Working with immigrant and refugee populations: Issues and Hmong case study

There is a critical need to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate health information for immigrant and refugee populations. This article discusses the challenges related to providing health information for immigrants and refugees in the context of developing health education/health literacy programs. It includes lessons learned from National Library of Medicine (NLM)-funded health information programs in Wisconsin, particularly the Hmong health projects funded by the NLM Specialized Information Services Division. Topics include special needs of immigrant and refugee populations; health care for immigrants and refugees; identifying I and working with partner organizations; examples of successful efforts; and finding funding sources for health information literacy projects.