Worrying about deportation can literally make people sick. Health care providers are scrambling to cut through their undocumented patients’ panic about President Trump’s new immigration policies.
Health care workers say the shock and awe campaign of President Donald Trump’s immigration policy is already threatening patients’ health. Trump’s early actions include reversing a long-standing policy that kept federal immigration agents out of medical facilities. This flurry of activity has stoked fear among the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., as well as their families, friends and neighbors who are in the country legally.
Doctors, nurses, researchers and advocates say that fear is keeping some people from seeking medical care, and they worry about the negative health impacts on children and adults.
Tradeoffs talked with more than a dozen people who provide care to or study the health of undocumented immigrants and asked: 1) How could Trump’s immigration policies affect people’s health? And 2) How are the clinics and other providers trying to cut through the panic of their undocumented patients in this moment?
Listen to full story, featuring CEO Stephanie Willding and Director of Clinical Services Emily Hendel: Tradeoffs