This is funded by the Nova Scotia health Authorities tackling various health issue This are meant to educate and in reach the community. Some concerned members in the immigrant community have approached the UACWA regarding the urgent need for creating awareness in areas such as healthy life style, screening tests including the importance of having Paps, Mammograms, destigmatizing mental health, abuse and isolation, chronic disease management, etc. We have seen an increase in the black immigrant and refugee community in Nova Scotia. Some of the new arrivals are language-challenged.

Most of the awareness programs in the community are being done in English and French thereby leaving out those that cannot fully understand. The Nova Scotia Health system is facing significant challenges with new immigrants and refugees getting family doctors and also getting all the important health information they need to make informed healthcare choices for them and their families. Accessibility to these information/resources is posing challenges in our community. These resources and procedures are new to a lot of them. So, lack of knowledge and the lack of resources that are specifically designed to meet the needs of the newcomers greatly impact the utilization of these services and are therefore considered determinants of health. Some of the barriers to accessing these important resources are language, lack of trust in the system, lack of awareness/some typical youth behaviors such as
nonchalance, and fear of being stigmatized and/or ostracized. As a result, many have not been doing their screening tests and have been having issues navigating the healthcare system.

These issues have prompted the need for UACWA to host a monthly series of workshops that would be held in at least 4 different languages in HRM. Its aim is to create awareness and increase the utilization of these resources in the community. The workshops will be recorded and will be available on our website for accessibility across the entire province.