About 90 refugees in Abilene undergo health screenings in Abilene before program ends

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – The Abilene-Taylor County Public Health District Board met on Tuesday to discuss various topics. They discussed ways to make Abilene healthier by addressing flu and measles outbreaks and ending their refugee program due to a federal funding freeze.

The district projected it would assist more than 400 refugees in 2024. However, the Director of Public Health, Annette Lerma, told the board that the program had ended. The department did not receive a stop order directly, but its federal funder, the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, did receive one regarding new refugees.

“When you stop receiving refugees, all those other programs eventually will go away if you’re not receiving them. So, the stop order started at the receive of those new refugees. So, to ensure that those refugees that had already arrived in the United States need to be medically vetted before we release them to the community. So that’s our goal, that’s the only goal that we have as part of this program,” explained Lerma.

Lerma explained that weeks after finding out about the freeze, the district received a follow-up email from USCRI informing them that they could not guarantee that the district would receive reimbursement for any services provided to refugees. Due to city budget restraints, a decision was made to end Abilene’s program as soon as possible.

The payment was approved and processed throughout December and January and was in transit from the USCRI. City leaders decided to extend the program for 30 days to process around 90 refugees already in the area. Once this process is complete, the program will officially close.

This funding freeze affected about eight staff members. The district is helping them find new jobs at local hospitals or clinics.