A special report on immigrant mothers by Laura Aronson of 13 On Your Side
Yuma County, Arizona (KYMA, KECY) – Baby health is worrying enough for most expectant mothers, but for immigrants there are even more challenges. Local agencies are stepping up to help.
Migrants continue to make their way to the US-Mexico border, crossing in the hundreds at a time. Many of these immigrants are mothers.
I met Zulema, mother of four children. She said it was too difficult for her to make her journey.
Yuma Regional Medical Center (YRMC) estimates that caring for immigrant patients will see net revenue decline by more than $2 million to $4 million from December 2021 to April 2022.
Of that, $1.4 million will go to care for immigrant mothers and newborns.
That’s because of some of the health problems pregnant migrants often experience when they’re taken to hospital.
Dorie Rush, RN and Director of Women and Child Services Administration, and Susan Pancrazi, YRMC’s Director of Case Management, explained various complications.
Dr. Dolly Rush said, “It’s a very long process because we have to go through all the tests and diagnoses that should be done on these patients during the ninth month of pregnancy.”
Amanda Aguirre, President and CEO of the Regional Center for Border Health (RCBH), is also responding to the emergency.
She says the heat wave affects immigrants.
“It’s 114 degrees Celsius in the desert and it’s very tough wherever you are and spending time on foot,” Aguirre said.
“Many high-risk female border guards have already been sent to hospital for childbirth, but when they are ready to be discharged, we will be notified and we will be notified,” she said. will make arrangements,” he said. transportation to get them to us. ”
Immigrant mothers come from different countries.
“At the Border Health Regional Center, we are responding to this emergency to support asylum-seekers from migrant families.In the early days of the surge, we had a very high number of pregnant women, especially from Haiti and Cuba. When something like this happens, we alert our gynecologists and doctors, nurses working with traveling immigrant families,” Aguirre explained.
“We realized there was a language barrier, so we couldn’t communicate with our patients when they came in. , Colombians, Russians, etc.,” Dolly said. Rush and Susan Pancrazi.
Properly discharging these immigrant patients can be very difficult, and YRMC even have to use parts of labor and delivery like hotel rooms.
Postpartum care for immigrant families often includes providing child seats.
The Yuma County Department of Health provided some of it, and then began providing the hospital with a governor’s office as well.
“I needed a car seat right away, so I bought all the car seats in town and brought them here,” Dolly Rush said.
RCBH also provides kits for these immigrants.
They are provided with packages for prenatal care, including vitamins and recommendations to receive prenatal care at their final destination.
To help asylum seekers reach their final destination, Amanda Aguirre said she is also prepared for a potential surge in immigrant families if Title 42 is abolished.
“After Title 42 is gone, we’re working with several airports from Las Vegas, Los Angeles to San Diego to help asylum seekers reach their final destinations so Phoenix doesn’t get oversaturated. said Aguirre.
