5.I. Scientific session: Exploring social prescribing as a pathway to enhance equitable integrated care for migrants
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Migrant populations often live in a vulnerable life situation and face unique challenges, including language barriers, cultural differences, economic hardship, social exclusion and obstacles in access to healthcare services, that influence their health journey while in the host countries. Addressing migrants’ health and wellbeing needs requires tackling social determinants of health, which is frequently out of scope of mainstream healthcare. Social prescribing (SP) is an innovative approach that connects individuals to community-driven services, promoting integrated care that enhances social inclusion and promotes health and wellbeing. By leveraging SP, we can create pathways to equitable care services, fostering a collaborative approach that integrates healthcare systems and community resources. In the past years, a growing number of SP initiatives targeting migrant populations have been developed, yet there is still little debate on the potential of SP practices to reduce inequities in the European context. This workshop aims to contribute to this discussion by exploring perspectives on issues including: i) What does evidence tell us about SP and how can we better translate it into practice? ii) What are the lessons learned from experiences from the field in culturally diverse contexts? iii) What efforts are needed to implement cost-effective and sustained initiatives for migrants? The session will start with an overview of Social Prescribing as a promising approach to address health inequities. Then, panellists with diverse backgrounds will draw upon their expertise to overall reflect on the potential of SP for reducing inequities, challenges for sustained SP practices with migrant populations and opportunities to advance innovative financing strategies that prioritize prevention. The presentations will draw on the latest evidence and experiences from the field in the European context. Afterward, an open discussion with the audience will be moderated to bring in other perspectives, addressing two key topics: what challenges and what solutions/lessons learned for expanding evidence-informed SP with migrants. The workshop will conclude with a summary of key points and closing remarks. This workshop seeks to foster dialogue on the opportunities for, and challenges in, the implementation of evidence-informed SP initiatives that effectively address migrants’ health needs, promote equitable access to integrated care, boost social cohesion and inform public health policies. The goal is to inspire exchange across institutions and countries, and equip participants with knowledge and tools to advocate for and develop collaborative, sustained SP initiatives. Key messages • Social prescribing is a promising approach to enhance equitable access to integrated care, promoting health and wellbeing of migrant communities and fostering social cohesion and better integration. • This workshop will identify challenges and opportunities for implementation of collaborative, evidence-informed, sustained SP initiatives that address migrants’ migrants’ health and wellbeing needs.
Language: English
Subfield: Conservation
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,181
OpenAlex ID: W7101395944
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