The Best Option for Immigrants in Need of Health Services

Immigrant health service in the United States has some tricky stipulations. US law requires hospitals to admit and treat any person in the country for an acute event regardless of income or immigration status. But what happens next? For immigrants without insurance, nursing homes or rehabilitation facilities are not an option. Most of these highly-specialized clinics will simply not accept non-insured patients, and there is no law that dictates otherwise. Illegal immigrants are left with even fewer resources because charities can’t legally assist them with medical costs. Medicaid does not cover long-term care for illegal immigrants or even legal immigrants that recently arrived in the country.  

 

What Happens with Acute Illnesses?

Patients recovering from acute illnesses aren’t able to stay in the hospital indefinitely. While federal regulation requires hospitals to set up rehabilitation or continued care for patients with a demonstrated need, there is seemingly nowhere for them to go. The result? Many US hospitals have begun repatriation of immigrants after they receive treatment for the acute illness. Medical repatriation, also called “medical deportation,” is the process by which an immigrant is returned to his or her home country following initial acute care for a medical emergency.

This process is not always seamless, thorough, or safe, since the transfers occur without regulation and are largely conducted via commercial planes. Many repatriated patients require immediate assistance when they arrive on the other side of the border. This is where medical repatriation assistance comes in. Since immigrants often are employed in industries that put them at risk for injuries—and, correspondingly, there is a high volume of immigrant patients who are repatriated following a work injury—there are substantial resources devoted to occupational health. These patients have nowhere else to go, since their injury prevents them from resuming their lives or returning to work.

 

What Happens on the Other Side of the Border?

Though the process of getting these patients to the other side of the border can be its own challenge, there is hope on the other side. When it comes to patients being deported to Mexico, they can count on Allista to provide them with the care they need. Allista in Mexico is a medical repatriation assistance facility specializing in providing comfort, convenience, and compassionate care to patients who have suffered from work-related injuries resulting in severe impairments. The company systematically and immediately connects these patients with recovery programs and thorough medical resources that were not available to them in the United States, and which are critical to their long-term recovery.

 

How is Allista Helping Immigrant Health Service?

Partnering with Hospital en Casa and Americas Hospital in Mexico, Allista offers state-of-the-art imaging, emergency rooms, operating rooms, and pharmacies. Crucially, Allista also has a suite of rehabilitative services, including physical therapy, speech and swallowing therapy, neuropsychological therapy, hydrotherapy, and home care services. With all of these personalized and rehabilitative services geared towards long-term recovery, Allista truly provides the best healthcare in Mexico.

Often, these cases present logistical, financial, and legal challenges. To this end, Allista’s staff also work with case managers, lawyers, and hospitals in the US to ensure that these patients are receiving the long-term treatment services they deserve.

 

There is hope for those experiencing medical repatriation.