Health, Empowerment, and Resilience (HER) Project
Improving Reproductive Health Access for Refugee Women
Refugee women face persistent barriers to accessing essential reproductive health (RH) services. These include a lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate care, unfamiliarity with the healthcare system, mistrust of providers, low health literacy, limited insurance coverage, and experiences of trauma or gender-based violence.
These barriers contribute to disproportionately high rates of unintended pregnancies, underuse of contraception, and low engagement in prenatal and cancer screening services.
Refugee women often experience:
Limited access to family planning, prenatal/postnatal care, and cancer screening.
Language barriers and lack of interpretation services in reproductive health settings.
Fear and mistrust of health institutions, especially among recent arrivals or asylum seekers.
Stigma and cultural taboos around discussing reproductive and sexual health.
Unfamiliarity with rights and available services under U.S. healthcare programs.
Currently in its development phase, HER Project will prioritize high-need areas in California with large Afghan, Ukrainian, and Arab refugee populations.
The project aims to reduce persistent barriers to care, such as language access, stigma, unfamiliarity with the healthcare system, and past experiences of trauma, and empower refugee women to advocate for their reproductive well-being through culturally responsive, community-driven solutions. The initiative emphasizes peer-led education, trauma-informed provider training, and systems-level coordination with clinics, community-based organizations, and refugee resettlement agencies.
Call to Action: Expand Reproductive Health Access for Refugee Women
Refugee women face significant and persistent barriers to reproductive health (RH) care. From language access issues and lack of culturally appropriate services to trauma, stigma, and policy restrictions, these challenges have contributed to higher rates of unintended pregnancy, underuse of contraception, and reduced prenatal and cancer screenings. The consequences are severe, placing women and families at risk and increasing long-term strain on public health systems.
The urgency is clear. The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among high-income countries (22.3 per 100,000 live births, Statista 2023), and refugee and asylum-seeking women are disproportionately impacted. They experience reduced screening access, lower health literacy, and greater mistrust of providers, barriers that prevent them from receiving essential care (PMC, 2023).
At the Public Health Institute’s (PHI) Center for Immigrant and Refugee Health (CIRH), we are leading a community-centered initiative to improve reproductive health outcomes for refugee women. This project will train refugee women as peer health navigators, equip providers to offer culturally competent and trauma-informed care, and strengthen systems through partnerships with clinics, resettlement agencies, and community-based organizations.
We call on state and local agencies, philanthropic foundations, healthcare systems, and community partners to support this critical work. Your partnership can help:
Expand access to family planning, prenatal care, and cancer screenings
Provide refugee women with education and navigation support in their own languages
Build trust in the healthcare system through community-based outreach
Reduce unintended pregnancies and improve maternal health outcomes
Together, we can ensure that refugee women can access safe and respectful reproductive healthcare.