Events

Refugee Health Support

Refugee Mental Health Clinic

Partnered with the International Rescue Committee, veterans from Mount Sinai created a refugee mental health clinic to provide cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) to refugees and evacuees without access to psychiatric care. In April 2022, the clinic began with two patients, one from Afghanistan and the other from Central America.

The clinic is partnered with the larger student-run mental health clinic at Mount Sinai and supported by key Mount Sinai staff like Dr. Craig Katz. Spring 2023 allowed for expansion in NGO partnerships through Catholic Charities and the New York Immigration Council.

Student veterans continue to run logistical support for the clinic and provide therapy for refugee patients through CBT. The clinic saw its first two Ukrainian patients in spring 2023. Further growth of the clinic to support more refugees from Ukraine is planned over fall 2023.

Of the cohort of veterans at Mount Sinai, over half will be trained as student providers in CBT to support refugee patients by December 2023.

Pop-up Refugee Health Clinic (October 2021)

Partnered with an NGO, MedVets coordinated and ran a clinic for refugees and evacuees outside of NYC. Residents and attendings in Emergency Medicine and student veterans at Mount Sinai conducted physicals and examinations for 27 refugees/evacuees who did not access to regular health care.

More details below:

Personnel

  • 2 Emergency Medicine Attending Doctors
  • 8 Emergency Medicine Resident Doctors
  • 3 Dari/Farsi interpreters (2 affiliated with Sinai) 
  • 8 Student Veteran Clinicians

Equipment 

  • 2 portable ultrasound: handheld butterfly and M turbo
  • Basic medical equipment (blood pressure cuffs, etc.)

Services Provided

  • Provided 27 refugees/evacuees with physicals and mental health screenings (including CD-RISC 2)
  • 3 patients had serious enough complications they were referred to a nearby ED 
  • 15 were written referrals for follow-up

Social Events

Welcome Back Dinner

Veterans and friends from Mount Sinai gathered for a meal at the start of the year in August 2021

PB Abbate Veteran Link-up

Veterans from Mount Sinai gathered with a local chapter of PB Abbate to play some golf and connect over experiences in and out of the military in January 2022