Multicultural support in Southern NSW

NSW Refugee Health Plan 2022 - 2027

The NSW Refugee Health Plan 2022 - 2027 affirms NSW Health's commitment by taking a culturally responsive, trauma-informed and strengths-based approach to help people from refugee backgrounds be healthy, thriving members of NSW.

Get the full NSW Refugee Health Plan 2022-2027.

On this page

Our commitment

We reaffirm the commitment of NSW Health to providing high-quality, accessible mainstream care to people of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds and people of refugee backgrounds, including people seeking asylum.

Booking and using an interpreter

Patients, families and carers who do not speak English as a first language, or who are Deaf, have the right to free, confidential and professional interpreters when using public health services.

To make sure important health information is communicated accurately, we use trained, professional interpreters - not family members or friends. This helps protect your privacy, ensures clear communication, and supports safe, high-quality care.

Interpreter services for Southern NSW Local Health District are provided through the Illawarra Health Care Interpreter Service (HCIS). Interpreters are available for inpatient care, outpatient clinics and home visits.

Please let booking staff or your health professional know if you need an interpreter. Members of the public cannot book NSW Health Care interpreters directly.

Health services and resources

A range of services supporting our refugee communities, include:

free health services for non-English speaking refugees
specialist multicultural and refugee health services
health clinics for refugees
health education and translation services
mental health support and treatment services
mental health community living supports for refugees
health promotion and community engagement programs
translated health resources for refugee communities
Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL) programs and tools
multicultural and translated healthy lunchbox and healthy eating resources.

Service providers

Service	Services provided
Multicultural Council of Wagga Wagga (02) 6921 6666	free service for refugees and people from a non-English speaking background refugee health clinic health promotion and community programmes
Red Cross Migration and Support Services (02) 5963 2952	help and support for newly arrived refugees, asylum seekers, and immigration detainees health promotion and community engagement programmes
Gateway Health – Wodonga (02) 6022 8888	refugee health clinic health promotion and community engagement programmes
NSW Refugee Health service (02) 8778 0770	free health service to the refugee community based in Liverpool (Sydney) GP Guidelines and Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) fact sheets education to health care providers health promotion and resources
Transcultural Mental Health Centre 1800 108 098	targeted mental health support translated resources health professional support access to bilingual mental health professionals
Appointment Translation tool online service only	translation service for medical / health appointment slips (translated in required language and printed for client)
NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS) (02) 9794 1900	free service psychological treatment for refugees rehabilitation of torture and trauma survivors office in Wagga Wagga outreach clinics
Multicultural Health Communication online service only	health information and campaigns for culturally and linguistically diverse communities
Health Translations online service only	provides translated Australian health resources more than 13,000 multi-lingual resources and factsheets health cue cards - health related picture and word cards translated into 60 languages HealthWISE - Ezidi Refugee video resources in Kurdish/Kurmanji languages.

List of health service providers supporting refugee and multicultural communities.

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