Empowering All Survivors of Trafficking to Access Healthcare - Foreign Nationals (EAST-FN) Demonstration Program

The Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is announcing funds for the Empowering All Survivors of Trafficking to Access Healthcare - Foreign Nationals (EAST-FN) Demonstration Program. The EAST-FN Demonstration Program goal is to build capacity for healthcare facilities to engage foreign national adults and minors who have experienced a severe form of human trafficking as defined by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, as amended, to improve access to health services, health-seeking behaviors, and overall well-being. A foreign national includes individuals who are not lawful permanent residents, parolees, refugees, or asylees. The EAST-FN Demonstration Program will achieve this goal by directly funding projects that will build, expand, and sustain the capacity of healthcare facilities to provide primary, and preventative healthcare to foreign national individuals who have experienced human trafficking to include treatment of acute and chronic illness and injury; annual physical examinations; vaccinations; medical clearance evaluations; infectious disease testing and treatment; mental health services; case management services; and other services to support their well-being. Bonus points will be awarded to applicants that are designated Medically Underserved Areas and Populations, and/or are located in Health Professional Shortage Areas, as designated by the Health Resources & Services Administration. Under the EAST-FN Program, the following activities are required: 1) provision of primary and preventative healthcare to adults and minor foreign national individuals who have experienced human trafficking; 2) training and capacity building to healthcare provider staff within the healthcare facility on effective identification, screening, assessment, trauma-informed medical service delivery, and referral strategies; 3) provision of comprehensive culturally and linguistically responsive case management delivered healthcare onsite or via a referral partner; 4) development and implementation of a human trafficking referral protocol to identify and respond to foreign national individuals; and 5) awareness raising efforts to promote the services and assistance available to foreign national individuals who have experienced human trafficking. Applicants that do not provide onsite primary and preventative healthcare services may partner with a healthcare facility that does in order to achieve the program’s objectives. The EAST-FN Program is informed by a whole family approach that focuses equally and intentionally on services and opportunities for clients and their immediate family members living within their households. OTIP is encouraging the establishment of community partnerships, meaningful engagement of individuals with lived experience, and the hiring of qualified professionals that reflect the communities being served in all project implementation strategies under the EAST-FN Program. Under the EAST-FN Program, there is a 12-month project implementation period for the prime recipient to facilitate optional partnerships, on-board new staff, develop a human trafficking referral protocol specific to the healthcare facility, and develop a sustainability plan. However, clients must be served during the 12-month project implementation period. For the purposes of this program, healthcare facilities are defined as places where healthcare services are rendered by licensed healthcare providers in acute care hospitals, urgent care centers, community healthcare clinics, and urgent care centers. Healthcare facilities include Federally Qualified Health Centers. Federally Qualified Health Centers include Community Health Centers, Migrant Health Centers, Health Care for the Homeless, and Health Centers for Residents of Public Housing. A healthcare provider is a Doctor of Medicine or osteopathy, podiatrist, dentist, chiropractor, clinical psychologist, optometrist, nurse practitioner, nurse, midwife, or a clinical social worker who is authorized to practice medicine by their State and performing within the scope of their practice as defined by State law.