Immigration Policy is Health Policy: News Media Effects on Health Disparities for Latinx Immigrant and Indigenous Groups.

Legal exclusions and cultural factors reproduce barriers to health care by enforcing boundaries between citizens and immigrants, leading to a range of health risks and disparities for Latinx immigrant and Indigenous communities. This study utilized a mixed-methods examination of news media and ethnographic interviews guided by a decolonial-inspired framework to demonstrate the linkages between policy discourse and health behaviors. Both newspaper articles and interviews with affected stakeholders show how immigrants and their families experience more significant health risks because of policy changes and proposals. Regardless of the political regime, media discourses that promote fear and threat sustain the overall effects of immigration policy enforcement strategies on health. Immigration policy is health policy, and these laws should be evaluated in terms of their impact on public health, in addition to other factors. Furthermore, the news media is a contextual factor for health promotion strategies and a target for health advocates working with immigrant and Indigenous communities.

Social Determinants of Health and Health Disparities Among Immigrants and their Children.

In 2017, the United States (U.S.) foreign-born population was estimated to be 44.5 million, the highest share since 1910. It is unclear how many undocumented immigrants live in the U.S., but estimates in 2014 determined that there were at least 12.1 million. The immigrant population, particularly undocumented immigrants, has consistently been affected negatively by social determinants of health such as poverty, food and housing insecurity, lack of educational attainment, and challenges with health care access. Additionally, they face stigma and marginalization, difficulties with acculturation, and fear of deportation. Given these challenges that immigrants and their children face, physicians have a responsibility of assessing these social determinants of health and providing comprehensive care for this population.

(Un)Healthy immigrant citizens: naturalization and activity limitations in older age.

This research argues that immigrants' political, social, and economic incorporation experiences, which are embedded in individual life course trajectories and heavily influenced by governmental policies, play an important role in producing diverse health outcomes among older U.S. foreign-born persons. Using data from the 2008-2010 American Community Survey and 1998-2010 Integrated Health Interview Series, we demonstrate how naturalization, a key indicator of social and political inclusion, is related to functional health in midlife and older age. Consistent with the theoretical framework, we find that among those foreign-born who immigrated as children and young adults, naturalized citizens show better health at older ages compared with noncitizens, although this relationship is partly mediated by education. But among those older foreign-born who immigrated at middle and older ages, naturalized citizens report worse health compared with noncitizens. Moreover, this negative health selection into naturalization becomes stronger for those naturalizing after the 1996 Welfare Reform Act.

A new paradigm for quarantine and public health activities at land borders: opportunities and challenges.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) report Quarantine Stations at Ports of Entry: Protecting the Public's Health focused almost exclusively on U.S. airports and seaports, which served 106 million entries in 2005. IOM concluded that the primary function of these quarantine stations (QSs) should shift from providing inspection to providing strategic national public health leadership. The large expanse of our national borders, large number of crossings, sparse federal resources, and decreased regulation regarding conveyances crossing these borders make land borders more permeable to a variety of threats. To address the health challenges related to land borders, the QSs serving such borders must assume unique roles and partnerships to achieve the strategic leadership and public health research roles envisioned by the IOM. In this article, we examine how the IOM recommendations apply to the QSs that serve the land borders through which more than 319 million travelers, immigrants, and refugees entered the U.S. in 2005.

Mental illness and ethnicity - being a stateless person (apatride).

The main aim of this study has been to perceive the state of mentally ill stateless person hospitalized in Psychiatric Hospital Rab, Croatia with forensic status. This is a case report of such a person, F.V., 25 years old female, with no documents and other affirmed auto and heteroanamnestic data. Her psychical state and ability of communication do not allow realization of certain autoanamnesis and in the same time she has no family or relatives to give heteroanamnestic data. It is also unknown exact date and place of birth. Only certain data were that she lived in many orphanages, refugees' camps and communes in several European countries. She immigrated illegally in Croatia where she has made some criminal acts and earned forensic status. We tried to evaluated the complex status of our patient from several points of view and tried to answer to the questions where to start and what to do with such a person to do the best for her and including her human rights. As a conclusion, we could say that holistic and individual approach to such patients has been necessary with engagement of many profiles of professionals.

Arab American immigrants in New York: health care and cancer knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs.

Arab immigrants living in the United States total between 1.5 million and 3.5 million, and have been growing in number each decade. New York's Arab population, at 405,000, ranks third in the U.S. after California and Michigan. Despite the large numbers, little health research has focused on this population. Data about the cancer incidence, mortality, and screening practices of Arab Americans is overwhelmingly lacking. To better understand the health care and cancer knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of Arab American immigrants, five single-gender focus groups were convened with Arab men and women in New York City. Attention was given to factors that act as barriers to utilization of general health care services, and of cancer prevention, treatment, and support services. The data revealed the importance of providing culturally and linguistically appropriate health interventions in partnership with trusted community leaders, and the need for follow-up research of this understudied immigrant population.

International recruitment of nurses: policy and practice in the United Kingdom.

OBJECTIVE: To synthesize information about nurse migration into and out of the United Kingdom in the period to 2005, and to assess policy implications. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: There has been rapid growth in inflow of nurses to the United Kingdom from other countries. In recent years, 40-50 percent of new nurse registrants in the United Kingdom have come from other countries, principally the Philippines, Australia, India, and South Africa. Outflow has been at a lower level, mainly to other English-speaking developed countries--Australia, the United States, New Zealand, Ireland, and Canada. The United Kingdom is a net importer of nurses. The principal policy instrument in the United Kingdom, the Code of Practice on International Recruitment, has not ended the inflow of nurses to the United Kingdom from sub-Saharan Africa. CONCLUSIONS: Given the increasing globalization of labor markets, it is likely that the historically high levels of inflow of internationally recruited nurses to the United Kingdom will continue over the next few years; however the "peak" number reached in 2002/2003 may not be repeated, particularly as large-scale active international recruitment has now been ended, for the short term at least. New English language tests and other revised requirements for international applicants being introduced by the Nurses and Midwives Council from September 2005 may restrict successful applications from some countries and will also probably add to the "bottleneck" of international nurse applicants. Demographic-driven demand for health care, combined with a potential reduction in supply of U.K. nurses as many more reach potential retirement age means that international recruitment is likely to remain on the policy agenda in the longer term, even with further growth in the number of home-based nurses being trained.

Providing emergency mental health care to asylum seekers at a time when claims for permanent protection have been rejected.

In total, 90% of 'boat people' who make it to Australia's migration zone are assessed as legitimate refugees and given Temporary Protection Visas (TPV) allowing them to stay in Australia for 3 years in the first instance. With an increasing number of individuals and families on TPV having their claims for a Permanent Protection Visa (PPV) rejected, this paper argues using the National Mental Health Plan 2003-2008 as a guide, for interventions that are culturally and linguistically appropriate, thus, aiming to minimize risk from exposure to extreme mental stressors in the event of an application for a PPV being rejected. Continuity and integration of mental health care involving key stakeholders is best achieved by bridging discrete elements through preparing for visa appeals and reviews, news from home and ongoing psychosocial stressors--in the context of different episodes, interventions by different providers, and changes in mental distress. To help strengthen continuity and integration of mental health supports for TPV holders, well resourced care must be experienced as connected and coherent.

Midwifery and the enlarged European Union.

The freedom of movement of midwives within the European Union has been guaranteed by the application of midwives' sectoral directives signed in 1980 and applied in 1983. Since then the size of the European Union has grown from 9 to 15 members and is due for a next wave of enlargement of another 10 member states in 2004. The rules and regulations that govern the European Union are being revisited to accommodate this change. Midwifery will be affected and some changes are potentially worrying, in particular the proposed loss of the Advisory Committee on the Training of Midwives. Six other professions regulated in a very similar way are also to lose their own advisory committees. The European Commission has proposed the adoption of a single directive for all professions, together with the setting up of an expert group whose function would be to deal principally with health professions. However, neither its remit nor its membership has been determined. Whereas previous movement of midwives within Europe has been minimal, it is anticipated that this may well be changed at the next enlargement stage. Without clear directives and some form of controlling power at European level, public health may be threatened. In this paper the developments to date and the concerns that have emerged from the recent proposals are outlined.

[Migration-specific expertising in the spheres of tension between medicine, law, psychology and politics -- report on an interdisciplinary meeting of experts]. / Migrationsspezifische Begutachtung im Spannungsfeld von Medizin, Recht, Psychologie und Politik -- Bericht über eine interdisziplinäre Fachtagung.

The 4th conference of transcultural medical appraisal was organized once again by the ethno-medical center in Hannover on 2nd and 3rd of November, 2001. For the first time, medical estimators and decision-makers from the spheres of medicine, psychology, law and administration got together thematically and interdisciplinary. As to the public health authorities, the intensive discussion and working session on the topic of deportation, transportability and asylum was of high relevance. The specific working group included judges, clinical and public health physicians, psychologists, migration authority officials and representatives of migrant organisations. In full agreement finally it was pointed out that medical or psychological estimation concerning asylum and deportation should remain in the hands of the public health authorities because of their expert knowledge, experience and full independence in the sphere of medical and psychological appraisal.