The following is a message from the AAP Immigrant Health Special Interest Group.
Our AAP Immigrant Health Special Interest Group continues to closely follow issues regarding the health of unaccompanied immigrant children in need of medical care resettled with a sponsor in communities across the US. There are a number of children with special health care needs who have been resettled into communities throughout the country, often in need of local healthcare.
We are working to develop and expand a list of child health professionals, including primary care, mental health, and sub-specialty providers, who can be available to connect unaccompanied immigrant children with needed care upon release into communities. Being part of this list may mean contacting colleagues or others you may not know in your hometown or other locations in your state who can connect unaccompanied children to key services such as medical homes, subspecialty providers, and mental health providers. Additionally, you may be asked to identify charity care or public hospitals that will care for uninsured patients on a sliding scale basis or help to identify low-cost medications.
If you are interested and able to be a point of contact in your region, please consider adding your name and relevant information to this AAP Community Liaisons – Unaccompanied Immigrant Children.
Thank you for your attention to this issue and for your ongoing work to support the health and wellbeing of unaccompanied immigrant children. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us and/or to Jean Davis (jdavis@aap.org) with questions or comments.