Click the play button on the video window to the right to see the storyAnother immigration issue is at hand in the Valley, but this time it deals with both those in the country legally and illegally.
More and more hospitals are making the decision to deport immigrant patients – both those in the country legally and illegally.
“It’s both a United States health care issue and also an immigration issue. It’s a very complicated issue,” said Sister Margaret McBride, vice president of St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center Mission Services.
Hospitals are required to provide emergency care.
However, immigrants are being sent back to their home country, typically for long term care like a brain or spinal cord injury.
“We want to make sure the doctor has made the decision that transfer is safe for the patient and found a facility that can care for the patient,” said McBride.
St. Joseph's now deports about seven uninsured immigrants a month typically because it cannot find medical facilities willing to accept patients without insurance.
“We pay for the transportation, we pay for that medical transport back, we pay for any equipment that may be needed. That comes from the hospital.”
Hospitals across the Valley say the issue is costing them millions of dollars.
Under federal law, hospitals are obligated to arrange post-hospital care for patients who need it including whether the patient is in the country legally or not.
