Authors:
Andrew Bratsman, Meera Namireddy, Anjali Kumar, Padma Swamy MD,
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Although immigrants make up one in six residents in Texas, they face unique and consequential barriers to receiving regular, appropriate healthcare. Hampered by both individual and systemic barriers such as novel healthcare programs, perceived discrimination, and non-native languages, these patients constitute a unique challenge and opportunity to the state healthcare system. By taking concrete, legislative steps to surmount these barriers, including designating hospitals and clinics as “safe spaces”, streamlining the training process for foreign medical providers, and allowing earmarked federal funds to benefit pregnant immigrants, residents statewide can benefit from improved population health and decreased emergency expenditures.