Immigration and Health Care: Resources for Essential Hospitals
Essential hospitals’ mission and diverse workforce uniquely position them to provide culturally competent care. Nearly half of patients at essential hospitals are racial and ethnic minorities, and many are immigrants.
Federal immigration enforcement activities can raise concerns among providers and patients, including hesitation to schedule or appear for appointments; uncertainty among providers about how to respond to immigration-related inquiries; questions about privacy; and the toll on patient’s mental health due to fear of immigration enforcement.
America’s Essential Hospitals has compiled relevant resources to inform essential hospitals about the rights of patients and providers. One of these resources — a comprehensive provider toolkit created by the National Immigration Law Center — includes fact sheets and templates on patient rights and privacy of patient records, as well as sample messages to display for patients.
Name of Resource |
Description of Resource |
Source |
| NILC Health Care Toolkit for Providers | Comprehensive toolkit with resources for health care providers (requires free registration) | National Immigration Law Center |
| New Travel Suspension Order Could Affect Health Care Workforce | Newsline discussing effect of executive orders on health care workforce | America’s Essential Hospitals |
| Public Charge Resources | ||
| Action Update: Proposed Rule Would Consider Health Benefits in Immigration Decisions | Action Update to association members summarizing provisions of public charge proposed rule | America’s Essential Hospitals |
| New York City Public Charge Announcement | NYC Office of the Mayor resource page with frequently asked questions on public charge proposal | New York City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs |
| LA County Notice for Immigrants | LA County notice to residents on receipt of public benefits | Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services |
| Santa Clara County Public Charge Page | Santa Clara county policy statement and frequently asked questions on public charge proposal | County of Santa Clara, Office of the County Counsel |
| Federal Agency Documents | ||
| ICE Sensitive Locations Memo (2011) | Memo listing hospitals as “sensitive locations” | Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement |
| CBP Sensitive Locations Memo (2013) | Memo listing hospitals as “sensitive locations” | Customs and Border Patrol |
| ICE Memo, Clarification of Existing Practices (2013) | Memo clarifying policy on health information/immigration status submitted for health insurance marketplace applications | Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement |
| DHS Fact Sheet, Existing Guidance (2016) | July 2016 frequently asked questions reiterating sensitive locations policy | Department of Homeland Security |
| When Does the Privacy Rule Allow Covered Entities to Disclose Protected Health Information to Law Enforcement Officials? | Frequently asked questions on allowable protected health information disclosures to law enforcement | Department of Health and Human Services |
| Q&A: DHS Implementation of the Executive Order on Border Security and Immigration Enforcement | Feb 2017 Q&A stating sensitive locations policy still in place (Note: Question 26) | Department of Homeland Security |
| Additional Provider Resources | ||
| Alameda Health System Leaders Say Hospitals are ‘Safe Spaces’ for Undocumented Immigrants | Article about Alameda Health System’s commitment to all patients, regardless of immigration status | East Bay Express; Alameda Health System website |
| NYC Health + Hospitals Open Letter to Immigrant New Yorkers | Open letter from an essential hospital system to patients, available in 13 languages | NYC Health + Hospitals |
| San Francisco Department of Public Health “You’re Safe Here!” Flier | San Francisco Department of Public Health flier addressed to immigrant patients | San Francisco Department of Public Health |
