vulnerable populations
LATINO IMMIGRANTS IN THE UNITED STATES
NUR/440
October 27,2014
Deanna Radford
“Latino Immigrants in the United States constitutes a paradigmatic case of a population group subject to a structural violence” (Stange, 2009). This group is considered to be in a very low level in the economy of the United States, and for this reason they are more prone to be abuse and violent than any others, and also due to the fact that some are undocumented they tend not to seek medical services due to fear or being deported. Several socioeconomics factors indicate that immigrants (both documented and undocumented) are a greater risk for poor health.
DEMOGRAPHICS
According to the ANA (American Nurse Association) “First the rate of poverty for undocumented immigrants rose from 23.3 percent in 2008 to 25.1 percent in 2009. Second, the proportion of the immigrant population without insurance in 2009 was nearly two and one half times that of the US-born population. (ANA, 2010b). Despite public perception, there was a decline in the number of undocumented immigrants entering the US between 2007 and 2009. Among the estimated 11.1 million undocumented immigrants now residing in the US, Latinos account for the overwhelming majority (four out of five) with 60% coming from Mexico and 20% coming from other Latin American and Caribbean nations (US Census Bureau, 2010). The number of foreign born children also declined over the decade, while the number of US born children with at least one undocumented parent increased over the decade to 4 million in 2009 (Passel &Cohn, 2009).
PERSONAL AWARENESS
As a Hispanic female nurse, daughter of Latino immigrants, I feel frustration and anger at times, when at the hospitals where at work I see how so many patients play with the health care system and their lives. It gets me very upset and sad when I see patients specially those from my same culture not taking care of themselves, not taking advantage of the opportunity they have for being
NUR/440
October 27,2014
Deanna Radford
“Latino Immigrants in the United States constitutes a paradigmatic case of a population group subject to a structural violence” (Stange, 2009). This group is considered to be in a very low level in the economy of the United States, and for this reason they are more prone to be abuse and violent than any others, and also due to the fact that some are undocumented they tend not to seek medical services due to fear or being deported. Several socioeconomics factors indicate that immigrants (both documented and undocumented) are a greater risk for poor health.
DEMOGRAPHICS
According to the ANA (American Nurse Association) “First the rate of poverty for undocumented immigrants rose from 23.3 percent in 2008 to 25.1 percent in 2009. Second, the proportion of the immigrant population without insurance in 2009 was nearly two and one half times that of the US-born population. (ANA, 2010b). Despite public perception, there was a decline in the number of undocumented immigrants entering the US between 2007 and 2009. Among the estimated 11.1 million undocumented immigrants now residing in the US, Latinos account for the overwhelming majority (four out of five) with 60% coming from Mexico and 20% coming from other Latin American and Caribbean nations (US Census Bureau, 2010). The number of foreign born children also declined over the decade, while the number of US born children with at least one undocumented parent increased over the decade to 4 million in 2009 (Passel &Cohn, 2009).
PERSONAL AWARENESS
As a Hispanic female nurse, daughter of Latino immigrants, I feel frustration and anger at times, when at the hospitals where at work I see how so many patients play with the health care system and their lives. It gets me very upset and sad when I see patients specially those from my same culture not taking care of themselves, not taking advantage of the opportunity they have for being