Refugee Health YYC

What Refugee Health YYC does

Refugee Health YYC (recently rebranding to Migration Humanitarian Health Collective, MHHC) is a non-profit academic research, innovation, and education platform operating within the University of Calgary's O'Brien Institute for Public Health, Cumming School of Medicine. Founded in 2014 and operating with six employees, the organization generates refugee health evidence centered on community-engaged research, serving three primary constituencies: newly arrived refugees and asylum claimants in Calgary (the direct beneficiaries of research outputs and care programs), Canadian family physicians and healthcare providers (users of the Refugee Care App clinical resource), and academic researchers and policymakers (consumers of the published work and the Canadian Refugee Health Atlas). The platform is closely partnered with the Calgary Refugee Health Clinic and Mosaic Refugee Health Clinic as its clinical site, and collaborates with IRCC, Alberta Health Services, the National Newcomer Navigation Network, and WHO on national and international refugee health work.

The core product portfolio is built on a foundation of population-level refugee health data and digital tooling. Its flagship asset is the Canadian Refugee Health Atlas, a publicly accessible web-based mapping dashboard whose version 3.0 (April 2024) catalogs 51 primary care facilities, 6 public health units, 86 settlement agencies, and 9 other healthcare organizations across 10 provinces, 1 territory, and 55+ jurisdictions. The Refugee Care App (iOS and Android) provides point-of-care clinical guidance for family physicians screening newly arrived refugees. Underlying these products is a refugee health data repository assembled over nine years covering nearly 11,000 refugees from more than 90 countries, uniquely linking outpatient clinic data with hospital, emergency department, and urgent care data.

The revenue model is grant-funded and donation-supported, with no external investors, no disclosed pricing, and no revenue figure. All consumer resources (the Atlas, the Care App, clinical guidelines, multilingual COVID-19 vaccine bulletins across 14 languages) are distributed free of charge. The organization monetizes through research grants routed via the University of Calgary and donations to fund its Community Scholar Program, Patient Advisory Committees (Adult and Youth PACs), and refugee student scholarships. The 2024 strategic rebrand to Migration Humanitarian Health Collective signals a planned expansion beyond Calgary into national and UN-system humanitarian health work, which represents the most significant shift in the organization's positioning in its history.

Name

Refugee Health YYC

Legal name

Refugee Health YYC

Website

https://refugeehealthyyc.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Refugee Health YYC (rebranding to Migration Humanitarian Health Collective) is a non-profit academic research platform at the University of Calgary's O'Brien Institute for Public Health that produces refugee health data, the Canadian Refugee Health Atlas, and the Refugee Care App for newly arrived refugees, family physicians, and policymakers across Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Research and Refugee Healthcare Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Health Care and Social Assistance (62)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee/Migrant Health & Resettlement Health Units (HLAJAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI), Refugee, Crisis & Humanitarian Education Partnerships (EiE) (EDADALAG)

Keywords

• Refugee health research
• Community health programs
• Clinical decision support
• Healthcare atlas mapping
• Public health education

Headquarters

HQ city

Calgary

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding and Donations: Refugee Health YYC is a research, innovation, and education platform at the University of Calgary's O'Brien Institute for Public Health. The organization operates primarily through research grants and donations to support Community Scholar programs, Patient Advisory Committees, and refugee student scholarships.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Refugee Health YYC is a research, innovation, and education platform at the University of Calgary's O'Brien Institute for Public Health that delivers digital tools and clinical resources focused on refugee healthcare. Its core offerings include a national digital atlas of refugee-serving health facilities, a mobile clinical decision-support app for family physicians, multilingual COVID-19 vaccine education materials, evidence-based clinical guidelines, and a large refugee health research data repository. The platform also runs community engagement programs (Patient Advisory Committees and Community Scholars) that centre refugee voices in research and policy.

Product overview

Refugee Health YYC operates as a research, innovation, and education platform offering a portfolio of digital health tools and clinical resources focused on refugee healthcare. The core offerings include the Canadian Refugee Health System Atlas (a web-based mapping dashboard), the Refugee Care mobile application (iOS/Android), multilingual COVID-19 vaccine education materials, a large research data repository, and clinical practice resources for physicians. These products serve to map refugee health services nationally, provide clinical decision support at the point of care, disseminate health information to refugees in multiple languages, and support academic research into refugee health outcomes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Canadian Refugee Health Atlas: Digital dashboard mapping refugee health facilities across Canada including 51 primary care facilities, 6 public health units, and 86 settlement agencies.
• Refugee Care App
• Community Scholar Program

Products and services

• Canadian Refugee Health System Atlas A publicly accessible digital dashboard and mapping platform that visualizes the geographic distribution and characteristics of refugee-serving health and settlement organizations across Canada, including primary care facilities, public health units, and settlement agencies. Designed for clinicians, policymakers, and refugee-serving organizations.
• Refugee Care App A clinical resource mobile application that guides Canadian family physicians through the initial screening and management of newly arrived refugees and refugee claimants, containing consensus-based clinical recommendations from the Calgary Refugee Health Program physician group. Available on iOS and Android.
• COVID-19 Vaccine Bulletins Multilingual COVID-19 vaccine information resources available in 14 languages including English, Amharic, Arabic, Bangla, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), French, Punjabi, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Tamil, Tigrinya, and Urdu, covering vaccine education materials, safety information, and trusted answers to common questions. Designed for refugee and newcomer communities.
• Clinical Resource Documents Evidence-based clinical guidelines, initial screening serology requisitions, checklists, and country profiles for clinicians treating refugee patients, including resources on Canadian refugees basic facts, Interim Federal Health Program guidance, and recommended screening tests. Designed for family physicians and healthcare providers.

Quantifiable outcome

• COVID-19 vaccine outreach vaccinated over 9,000 workers and community members across four meat plants surrounding Calgary and in northeast Calgary
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• National Newcomer Navigation Network (N4)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 April 2024Presented webinar on 'Canada's Refugee Health System Atlas: National Innovation with Global Impact' with Gabriel Fabreau and Annalee Coakley presenting to N4's national audience.
• Nadia Murad / Nadia's InitiativemajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2023Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nadia Murad participated in Tzavta Salon fundraiser hosted by Refugee Health YYC, partnering to raise funds for Community Scholars and other RHYYC programs.
• University of Calgary - O'Brien Institute for Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRefugee Health YYC operates as a research, innovation, and education platform within the University of Calgary's O'Brien Institute for Public Health and Cumming School of Medicine. This academic partnership provides institutional infrastructure and research credibility.
• Calgary Refugee Health Clinic / Mosaic Refugee Health CliniccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClosely partnered as academic platform for clinicians who provide care for newly arrived refugees and asylum claimants for up to two years. Co-host of the North American Refugee Health Conference 2023.
• Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating with IRCC and various refugee health partners across Canada to characterize Canada's refugee healthcare system, assess various healthcare models and innovations, and share best practices.
• Alberta Health ServicesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on COVID-19 outbreak response and vaccination outreach programs, particularly in meat processing plant communities. Working with AHS Public Health Meat Processing Plants and COVID-19 Taskforce.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency): Global UN agency mandated with refugee protection and assistance, including health programming. Comparable as the leading global refugee-health policy actor that RHYYC/MHHC increasingly engages with through the WHO Global School.
• Migration Policy Institute (MPI): Established international think tank producing data, analysis, and policy recommendations on migration and refugee integration. Comparable to RHYYC as an evidence-based influencer of refugee health and settlement policy, but at much larger scope and scale.
• International Organization for Migration (IOM): UN-related intergovernmental organization operating migration and refugee health programs globally. Comparable in mission (migration health) and global convening role, but vastly larger and institutional rather than academic.

Regional players

• Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS): Calgary-based settlement agency serving refugees and immigrants with language, employment, and integration services. Comparable as a regional service-delivery partner to RHYYC's research platform and a recipient of patient navigation flows.
• Refuge (UK): UK-based charity providing specialist support for women and children fleeing domestic violence and refugees. Comparable in delivering refugee-specific social and health support services, but geographically focused on the UK rather than Canada.
• Immigrant Outreach Society: Calgary-based non-profit providing settlement services and currently led by Adanech Sahilie, a RHYYC Community Scholar and Coronation Medal recipient. Operates as a regional implementation partner for refugee integration programs adjacent to RHYYC's work.

Direct peers

• Canadian Centre for Refugee and Immigrant Health Care: Canadian non-profit delivering clinical care, advocacy, and refugee health programming. Directly comparable as a Canada-based non-academic provider working with refugee patients, though its focus is more on service delivery than research output.
• Boston Medical Center Refugee Health Program: Academic medical-center-based refugee health program providing primary care and research for newly arrived refugees in the U.S. Highly comparable to RHYYC in its combined clinical-research-community-engagement model and reliance on a university hospital anchor.
• University of Minnesota Center for Refugee Health: U.S. academic research and training center on refugee health, including clinical guidelines, provider training, and patient navigation. Closely comparable to RHYYC's blend of clinical decision support (Refugee Care App) and research.

Others

• Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF): International humanitarian medical organization delivering refugee and migrant healthcare in crisis contexts. Adjacent rather than competitive — both serve displaced populations, but MSF focuses on direct clinical delivery in conflict zones rather than academic research.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/refugeehealthyyc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Refugee Health YYC