Completed
2017

EUR-HUMAN: European Refugees-Human Movement and Advisory Network, 2016-2017

Duration: Jan 2016 - Mar 2017

Background
In January 2016, with the international refugee crisis in a critical phase, pressuring many European countries to develop policy and plans to better define their role in supporting refugees entering Europe, an international consortium led by University of Crete started the EU-funded EUR-HUMAN project.

Aim
The primary objective of the EUR-HUMAN project was to identify, design and implement interventions to improve primary health care delivery for refugees and other migrants in Europe at hotspots, transit centres and longer stay first reception centres.

Project design and methods
The core of the EUR-HUMAN project consists of a set of interrelated work packages (WPs) with activities coordinated by different partners. In the different WPs of EUR-HUMAN different types of information are collected, combined and discussed internationally, in order to be utilized to strengthen the local health care capacity at the sites that refugees and other migrants visit on their journey towards their country of destination.

- WP2 (coordinated by Radboudumc University) utilizes methodologies such as Participatory and Learning Action (PLA) to establish a democratic dialogue with national, regional and local stakeholders as well as with refugees themselves to asssess their needs, wishes and preferences. PLA sessions are carried out in seven EU countries (Greece, Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, Italy, Austria, and The Netherlands) in the first half of 2016. In the same period

- WP3 (coordinated by NIVEL) accesses a diversity of data sources and experts to identify success factors and obstacles in the implementation of tools and interventions to optimize health care for refugees and other migrants in the European context.

- WP5 (coordinated by University of Zagreb), among others, produces a protocol for rapid assessment of mental health and psychosocial needs of refugees. Moreover, as part of WP4, the results of the review activities (WP3), the brokered dialogue with the stakeholders and refugees (WP2) and mental health protocol, are incorporated in an operational plan prepared by the general project coordinator of EUR-HUMAN (University of Crete). This comprehensive approach, to be discussed in an international expert panel group.

Results
These activities and publications contribute to the development of guidance (e.g. documents, recommendations, training materials, tools) and to actually piloting this guidance on behalf of the provision of integrated and comprehensive person-centred primary care for refugees at the intervention site in hotspots, transit centres and longer stay first reception centres in WP6 (coordinated by University of Vienna). The whole process is being monitored and evaluated by WP7 (coordinated by European Forum for Primary Care).
All activities will be completed in 2016.

International project website: EUR-HUMAN.uor.gr
Funding
European Commission - CHAFEA
Project partners
University of Crete (Greece, coordinator); University of Liverpool, United Kingdom; Radboudmc, Netherlands; University of Zagreb, Croatia; University of Vienna, Austria; University of Ljubljana, Slovenia; University of Debrecen, Hongary; European Forum for Primary Care, Netherlands