are thankful for her legacy of service in welcoming persecuted people to begin new lives in Connecticut. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family in this time.
Read the Hartford Courant obituary »
IRIS Receives Grant of $19,500 from Neighbor-to-Neighbor Lifeline (N2N)
NEW HAVEN, CT - IRIS —In response to the economic downturn, United Way of Greater New Haven and The Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven joined forces to help the growing number of people in our region who are facing food and housing insecurity. On February 26, IRIS was awarded $19,500 from Neighbor-to-Neighbor Lifeline (N2N) to provide rental assistance to refugees, our newest neighbors.
Refugees are legally documented when they enter this country. With IRIS’s help, they set out to find jobs soon after they arrive. Refugees are highly motivated and eager to work. Regardless of their qualifications, most accept low-paying jobs because they do not speak English.
Over the past six months, frustration has grown among qualified, able-bodied refugees for one simple reason: they can’t find work. Thanks to this generous grant from N2N, IRIS will provide rental assistance to approximately 19 households, representing 50 men, women, and children refugees in Greater New Haven. The money will help prevent IRIS clients from becoming homeless as they continue searching for jobs. Thank you, N2N, for throwing this lifeline to refugees!
We salute our peers across Greater New Haven who are working in the field of human services at this difficult time. For stories of hope and inspiration, including updates on IRIS clients assisted by the N2N grant, go to n2nlifeline.org/blog. Together, we are making a difference!
IRIS Awarded $50,000 for Refugee Health and Wellness Program
Connecticut Health Foundation awards grant to reduce racial & ethnic health disparities among refugee population
NEW HAVEN, CT - IRIS — Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services — has been awarded a one-year grant from the Connecticut Health Foundation to fund its Refugee Health and Wellness Program. The $50,000 grant will be used to maintain and expand IRIS’s comprehensive health program including health care coordination for newly-arrived refugees, medical self-sufficiency education, health education, provider training, and advocacy for medical interpretation. IRIS will also continue to advocate for and strengthen a Refugee Clinic at Yale-New Haven Hospital Primary Care Center.
Refugees — people who have fled their home country due to persecution — arrive in the U.S. with a wide range of health care needs. The main goal of the IRIS Health and Wellness Program is to provide new refugee arrivals with the tools they need to achieve improved health and wellness in their new home, which include:
- quick access to quality health services;
- access to culturally competent and linguistically appropriate services; and
- knowledge about preventive medicine, wellness topics, and management of chronic conditions.
IRIS will work towards an improved health care system that better supports refugees’ transition to becoming Connecticut’s newest Americans.
Read the entire press release »
Refugee Children Awarded Music Scholarships
NEW HAVEN - The Hugo Kauder Foundation awarded two music scholarships on behalf of IRIS in a special presentation to the proud recipients and families on September 6, 2008. With this generous award, the refugee children will receive lessons at the Neighborhood Music School.
