Barriers to Care

Maria* was in detention with a severely broken arm. She had crossed the US-Mexico border in a jeep, which rolled in the desert. Her young daughter was ejected from the car and died. Maria was picked up by border patrol. Her injuries were severe, and yet she didn’t get the medical care she needed in detention. Her attorney feared she might lose her arm.

photo: Earl Dotter

[Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of articles on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Read our first installment, written by Dr. Eva Galvez, here. Part three will explore the health consequences of recent policies around immigrant family separation at the border.]

When Sarah* came to a rural health center for a six-month checkup after her pregnancy, she said she was comfortable working with the health center staff, from the front desk to her doctor. But she also reported in an interview afterward that she had trouble getting transportation to and from the clinic, and that her health plan does not fully cover the cost of her prescriptions. She wasn’t asked during her visit about these concerns.

By Seth Holmes (Associate Professor, UC Berkeley), Anita Berlin (Barts and the London St. Mary's School of Medicine), Fabian Fernandez (University of California San Francisco), Deliana Garcia (Migrant Clinician's Network)