Center for Refugees and Immigrants of Tennessee

Last Updated: 4/24/2013 3:07:19 PM

Nonprofit

Center for Refugees and Immigrants of Tennessee

Address

295 Plus Park Boulevard
Suite 102

Nashville, TN 37217-
Davidson County

Primary Phone

(615) 366-6868

Primary Fax

(615) 360-9696

Web Site

Click to visit nonprofit website

Contact Email

info@centerforrefugees...

Facebook

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CEO/Executive Director

Mr. Yussuf Issa

Board Chair

Mr. Jonathan Pride

Board Chair Company Affiliation

PENCIL Foundation

Board Members

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Year of Incorporation

2000

Former Names

Somali Community Center of Nashville (changed to: Center for Refugees & Immigrants of Tennessee, as of 2/19/2009) (2008)

Organization received a competitive grant from the community foundation in the past five years

Yes

Community Foundation Staff Conducted Site Visit when Developing Profile

Yes

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Related Information

Cultural and Ethnic Diversity

The United States stands out among nations as a melting pot of cultures and ethnicities. Demographers predict that by 2050, no single majority group will exist in the United States. Diversity is a key part of Middle Tennessee’s past, present and future. Nashville, especially, is a model of the American "melting pot," with an active Native American population, thriving Hispanic community and growing Middle Eastern and Asian presence. Different cultures, religions, ideas and customs come together harmoniously in Music City.

Refugees and Immigrants

The phenomenal growth of Tennessee’s foreign-born population, and the opportunities and challenges this has presented for newcomers and the state, has brought Tennessee into the national spotlight in recent years. During the 1990s, the foreign-born population in Nashville tripled. Meanwhile, the number of foreign-born people statewide grew by 169%, making our state a larger magnet for immigrants, by percentage, than larger cities like New York and Los Angeles. In the year 2000, 45% of Nashville’s foreign-born residents had been in the United States less than five years. Catholic Charities of Tennessee resettled 648 refugees in Middle TN in 2010 alone.

Public Health

The dramatic achievements of public health in the 20th century have improved our quality of life in a myriad of ways, including an increase in life expectancy, worldwide reduction of infant and child mortality rates, and the elimination or reduction of many communicable diseases. In Middle Tennessee, improvements in preventive medicine and advanced medical technology have resulted in increased life expectancy and improved health for many residents. However, significant health disparities exist in our region, resulting in poor health status often related to economic status, race, and/or gender.

Tennessee Women's Health Report Card

"Women in Tennessee are in the middle of a health crisis. What are YOU going to do?" Dr. Stephaine Walker's call to action followed the launch of the 2011 TN Women's Health Report Card, which showed some clear areas of progress since the 2009 snapshot of women's health in our state, but also a number of areas in which there is still significant work to be done. While we are getting more mammograms and have significantly decreased our rates of colorectal cancer, 18.4% of us – or almost 1 in 5 – smoked while we were pregnant, and 1 in 3 of us are obese. African American women experience striking disparities in rates of breast cancer, STD contraction, and infant mortality rate. The full 2011 report can be accessed through the link below. Read carefully, and decide what YOU are going to do to improve the health of women in Tennessee.