Worcester has a proud history of welcoming immigrants and refugees, creating the rich, diverse community we see today. However, when refugees and immigrants first arrive, many face unique challenges when navigating a healthcare system that is different from the one they came from and is often too fragmented and complex to meet their specific needs. Traditional healthcare structures, though well-meaning, struggle to accommodate the varied backgrounds, languages, and experiences of these newly arriving individuals.

Worcester RISE for Health was founded in May 2023 by Dr. Olga Valdman in collaboration with refugee and immigrant-serving community-based organizations (CBO) to re-envision healthcare delivery for new arrivals. After more than a decade of providing care to refugees in Worcester, Dr. Valdman recognizes the significant barriers new arrivals face, even within supportive healthcare settings. She envisioned a community-embedded health facility—one that is trauma-informed, easy to navigate, and staffed by individuals who share the experiences of the people they serve. The founding Board Chair, Alex Mooradian, Esq. strongly identified with this vision! He joined the organization after years of advocating for refugees and asylum-seeking clients, witnessing firsthand the gaps in the system that RISE aims to close. The same is true for all other board members who have lived experience or expertise in working with this population and seeing the need for innovation.

We are proud to center our work around a diverse team of Community Health Workers (CHWs). Our CHWs play a vital role in bridging the gap between our patients and the healthcare system. By offering personalized support with navigating health insurance, scheduling appointments, and arranging transportation, our team ensures that no one is left behind. In addition, our CHWs work hard to address the vast array of social determinants of health (SDOH) our newcomers face and work closely with our community partners to do so. Our initial cadre of CHWs speak Haitian Creole, French, and Spanish but we expect to expand over the first few years to include such languages as Dari, Pashto, Swahili, Arabic, and others reflective of newly arriving populations in need.

 Worcester RISE for Health is built on the pillars of co-location and collaboration aiming to be located in a physical space shared with community partners collaboratively serving the same population. We know we cannot do this alone and that newcomers need all the helping hands to join together to provide a safe and supportive landing place and allow new arrivals to adjust and transition from surviving to thriving in our beautiful Worcester Community.