The problem is that there is no standardized national surveillance system to identify acute illnesses in newly arriving immigrant and refugee populations. The reporting of health conditions in refugees and immigrants identified post arrival is limited to the required reportable conditions as specified by state and federal requirements. However, the identification of these conditions as belonging to refugee or immigrants is not reported.
It is very important to identify and monitor the specific health needs of refugees and immigrants particularly for tropical diseases where there is no familiarity in the U.S. and to provide assistance to state and local refugee health programs to better prepare for the arrival of these populations.
CDC’s Division of Global Migration and Quarantine (DGMQ) www.cdc.gov/ncezid/dgmq is going to use new approaches to improve the health among immigrants and refugees through public health partnerships. As a result, CDC released their Funding Opportunity Notice (FOA) “Establishment of Centers of Excellence in Refugee Health” (CDC-RFA-CK15-1503) on March 23, 2015.
One area listed in the FOA concerns EHR development. The plan is to establish portable EHRs for immigrants and/or refugee population that will be used and viewed by providers in different institutions.
Another task will be to implement a medical consultation service for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) www.iom.int/cms./en/sites/iom/home.html and overseas panel physicians to help them stabilize and help manage refugees with complex medical conditions.
Another goal is to expand surveillance systems for immigrant and/or refugee populations that are representative of the target population and then be able to capture the data in a secure, electronic database format.
Fiscal Year 2015 estimated funding for the project is $5,000,000 with the funding for the total five year project period to be $25,000,000 with five awards expected. Eligible applicants can be from government, nonprofits, private institutions of higher education, for profit organizations, small businesses plus other listings for applicants are included in the FOA.
Go to www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppid=275345 to view FOA notice. The date for the Informational Conference Call is April 13, 2015, the Letter of Intent is due May 02, 2015, with the application due June 02, 2015. For more information, email Stephen Benoit Project Officer at bvy8@cdc.gov or call 404-639-5013.