3.4: Vulnerable Populations
Address the needs, strengths, and abilities of vulnerable populations. Other Information:
HHS is committed to addressing the needs, strengths, and abilities of vulnerable populations, including people with disabilities,
American Indians and Alaska Natives, refugees and other entrants, victims of human trafficking, persons experiencing homelessness,
and people affected by natural or manmade disasters. ACF, AoA, CDC, OCR, OD, and SAMHSA have developed programs and initiatives
tailored for these particularly vulnerable populations. The two selected performance indicators at the end of this chapter
that focus on this issue look at services provided to homebound older people and newly arrived refugees. Below are a few of
the Department’s efforts. People With Disabilities: A number of interagency collaborations have developed to support the economic
independence and social well-being of people with physical, sensory, behavioral, cognitive, and developmental disabilities.
One is the joint planning effort between AoA, CMS, HRSA, IHS, NIH, OCR, OD, SAMHSA, and non-Federal organizations, including
State developmental disability agencies, longterm care providers, tribal governments, State and local agencies on aging, and
State and local Medicaid agencies. These agencies and organizations work to increase the independence and quality of life
of persons with disabilities, including those with long-term care needs. Another collaboration, the Committee for Employees
with Disabilities, with representation from 14 HHS operating and staff divisions, represents the issues and needs of the Department’s
employees with disabilities; provides proactive advice, guidance, and recommendations to the Secretary in planning, implementing,
monitoring, and evaluating the Department’s affirmative action program on employment of individuals with disabilities; and
serves as a focal point for the concerns of employees with disabilities on matters affecting their employment to help resolve
Departmentwide problems in this area. American Indians and Alaska Natives The Administration for Native Americans (ANA) promotes
economic and social self-sufficiency for American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and other Native Pacific Islanders
by providing funding for community-based short term projects through three competitive discretionary grant programs to eligible
tribes and nonprofit Native American organizations. The three program areas are Social and Economic Development Strategies
for Native Americans; Native Language Preservation and Maintenance; and Environmental Regulatory Enhancement, which focuses
on building the capacity to identify, plan, and develop environmental programs consistent with Native culture. Coordination
with HHS is fostered by the Intradepartmental Council on Native American Affairs, cochaired by the Director of IHS and the
Commissioner for the ANA. The purposes of the Council are to develop and promote policies to provide greater access and quality
services for American Indians and Alaska Natives; identify and develop legislative, administrative, and regulatory proposals
that promote effective policy; develop a comprehensive strategy that promotes self-sufficiency and self-determination; promote
the tribal/Federal Government-to-government relationships on a Departmentwide basis; and ensure that the HHS policy on tribal
consultation is implemented by all HHS divisions and offices. Within HHS, all operating divisions and many staff divisions
are engaged in this important collaborative effort. People Affected by Disasters: For victims of natural disasters, immediate
priorities are access to water, food, shelter, medical care, and security. As individuals attempt to recover and rebuild their
lives, they must also contend with stressors on their mental health, which can linger for weeks or months. Almost everyone
who lives through disastrous events experiences feelings of sadness and depression. Depending on the individual, these feelings
can vary in intensity and duration. This is true not only for the residents of the cities and towns devastated by natural
disasters, but also for the thousands of rescue workers, emergency medical personnel, and disaster recovery experts engaged
in search-and-rescue operations. SAMHSA is focused on providing resources to aid in the recovery process, to assist both the
people in areas damaged by natural disasters and the workers who are taking care of them. SAMHSA’s Disaster Technical Assistance
Center helps ensure that our Nation is prepared and able to respond rapidly when events increase the need for trauma-related
mental health and substance abuse services. AoA offers a comprehensive set of technical assistance materials to help prepare
and plan for the management of major emergencies or disaster events. AoA has developed a technical assistance guide, which
includes many tools to assist those with the responsibility for the safety and continued independence of the Nation’s older
population. The guide helps State agencies and local providers work through the intricate planning and collaborative efforts
needed in an emergency. Using this guide, emergency teams will be ready to begin work immediately should a disaster or emergency
occur. The Office on Disability, in conjunction with ASPR and ACF’s Administration on Developmental Disabilities, has implemented
and monitored the use of a disability based toolkit, shelter assessment tool, and public health staff training modules. Together
with the HIPAA Privacy decision tool for emergency preparedness planning, created by OCR, these resources ensure that the
needs of persons with disabilities are understood by first responders and other emergency response providers at the Federal,
State, and local levels during all emergency situations. Interruptions in child care services during an influenza pandemic
may cause conflicts for working parents that could result in high absenteeism in workplaces. Some of that absenteeism could
be expected to affect personnel and workplaces that are critical to the emergency response system. A checklist created by
CDC will help child care and preschool programs prepare for the effects of a flu pandemic and will help them protect the health
of their staff and the children and families they serve. Many of these steps can also help in other types of emergencies.
For more information on this topic, see In the Spotlight: Emergency Preparedness, Prevention, and Response. Refugees and Other
Entrants: The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) in ACF offers a variety of services to support refugees, migrants, and
other entrants, including victims of human trafficking. Assistance to refugees includes transitional cash assistance, health
benefits, and a wide variety of social services, provided through ORR grants. The primary focus is employment services such
as skills training, job development, orientation to the workplace, and job counseling. The priority is to find employment
early after arrival, because it not only leads to early economic self-sufficiency for the family, but also adds greatly to
the integrity of families who seek to establish themselves in a new country and provide for their own needs. In addition to
economic assistance to adults, ORR supports the Unaccompanied Refugee Minors program, which delivers child welfare services
in a culturally sensitive manner. Specifically, the program assists refugee and entrant youth younger than 18 who are without
a responsible adult in developing appropriate skills to enter adulthood and to achieve economic and social self-sufficiency.
The Unaccompanied Alien Children program provides a safe and appropriate environment for minors during the interim period
between the minor’s transfer into a shelter care facility and the minor’s release from custody by ORR or removal from the
United States. Victims of Human Trafficking: The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-386), as amended,
designates HHS as the Federal Agency responsible for helping victims of human trafficking become eligible to receive benefits
and services so that they may rebuild their lives safely in this country. As part of this effort, HHS has initiated the Rescue
& Restore Victims of Human Trafficking campaign to help identify and assist victims of human trafficking in the United States.
The intent of the campaign is to increase the number of identified trafficking victims and to help those victims receive the
benefits and services needed to live safely in the United States. By initially educating health care providers, social service
organizations, and the law enforcement community about the issue of human trafficking, HHS will encourage these intermediaries
to look beneath the surface by recognizing clues and asking the right questions because they might be the only outsiders with
the chance to reach out and help victims. A critical component of the campaign is the creation of the Trafficking Information
and Referral Hotline, which connects victims of trafficking to nongovernmental organizations that can help victims in their
local areas. The hotline helps intermediaries determine whether they have encountered a victim of human trafficking, helps
connect victims to resources, and coordinates with local social service organizations to protect and serve victims of trafficking.
People Experiencing Homelessness: The delivery of treatment and services to persons experiencing homelessness is included
in the activities of the Department, both in 5 programs specifically targeted to such individuals and in 12 nontargeted, or
mainstream, service delivery programs. To improve the response of HHS programs to homelessness, a crosscutting Departmental
workgroup, the Secretary’s Work Group on Ending Chronic Homelessness, meets quarterly to develop, lead, and coordinate a comprehensive
Departmental approach to addressing homelessness. The group also supports the Secretary in his role as a statutory member
of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH). The USICH coordinates the Federal response to homelessness
across 20 Federal departments and agencies and provides leadership for activities designed to assist families and individuals
who are experiencing homelessness with the goal of preventing and ending it in the Nation. The Secretary chairs the USICH
in 2007. HHS coordinates extensively with its Federal partners in developing research and program initiatives that will improve
access to housing and treatment resources and contribute to ending homelessness. SAMHSA’s Projects for Assistance in Transition
from Homelessness (PATH) program is a formula grant program that funds the 50 States, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and
4 territories to support service delivery to individuals with serious mental illnesses, as well as individuals with co-occurring
substance use disorders or other disabilities, who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. SAMHSA provides technical
assistance to States and local providers funded by the PATH program, including onsite consultation, collection of annual reporting
data, development of an annual report to the U.S. Congress, holding of biannual meetings of PATH program contacts, and identification
and dissemination of best practices from the program. HRSA’s program, Health Care for the Homeless centers, provides individuals
and families experiencing homelessness with access to comprehensive preventive and primary care services, including oral health,
mental health, and substance abuse services. These services are provided in a variety of settings that promote access, including
homeless shelters and mobile clinics. The program currently serves as the source of care for approximately 600,000 people
per year.
Indicator(s):
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