THE MULTICULTURAL COUNCIL PRESENTS: SUPPORTING FORMER REFUGEE FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES IN LEND PROGRAMS

Tuesday, August 26, 2014
3:00 PM ET - 4:00 PM ET
Location: webinar



Webinar Description

This presentation will discuss recruitment of former refugees to the Vermont LEND. Specifics will be presented on cultural and linguistic competence professional development for faculty, staff, trainees, as well as mentorship. A Vermont LEND trainee, and former refugee from Somalia, will present her vision and work in the Medical Home wing as it relates to culturally responsive care coordination. Steps for advocacy and systems change will also be discussed.

Speakers

image of Jean Beatson, Ed.D, R.N.

Jean Beatson, Ed.D, R.N.
Vermont LEND Training Director

Dr. Jean Beatson is the Training Director for the Vermont Interdisciplinary Leadership Education for Health Professionals (VT-ILEHP) program and responsible for overseeing all program components. VT-ILEHP is a HRSA MCHB Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) training grant, focusing on inter-professional collaboration, cultural competency, family and person centered care, autism and other neurodevelopmental disabilities, and leadership in Maternal Child Health. In collaboration with the VT-ILEHP management team, inter-professional faculty and staff, Dr. Beatson takes the lead in curriculum and program development; inter-professional education; maintaining university and national program connections; mentoring trainees, fellows and new faculty; strategic planning; and grant writing. She is the liaison between the Department of Nursing and VT-ILEHP, a guest lecturer in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, and a member of graduate nursing students' thesis and projects committees. Dr. Beatson has been faculty at the University of Vermont since 1996. Her research and scholarly writing includes family-centered care, refugee mothers raising children with disabilities, inter-professional education, cultural and linguistic competence, and medical home initiatives.

Mercedes Avila, PhD
Vermont LEND Multicultural Coordinator

Dr. Avila is the Vermont LEND Multicultural Coordinator at the University of Vermont's Department of Pediatrics. She has been involved in numerous SAMHSA, HRSA, and MCH programs. Dr. Avila provides consultation on cultural and linguistic competency to state health and mental health departments and has trained more than 800 providers. She was recently elected co-chair of the AUCD's Multicultural Council and is a member of the Vermont Governor's Council for Children and Family Prevention Programs. In 2014, Dr. Avila joined the National Technical Assistance Network created for the development and implementation of technical assistance to support states and communities funded by the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and their Families Programs (CMHI). Her research, teaching, and scholarly writing include youth suicide prevention, developmental disabilities, inter-professional health education, cultural and linguistic competence, refugee and immigrant populations, and behavioral health disparities.

Fatuma Bulle
Vermont LEND Trainee and Family Resource Consultant for Vermont Family Network

Fatuma Bulle is a former refugee from Somalia. She spent 14 years in a refugee camp in Kenya with her family. She is a fellow with the Vermont LEND program and an International Relations student at Champlain College. She is currently a Family Support Consultant at Vermont Family Network where she helps families of younger children who have special needs. Fatuma recently produced an autism video for families of young children. She previously provided support to refugee families for more than ten years as a staff member of the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program. Fatuma speaks four languages: Somali, Mai-Mai, Swahili, and English.

 

For disability accommodations contact Rebecca Carman or call 301-588-8252 a minimum of five days in advance.

register