“A Field Report on the Pilot Implementation of Problem Management Plus with Lay Providers in an Eritrean Refugee Setting in Ethiopia” - This report covers a pilot training program that was conducted with paraprofessionals working with Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia, focused on skills and delivery of the Problem Management Plus (PM+) intervention, which focuses on mental health needs in humanitarian crises, including COVID response. Authors Frezgi Gebrekristos, MA, EQUIP focal person, CVT Ethiopia-Tigray; Liyam Eloul, MA, clinical advisor; and Shannon Golden, PH.D., research associate; write about the project and lessons learned. Download the PDF here.

“Development of a Tool to Assess Competencies of Problem Management Plus Facilitators Using Observed Standardised Role Plays: The EQUIP Competency Rating Scale for Problem Management Plus”

Telehealth.HHS.gov has added a new best practice guide on telehealth for behavioral health care. Behavioral health – like other areas of health care – has changed significantly due to the COVID-19 public health emergency. It is now easier for mental health providers to offer and get reimbursed for telebehavioral health services. Telehealth can also make behavioral health services safer and more private and convenient for patients who can access care from their home. Find resources in the telebehavioral health best practice guide on getting started, developing a strategy, billing, preparing

Our CDC partners would like you to know that the National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants and Migrants (NRC-RIM) has officially launched its website!

The National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants (NRC-RIM) is funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide assistance and resources to state and local health departments working with refugee, immigrant, and migrant communities that have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. More than just a library, NRC-RIM empowers organizations to replicate best practices from across the country, increase their knowledge of key concepts for serving RIM communities, and ultimately serve more people than ever before. Whether you need COVID-19 translated materials (roughly 3,000 translated COVID-19 materials and resources in around 100 languages), COVID-19 vaccine toolkits or on-demand training, NRC-RIM has the resources you need right now. 

• New translations:
  • KAREN COVID-19 Vaccine Plain Language Factsheet
  • KINYARWANDA COVID-19 Vaccine Plain Language Factsheet
  • SWAHILI (Congolese) COVID-19 Vaccine Plain Language Factsheet
  • TIGRINYA COVID-19 Vaccine Plain Language Factsheet
• Last week, NRC-RIM released the second video in their Reflections series, which highlights the ways that COVID-19 has affected the lives of refugees, immigrants and migrants. 

CDC hosted the National Forum on COVID-19 Vaccine last week and provided links to forum toolkits and video resources. 

Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) factsheets for the Pfizer and Modern COVID-19 Vaccine. Please note that the languages bolded are *new* updates.

Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine | FDA

• Translated factsheets for recipients and caregivers.
• When you enter the site, make sure to scroll down to the bottom of the webpage for hyperlinks to the translated languages below.
• Available in Arabic, Burmese, Cherokee, Chuukese, Chinese, French, German, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Hmong, lu Mien,

A new article published by Torture Journal, “The Complex Care of a Torture Survivor in the United States: The Case of “Joshua.”” was supported by the National Capacity Building (NCB) technical assistance project funded by the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). The authors argue that in order to effectively treat torture survivors, providers must understand and address multiple and complexly related factors. A Complex Care Approach (CCA), an adaptation of the Chronic Care Model, is presented and applied to a composite case of a former child soldier from Liberia who survived torture and is in the United States. The CCA includes five domains, including the Trauma Story, Bio-medical, Psychological, Social, and Spiritual domains.