Grant: CIHR Fellowship

Racialized newcomer (i.e., arrived in Canada within 5 years) families experience greater challenges accessing healthcare services for their children with medical complexity. Here the term racialized is used to refer to people or communities from diverse ethnic or racial backgrounds who are not white, that are subjected to discrimination and racism on that basis. Racialized newcomer families have higher unmet healthcare needs, rates of hospitalizations, emergency department visits, and readmissions. However, despite this there is little research on the healthcare experiences of this underserved, yet equity-deserving group in Canada. In order to learn about these experiences, I will partner with a Community Advisory Committee, comprised of parents and organization leaders, to look at organizational- and provincial-level policies to see if and how they address the needs of these families. We will interview parental caregivers and have them complete diary entries about their experiences over time. We will ask them if the policies support their families or not. Using what is learned from this research, we will co-develop recommendations with families that address their specific needs. We will share the results with policymakers, clinicians, and other knowledge users to help improve healthcare services for racialized newcomer children with medical complexity and their families.