Every April, the public health community celebrates National Public Health Week. National Public Health Week is a time in which we recognize the amazing contributions of public health professionals and highlight the pressing public health issues important to improving our nation’s health. This year’s National Public Health Week theme was Changing our Future Together.
IH Section Councilor Mark Strand organized a roundtable entitled A New Perspective on Refugees in the Community: Changing our Future Together at North Dakota State University where he is a professor. 40 attendees from 12 countries participated in this National Public Health Week event which was held on April 3rd. Attendees learned many things they didn’t know before:
(1) At least one member of the family is working within 6 months of arriving in the U.S.
(2) Over an adult’s first 20 years here, a refugee pays approximately $21,000 more in taxes than they receive in social service benefits.
(3) There is no evidence for increased crime rates among refugees.
(4) There are many positive impacts resettled refugees make on their new communities.
Visit their Facebook post for a look at some of the photos from their event: https://www.facebook.com/ndsu.chp/posts/10160362153045694
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