Wellness Connection of Minnesota

Bethlehem has entered a collaboration with Lutheran Social Service, Fairview and Faith in the City. Our purpose is to increase wellness in the immigrant and high risk populations in Minneapolis, specifically the Phillips’ and surrounding neighborhoods through assessment, health education, counseling, referral, and advocacy.

The center will also have opportunities for transcultural experiences for members of the partnering organizations.

Brief history of Somali immigration to Minneapolis The majority of Somali refugees living in Minnesota first arrived in 1993 as a result of civil war in Somalia. Approximately 50,000 Somali refugees and immigrants now live in Minnesota which is more than half of all Somalis living in the United States. Somalis are the fastest growing refugee group in Minnesota, constituting 54% of all primary refugee arrivals in 2000.

Many Somalis who live in Minnesota are young with approximately 77-85% of the Somali population between the ages of 18 and 40, 12-25% under 18 [Center for Cross Culture Health 2001]. Somali students make up the third largest group of non-English speaking students in Minneapolis Schools. Because many women were separated from their husbands during the ongoing civil war in Somalia, due to death, injury or immigration reasons, nearly half of the Somali families in Minnesota consist of mothers raising children on their own. Only about one in four Somali children lives with both parents. 

News - July 2007

On Tuesday July 10, 2007, the Wellness Connection of Minnesota (WCMN), an outreach ministry of Bethlehem's Health Ministries, was presented with a $5000 check from Park Nicollet Foundation at their annual foundation retreat. 

The $5000 will be used to train our staff in the health realization model of working with clients who are refugees and/or immigrants.  Mental illness related to post traumatic stress, loss of family, depression, grief, etc. is a major concern in the Somali and other refugee communities. This money will be used to address this growing need in the population we serve at the Wellness Connection of Minnesota.

WCMN Update:
  • Dave Wething, a Bethlehem member, assisted in the incorporation process which was effective in July, a step to becoming a non profit organization.
  • We received a grant from Minnesota Department of Health to assist women in receiving the screening and treatment for breast and cervical cancer. Our workers will recruit women who have no insurance or large co-pays and assist them in getting the screenings completed.
  • We received a Fairview Foundation grant for Bethlehem Lutheran to work with Messiah Lutheran in meeting health needs of the community. One of the WCMN community health workers will assist Messiah, supervised by Diane Waarvik, Director of Health Ministries.

Everyone at Wellness Connection of Minnesota is thankful for all the support and encouragement from members of Bethlehem.  Thank you....

Refugee Camp Experience in September

 

Imagine you have just minutes to flee your home. What few items can you carry? How will you find food, shelter, and water? These are just a few of the many thoughts that race through the minds of an estimated 33 million people around the world who have been forced to flee their homes and seek refuge because of war and conflict. For three years, Bethlehem has been working with Somali refugees at the Wellness Connection of Minnesota. Many of you have been touched by their stories. We invite you to a refugee camp experience.

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières hopes to bring an understanding of the refugee experience to the people of Minneapolis. "A Refugee Camp in the Heart of the City," a free exhibit, will take place at Loring Park, Thursday, September 27 through Sunday, September 30 from 9 am - 5:30 pm daily.

Doctors Without Borders aid workers guide visitors through the camp exhibit, explaining the challenges of building shelter, finding food and clean water, and handling waste disposal-all basic elements of survival for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs).

In the nutrition tent, visitors learn about the special therapeutic foods used to combat malnutrition. Tours of the health clinic, vaccination tent, and cholera treatment center demonstrate how the organization provides basic health care and controls epidemics in refugee settings.

The exhibit is made up of actual materials used by Doctors Without Borders in its medical humanitarian work around the world. The exhibit will highlight the plight of the millions of people currently displaced by conflict in places like Sudan, Colombia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as Thailand (the Hmong refugees) and Somalia-where the majority of Minnesota's refugees originate.