Better mental health for migrants
The 'New communities and mental health - A needs analysis' (Newcom) project was established, on behalf of the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Cáirde, to study migrant mental health issues based on knowledge of local conditions and reflecting the needs of migrant sub-populations. Cáirde is committed to reducing health inequalities amongst ethnic minorities in Ireland. Through its work, the EU-funded team aimed to provide a good practices example of community-led research useful for informing policy development and implementation. Taking such a community-driven perspective, researchers were able to investigate mental health needs amongst migrants in Ireland and identify gaps, use and up-take in services, patterns of service use, and perceived barriers to access. They produced a report on the impact of such issues and this is already on the desks of policy actors. Other efforts succeeded in setting up university–community organisation relationships centred on 'real world' research issues and laying the groundwork for establishing a Science Shop at Dublin City University. Acting as resource for Cáirde and the migrant health forum it sponsors, the project website was also used to disseminate study results to universities, communities, policymakers and other interested parties or stakeholders. Thanks to the Newcom approach, both Cáirde and migrant communities are better able to research and gain a better understanding of the mental health issues at play. The study’s outcomes, pioneering efforts in the area of community knowledge exchange, have also proved equally important for health professional and government planners. This bodes well for actions focused on overcoming the risks of health inequality and driving enhanced policy and service delivery.
