July 3, 2019

Maine CDC Update on Portland Expo Operations

Maine CDC continues to support the City of Portland in connection with asylum seekers residing at The Expo. The response has involved conducting health screenings, providing vaccinations, and offering assistance through the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program. Maine CDC has worked with health clinics, hospitals, and community organizations such as Greater Portland Health, Maine Medical Center, and The Opportunity Alliance throughout this effort.

To date, Maine CDC has provided the following services:

• Public Health Nursing (PHN): Registered professional nurses whose mission is to strengthen the equality of access to public health services
  • Medical screenings conducted: 312
    • Adult: 147
    • Child: 165

• Maine CDC Immunization Program: Through cooperative partnerships, works to protect children and adults from vaccine-preventable disease
  • Doses administered: 942 (many individuals received multiple doses)
    • Adult: 341
    • Child: 601

• WIC: A federally supported program that provides nutrition to women, infants and children
  • Residents served by WIC staff: 172
    • 40 WIC certifications
    • 105 cans of infant formula
    • 48 bottle sets
    • Distributed donated diapers and prenatal vitamins

• Maternal Child Health Program: A federally supported program that ensures the health of mothers, women, and children
  • 72 cribettes
  • 6 safe sleep education posters

• Trauma-informed counseling services
  • 29 trained behavioral health volunteers deployed
• Crisis Counseling encounters: 269
• Adult encounters: 85
• Child encounters: 184

• Coordination of Medical Reserve Corp volunteers via Maine Responds, a partnership that coordinates, trains and mobilizes volunteer resources
  • 25 licensed, credentialed, and pre-screened medical volunteers deployed to augment clinical operations

Funding for this work comes from three Federal programs: The Public Health Emergency Preparedness program, which supports state health departments in handling different types of emergencies; the Hospital Preparedness program, which helps health care systems to respond to emergencies and disasters; and the Vaccines for Children program, which provides vaccines at no cost to children who might not otherwise be vaccinated because of inability to pay. Maine CDC continues to engage with Portland city officials to support the health of the asylum seekers at the Expo and is prepared to adjust the response as needs evolve.