HIV - Att D - Email Notification

ATTACHMENT – D: Notification Email

Send message on assessment opening date [Date TBD pending OMB approval]

From: Deborah Lee, MPH

To: State Health Department Refugee Health Coordinators

Subject: Your Participation in the Assessment of Domestic Guidelines for HIV Testing during Refugee Screening at U.S. Health Departments – NOW OPEN

Dear [Insert Health Professional name]

You have been selected for your feedback as a State Refugee Health Coordinator in your state or territory health department. We are writing to ask for your participation in a one-time data collection of the assessment of CDC’s domestic guidelines for HIV testing during refugee screening. The removal of the mandatory HIV testing during the overseas heath assessment in 2010 highlights the importance of CDC guidelines, which recommend that individuals seek voluntary testing to determine their HIV status and the initiation of early treatment for those who are HIV infected. Currently, there is no national comprehensive information on the implications of this change among newly arriving refugees.

Thus, this data collection is designed to gather information to assess the CDC’s recommended guideline for HIV testing among newly arriving refugees at U.S. health departments, determine the successes and challenges of implementing these guidelines since the final removal of HIV testing requirement prior to arrival into the U.S., and determine gaps by assessing routinely available aggregate HIV testing results of newly arriving refugees.

Your participation as the States Refugee Health Coordinator is critical to this assessment. Your participation is voluntary, and there is no penalty if you choose not to participate. Only one completed data collection by the State Refugee Health Coordinator or designee will be accepted from each state. You can consult with local health providing agencies to obtain some information needed to complete the assessment. All responses to questions will be kept in secure manner. No personal identifiers will be recorded.

You can immediately access and complete this data collection online at: [Assessment LINK]. The data collection form can be accessed for any changes until <Month, Day, Year [Date TBD pending OMB approval] >. You may use the electronic copy of the data collection form in the PDF format attached in this email to collect need information prior to completing the online data collection. This will facilitate having all the necessary information to complete the online data collection in one session. To minimize your time away from other tasks, the data collection has been designed so that it can be completed in 30 minutes.

Your feedback will be used to assess our recommendations and improve the recommendations for the care of newly arriving refugees as well as provide feedback to our overseas partners.If you have any questions or concerns regarding this data collection, please contact me at 404-639-0439, [email protected].

Thank you in advance for taking the time to complete this assessment.

Sincerely,

Deborah Lee, MPH
Epidemiologist
Immigrant, Refugee and Migrant Health Branch

DGMQ/NCEZID
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Road NE, MS-E03
Atlanta, GA 30333
(404) 639-0439 (Voice)
(404) 929-2852 (Fax)
[email protected]

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