Description |
Congolese refugee women face unique barriers in access to family planning healthcare in Utah. Though Utah is the home to approximately 60,000 refugees (Kem C. Gardner Policy; Institute, 2017), there exists little policy or research dedicated to refugee needs in healthcare let alone specific research for different refugee populations. This study focused on creating a nonhomogenous, culturally competent, and intersectional viewpoint on the needs of the Congolese refugee community in relation to their family planning needs. I conducted a qualitative analysis by consulting existing literature as well as interviewing five Congolese refugee women and three healthcare providers in the field of reproductive health. Commonalities amongst both participant sets resulted in four major findings: Cultural Competency, Control Your Body, Lack of Family Planning Knowledge, and Barriers. Recommendations include further educational opportunities for refugees, longer periods of assistance from resettlement agencies, and inclusion in policy at the state level. |