ATLANTA - September 18, 2024 - The Task Force for Global Health is partnering with the University of Minnesota’s Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility (CGHSR) on a new initiative to protect the health of globally mobile populations. The National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants (NRC-RIM), a pioneering project funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), has been led by CGHSR since its inception in 2020. NRC-RIM will join The Task Force as part of a new Migration Health Initiative.
The Migration Health Initiative will work with partners to support the health of people experiencing migration, with an initial focus on ensuring that refugee, immigrant and migrant communities within the United States have access to hepatitis B vaccines. The Task Force and NRC-RIM have long-standing partnerships with community-based organizations, resettlement agencies, and others in 150+ countries that will be crucial to their continued success. NRC-RIM will also leverage its longstanding relationship with IOM to ensure that this work can benefit its operations abroad.
Ensuring the health and safety of refugees and displaced persons is an enormous and growing challenge, beyond the capacities of established national and local public health agencies,” said Dr. Patrick O’Carroll, President and CEO of The Task Force for Global Health. “It is a challenge that requires us to think in new ways and develop new systems to prevent diseases and injuries among these communities, and deliver proper healthcare wherever and whenever it is needed. The Migration Health Initiative provides The Task Force with an exciting opportunity to engage with partners worldwide to systematically address this challenge.”
“NRC-RIM and The Task Force have a shared goal of ensuring the health and well-being of people around the world,” said Erin Mann, who has led NRC-RIM since 2020. “I am honored that NRC-RIM will join The Task Force in launching this important new initiative.”
Initially the program will build upon existing work by NRC-RIM and The Task Force’s Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination (CGHE). NRC-RIM has developed a robust portfolio that promotes health equity among refugee and immigrant communities in the U.S. using best practices in health education, community engagement, and human-centered design. The Task Force’s CGHE program works to eliminate viral hepatitis by strengthening the capacity of elimination programs around the world through technical assistance, knowledge generation, and advocacy among partners. Hepatitis B is a vaccine preventable infection, and for those already infected it can be a cause of premature death from liver cancer.
“Hepatitis B vaccination prevents infection. Because of their limited access to health care services, including vaccinations and medical screenings, refugee and immigrant communities are often at greater risk for hepatitis B,” said Dr. John Ward, Director of The Task Force’s Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination. “By combining The Task Force’s expertise in hepatitis B vaccination with NRC-RIM’s experience in culturally appropriate health education, the Migration Health Initiative will raise awareness of the benefits of hepatitis B vaccination among refugees and immigrants. Ensuring access to hepatitis B vaccination contributes to the health of both individuals and their communities.”
“We are excited for this opportunity to deepen our partnership with The Task Force with the new Migration Health Initiative,” said Dr. Shailey Prasad, Executive Director of CGHSR and Associate Vice President for Global and Rural Health at the University of Minnesota. “In many ways this brings the strengths of our institutions together - the academic expertise of an institution like the University of Minnesota with the skillful ability of a larger NGO to partner with communities to make real, lasting change.”
About The Task Force for Global Health
The Task Force for Global Health, founded 40 years ago to advance health equity, works with partners in more than 150 countries to eliminate diseases, ensure access to vaccines and essential medicines, and strengthen health systems to protect populations. Expertise includes neglected tropical diseases and other infectious diseases; vaccine safety, distribution and access; and health systems strengthening. For more information, visit www.taskforce.org.
About the National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants (NRC-RIM)
The National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants (NRC-RIM), a project within the University of Minnesota’s Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility (CGHSR), was established in 2020 as part of CGHSR’s ongoing collaboration with the CDC and the International Organization for Migration. NRC-RIM is funded by CDC to support health departments and community organizations working with refugee, immigrant, and migrant communities to promote health equity. CGHSR has a reputation for developing programs that advance health worldwide in a socially responsible, equitable way. CGHSR has led NRC-RIM as it grew from an innovative idea to an organization nationally known for excellence in public health preparedness and response, and in fostering partnerships that make a real difference in communities.
Media Contacts:
- Syreeta L. Wilkins
National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants (NRC-RIM)
slw@umn.edu
- Sumon Ray
The Task Force for Global Health
sray@taskforce.org