488 Characterizing Canada’s refugee healthcare system: insights from a national atlas

Abstract OP 17: Refugees and Asylum Seekers 1, B210 (FCSH), September 4, 2025, 13:30 - 14:30 Aims Despite national clinical guidelines, refugee healthcare delivery in Canada remains fragmented. This study systematically characterized healthcare services for refugees and asylum claimants across Canada using a national survey of healthcare organizations, integrated with federal immigration data, to develop an interactive online Atlas. Methods We conducted a national cross-sectional survey of 191 healthcare and settlement organizations across all provinces and territories. The survey captured clinic structures, service delivery models, workforce composition, financing mechanisms, and service challenges. These data were integrated with publicly available datasets from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and Statistics Canada (2015–2024). The WHO Health Systems Building Blocks framework guided the analysis. Findings were aggregated at national, provincial, and municipal levels, normalizing service capacity by population size. The Atlas, built using PowerBI, provides geospatial mapping and jurisdictional comparisons. Results The Atlas reveals significant variation in refugee healthcare services across Canada. Key strengths include robust health information systems, but gaps persist in service delivery and access to essential medicines. While 92% of clinics provide post-arrival health screening, only 67% offer structured chronic disease management, and 58% provide dedicated mental health services. Interpreter services remain inconsistent, with 42% of clinics reporting limited availability. Provincial analyses highlight workforce and funding disparities, while municipal data expose coordination challenges. Geographic mismatches between clinic locations and refugee settlement patterns indicate systemic misalignments. The Atlas also identifies promising care models, including multidisciplinary refugee health clinics and community-based integration programs. Conclusions The Canadian Refugee Healthcare System Atlas is a critical tool for policymakers, healthcare providers, and researchers, offering comprehensive data to improve refugee health services and coordination. By identifying system strengths and gaps, it facilitates evidence-based decision-making and resource allocation. Future efforts should focus on updating clinical guidelines, enhancing cross-sector collaboration, and integrating digital health innovations to strengthen refugee healthcare nationwide.