So in my line of work (medical transcription), I come across a lot of patient medical histories which often also includes their social history and how it relates to the path an illness takes with a patient. I have never been one to condone illegal aliens, and I'm quite frankly rather sickened that our healthcare system keeps having to pay for them. My ex-father-in-law was a Mexican national and migrant farm worker. He died earlier this year at the age of 94, but he went back to Mexico every so many years to renew his Visa paperwork and followed the law and migrated here legally. He worked and paid taxes in this country his whole life as he had the legal right to do, and he was able to collect social security in his senior years. He just never got his citizenship, but he was a 100% legal immigrant here in the US, and I don't see any reason they can't all do that.
On the flip side of that, I did a report on a patient about a month ago that has had me a little sick to my stomach. I cannot divulge patient information as it would be considered a HIPAA violation, but let's just say that "Maria" (NOT the patient's first name) is a 41-year-old woman of average weight/height but has inherited type 2 diabetes. When she was 28, her husband died, and all of her family had gotten jobs in the U.S. and had legally immigrated here and got their citizenship. When her husband died, she had virtually not one single living relative left in Mexico, and her family sent for her. She began the paperwork to get her citizenship.
Because she did not have a qualifying relative (sisters and brothers do not count, has to be a spouse or parent or something else I don't know all the legal details) nor a job hewre, she was only given a 2-year visa to stay here. She has a debilitating health condition, has had diabetes for a number of years (not related to obesity--this is a familial form of type 2 diabetes), and she has developed what is known as "diabetic neuropathy". That is when the diabetes progresses so significantly, you can't feel your feet. Her kidneys have begun to fail, but because she cannot get a job, she cannot get health insurance. If she was not so sick, she could get a job which would give her the ability to extend her visa and continue on here legally; but because she has a debilitating health condition that has her in the ER 3-4 times a week, she can't get a job. She wants to work and wants to become a legal American citizen, but because her husband died and she does not have any living parents, and because she does not have the ability to work here, she's being deported back to Mexico. She has no friends there and not one living relative. When she is deported, she will be living on the streets. She has virtually no place in Mexico to go. No friends, no family, and forget about anything even remotely resembling social services for the homeless in Mexico!
At the time of the report, this woman was showing up in the ER every few days to get dialysis because she cannot get regular dialysis due to lack of medical coverage--in the ER, they legally cannot turn her away. The doctor repeated several times throughout the report that without her dialysis three times a week, she would likely die from her illness in 2-3 weeks' time.
Upon her discharge from the hospital, the woman was being deported back to Mexico. She was being sent to live on the streets. All because her husband died (was killed in a car accident more than 12 years ago, leaving her completely alone). She has a large, extensive family in the United States--brothers and sisters, nieces, nephews, in-laws, cousins, even her husband's family is all here. But she cannot get a legal visa. When I did her report, you could hear the angst in the voice of the doctor who was dictating they were deporting this otherwise vibrant young woman to die. Her only "crime" was that she was born in Mexico, had a husband that died, and followed virtually 100% of her remaining family to the States and tried to become a legalized citizen but because she has a health condition, she's condemned to death.
Is this America, really? I mean, I know we can't take in EVERY sick person from another country, but are we really the country that would send this woman home to die, just cuz we can?
Guess what? We did.
Sometimes I hate my job.
On the flip side of that, I did a report on a patient about a month ago that has had me a little sick to my stomach. I cannot divulge patient information as it would be considered a HIPAA violation, but let's just say that "Maria" (NOT the patient's first name) is a 41-year-old woman of average weight/height but has inherited type 2 diabetes. When she was 28, her husband died, and all of her family had gotten jobs in the U.S. and had legally immigrated here and got their citizenship. When her husband died, she had virtually not one single living relative left in Mexico, and her family sent for her. She began the paperwork to get her citizenship.
Because she did not have a qualifying relative (sisters and brothers do not count, has to be a spouse or parent or something else I don't know all the legal details) nor a job hewre, she was only given a 2-year visa to stay here. She has a debilitating health condition, has had diabetes for a number of years (not related to obesity--this is a familial form of type 2 diabetes), and she has developed what is known as "diabetic neuropathy". That is when the diabetes progresses so significantly, you can't feel your feet. Her kidneys have begun to fail, but because she cannot get a job, she cannot get health insurance. If she was not so sick, she could get a job which would give her the ability to extend her visa and continue on here legally; but because she has a debilitating health condition that has her in the ER 3-4 times a week, she can't get a job. She wants to work and wants to become a legal American citizen, but because her husband died and she does not have any living parents, and because she does not have the ability to work here, she's being deported back to Mexico. She has no friends there and not one living relative. When she is deported, she will be living on the streets. She has virtually no place in Mexico to go. No friends, no family, and forget about anything even remotely resembling social services for the homeless in Mexico!
At the time of the report, this woman was showing up in the ER every few days to get dialysis because she cannot get regular dialysis due to lack of medical coverage--in the ER, they legally cannot turn her away. The doctor repeated several times throughout the report that without her dialysis three times a week, she would likely die from her illness in 2-3 weeks' time.
Upon her discharge from the hospital, the woman was being deported back to Mexico. She was being sent to live on the streets. All because her husband died (was killed in a car accident more than 12 years ago, leaving her completely alone). She has a large, extensive family in the United States--brothers and sisters, nieces, nephews, in-laws, cousins, even her husband's family is all here. But she cannot get a legal visa. When I did her report, you could hear the angst in the voice of the doctor who was dictating they were deporting this otherwise vibrant young woman to die. Her only "crime" was that she was born in Mexico, had a husband that died, and followed virtually 100% of her remaining family to the States and tried to become a legalized citizen but because she has a health condition, she's condemned to death.
Is this America, really? I mean, I know we can't take in EVERY sick person from another country, but are we really the country that would send this woman home to die, just cuz we can?
Guess what? We did.
Sometimes I hate my job.
