Comprehensive Health Services, one of the nation’s largest and most experienced workforce medical services providers, was recently awarded two five-year contracts by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) to provide staffing, medical support and medical equipment at temporary shelters housing children who have entered the U.S. unaccompanied by a parent or legal guardian. The contracts could total approximately $388 million, with a portion of the funds going to medical staffing services and a portion to shelter staffing services. Staffing provided by Comprehensive Health Services includes physicians, nurses, licensed counselors, case workers, youth counselors and education technicians.
The temporary shelters are designed to immediately and effectively respond to a potential increase in the arrival of unaccompanied children by providing a safe living environment. The children are housed in temporary shelters until they are released to an appropriate sponsor while their immigration cases proceed.
“We take seriously our duty to ensure these children receive high-quality medical care in a safe environment,” said Dan Jones, Comprehensive Health Services chief operating officer and senior vice president of domestic programs. “Comprehensive Health Services is grateful to have been selected by HHS to assist these children in their time of need.”
In 2014, the federal government responded to a significant increase in the number of unaccompanied children entering the United States along the southwest border with a coordinated response focused on providing humanitarian care for the children. As a result of this effort, and in preparation for future potential increases in border crossings by unaccompanied children, ORR — an office within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), a division of HHS — issued contracts to provide temporary shelter and medical services to these unaccompanied minors, if necessary. ORR is responsible for helping new populations maximize their potential in the United States by linking them to critical resources.