CenteringPregnancy Groups with Refugee Communities

Please join Dr. Shoshana Aleinifoff, Medical Director from HealthPoint Midway, Des Moines, WA, and other staff to discuss implementation of CenteringPregnancy groups with refugee patients. This conversation will focus on the challenges, adaptations, and value of implementing CenteringPregnancy in refugee communities in an FQHC. The discussion will also include the transition to virtual groups, with a lens of virtual adaptation for refugee groups. The staff have experience working with Somali and Afghan refugees and welcome discussion and input from other sites serving similar communities.

Dr. Aleinikoff is a Family Medicine Physician practicing full-spectrum family medicine with OB at the Midway location of HealthPoint. Her current practice is about one third newly arrived refugees and the large majority of her other patients are refugees, asylees, and immigrants. She leads a monthly newly arrived refugee clinic, CenteringPregnancy groups, and a family medicine residency refugee health elective. Dr. Aleinikoff has published and presented locally and nationally on refugee and asylee health, including co-authoring an article in AFP in 2017: "Primary Care for Refugees: Challenges and Opportunities." She volunteers her time conducting medical forensic exams for asylum seekers with Physicians for Human Rights and Northwest Health and Human Rights.

Xiomara Pocasangre, Quality Improvement Coordinator and Centering Coordinator, has a special interest in population health, patient safety and immigrant communities. She has a BA in Business Administration.

Dr. Liza Perpuse is a Family Medicine Physician, Clinical Director SeaTac HealthPoint and Specialty Director of Refugee and Multicultural Health.

We have found that these discussions are more engaging and productive when every participant joins in from a video capable computer or mobile device. If you don't have video capability on your computer, you can download the Zoom app on your phone and access video and audio options from your phone. You can also join in from your cell or tablet. Thank you!