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including access to vaccinations, dental and pharmacy care, prenatal supports, cognitive assessments, counselling, and help with transportation and resettlement. Recognizing the importance of supporting newcomers, TD has committed to ensuring the best care is available to some of our newest residents by working closely with Calgary Health Foundation to continue funding the Mosaic Refugee Health Clinic. Calgary’s refugee health program is recognized as the gold standard, not only in Canada, but globally. When it comes to sharing information about the gold standard of refugee healthcare, Dr. Coakley has spoken on the international stage. She has been invited to Geneva twice to present on how Canada addresses refugee health, and was part of the Global Refugee Forum. Reflecting on her work, Dr. Coakley is most drawn to the connections she has formed with her patients: “I came for the tropical disease, but I stayed for the patients. Seeing people come as newly arrived refugee families and then watching them buy their first homes, send their kids to university, become grandparents… it’s such a privilege to be able to play a part in their journeys. This kind of work could not be done without Calgary Health Foundation and their incredible donors.”
As a family physician, Dr. Coakley is focused on caring for vulnerable patients, in particular refugees. It started when Dr. Coakley attended the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. She had a great interest in the history of tropical disease and after completing her program and returning to Calgary, discovered that working with refugees, who are often from tropical countries, would be a good way to maintain those skills. With this in mind, she joined the Calgary Refugee Health Program, which evolved into the Mosaic Refugee Health Clinic. Supported by Calgary Health Foundation, the Mosaic Refugee Health Clinic provides essential medical care and health services to newcomers who arrive as refugees. The clinic addresses women’s health, family health, children’s health, mental health, and offers transition services to support patients in finding a family doctor in their community. During the pandemic, when refugees had to isolate for two weeks following their arrival in Canada, a grant from TD Bank Group, funded through Calgary Health Foundation, enabled the clinic to expand its staffing to serve refugees while they lived in temporary accommodations. The clinic was also able to hire a position to specifically address health concerns of temporarily housed refugees and provide a number of supports and services,
“The generous funding from TD, through Calgary Health Foundation, allowed the Mosaic Refugee Health Clinic to meet the health needs of Afghan newcomers upon their arrival in Calgary. By meeting their needs while they were in temporary accommodations, we were able to provide timely care in the community and prevent their health from deteriorating, requiring the services of our already overloaded hospitals.” —DR. COAKLEY
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