Introduction
A migrant, in a general view, is an individual who moves and never settles at a particular place. The United States Public Health Service discovered that there were 3.5 million migrants, seasonal workers and frame workers in the U.S. In most cases, migrants are immigrants who lack enough skills and employment opportunities.
They travel with their families but return to their homes during winter. Most of them live in Mexico and Puerto Rico where they have established homes. 2% of migrant frame workers are African American while the rest are Asian and Caribbean. As result of this movement, their children are often forced to change schools so often.
Importance of the topic
This topic is important because migrant health issues have been raised by various non-governmental organizations and agencies. The situations that they face are of great concern hence they need to be quickly addressed. Human rights activists also often blame governments whenever migrants suffer from poor health. Various nursing innovative interventions have been created but they do not solve the essential issues that affect migrants’ health.
Therefore, there is need to understand what they go through in order to come up with solutions. Community health nursing practices require nurses to offer follow-up programs to individuals. It is important to note that this is rare among the migrants. In most migrant camps, AIDS victims often suffer rejection because there is no one to counsel and encourage them. Due to poor health facilities, most migrant even prescribe their own drugs whenever they feel sick. This is very dangerous and can lead to severe disorders.
It is important to understand migrants’ health issues so as to provide health care to them. Nurses who come up with community outreach programs need to have in mind their working environment and prepare adequately before reaching out to migrants. The staff also lacks communication skills because they do not understand the languages of migrants. The nurses can involve the community in their outreach programs because they seem to understand their problems better.
The services are often offered during working hours thereby denying migrants the health benefits. Such challenges, including transportation services, can be handled by first understanding a migrant’s heath issues.
Analysis of the articles
Migrants face a lot of problems in their homes and places of work. Their living standards are poor hence they hardly afford all basic needs as expected (National Organisation for Public Health Nursing, 2009). There are laws made by states that also deny them the benefits of public funds thereby leading to few insurance cover among them.
The condition at their places of work is also not good despite pleas from various lobby groups. Some of them die from diseases that can be treated because they lack health fertilities. Their occupation too is considered hazardous. At work, they inhale and ingest pesticides which contain toxic chemicals that can damage their body system. Every year, almost 300 children lose their lives and 2400 are injured in farm-work.
Housing regulations have been set to favor the migrant workers but their number keeps increasing every day. Due to the large number, their homes are congested and poorly ventilated. Several studies have showed that 40% of migrants positively test for tuberculosis and other infectious diseases (National Organisation for Public Health Nursing, 2009). Their drinking water is also contaminated due to the poor hygiene hence increasing the risks of communicable diseases.
Health care issues faced by migrants are the same problems experienced by other disadvantaged populations. However, factors such as difficult working and living conditions, mobility and cultural isolation put their life into more risks. People who have had an experience with migrant workers know that in such areas, common diseases often occur and they are server because there are no prevention mechanisms. It is more expensive to treat than to prevent. As a result money spent to cure the ailments can be used in other follow-up programs.
A research done by American public health Association in 2011 showed that the eating and cooking facilities for migrants do not measure up to the required standards in a number of camps (American Public Health Association, 2008). Medical practitioners should, therefore, step in and educate them on the safety measures they should in their homes.
Providing them with enough materials is also important because some of them lack enough money to acquire credible cooking equipments. Drugs meant for the treatment of cholera should be provided in large amount due to the high probability of its outbreak as a result of dirty environment. These people also have mental health problems caused by wrangles that arise during acculturation, isolation and discrimination.
A research study done in 2000 showed a 26.7% case of psychiatric disorders among a group of adult migrants in California (Fredrick, 2012). A national survey involving male migrants showed that 26% experienced sexual abuse. Children were not left out because some of them are normally forced to work at a tender age without payments and this affects them psychologically. Once they drop out of school, they become idol and vulnerable thereby hating themselves and their lives hence some resort to committing suicide.
There is lack of awareness among the migrants because the community looks down upon them. Dental problems such as gingivitis and baby bottle tooth decay are common among these people (Fredrick, 2012). Some remedies do not necessarily involve medical experts but the communities that live with the migrants.
The perception of the people who live with migrants should change through social events. Once the perception of the community is changed, volunteers can offer to help out with community outreach programs and educate them on safety measures that can be taken to curb dental complications.
Parental health insurance programs are also affected by the frequent move of migrants. This does not only affect the immigrants but also the socioeconomic future of Americans. If the young generation is not protected against ailments, the nation is bound to have no future (American Public Health Association, 2008).
There are no policies that allow for the moving of individuals to cover for their families so the children are left exposed to health risks. Insurance companies should consider coming up with a solution to handle this in order to save the children who die from diseases that can be addressed because of poverty.
John F. Kennedy encouraged the establishment of a health system for migrants. This bureau of primary health care administered an effective health program to the migrants. However, studies found that the services offered were not reaching all the migrants. It was, therefore, not serving its intended purpose and migrants were still facing their daily health problems despite the intervention. The blame was on the developers of the system and not the system itself.
The responsibility of the public health nurses was to ensure practical work was done to support the health systems and reports were provided after some period of time. John F. Kennedy had the migrants at heart but lacked the support of willing professionals.
The policies set by the state affect the participation of immigrants in publicly funded health insurance programs. The Personal Responsibility Work Opportunity and reconciliation act of 1996 denied the migrants a chance to benefit from public funds which included health insurance. Due to the concerns created by various lobby groups, other states decided to assist immigrants by medically covering them with state funds.
Until today, the decision on whether to lawfully cover residing migrant families has received mixed reactions. The bodies concerned have advocated for more agencies to support the program. With all the efforts already put, the long struggle can come to an end.
The 1996 rule of the illegal immigration reform was misinterpreted by the local people as a plan for the U.S government to levy more taxes on people in order to increase public funds. Medicaid, for instance, was free for all until the ruling was made and to date migrant children who require regular health attention are still suffering.
Studies have shown that approximately 44.3 percent of migrant parents insure their children. 34 percent are publically insured while the remaining are not. Health insurance is believed to be for a certain group of individuals hence migrants are left out to believe that they cannot afford to pay for insurance cover.
Importance of finding the solution
It is important to find solutions to the problems faced by migrants in order to have a constant focus in migrant health. Lots of money is spent on such programs to provide long term services that are available hence there should be no room for mistakes. Every human being is entitled to a healthy living condition no matter what they do. All the stake holders should stick to their professional ethics to combat the problem and create a better environment for migrants. Working together with the communities that live among the migrants can also help develop a bond and improve health awareness.
Professionals to be included
For better services, professionals should be employed to conduct the migrant health outreach programs. All the medical practitioners are expected to play a role in the program. Dentists and doctors should treat presented cases while nurses should conduct outreach programs. In order to provide continued care, follow-ups should be conducted on parental care programs and treatment of diabetes. Careful planning should also be conducted by agencies that lobby for better health care.
Portable records with all the information on the treatment should be provided to the migrants to help them whenever they travel since they are not based in a particular place. Board of Registered Nurses in California, Kansas State Nurses, Health Protection Agency-centre for Infection and Folk stone Migrant Support Group are among the bodies that should take part in the decision to change the situation.
References
American Public Health Association. (2008). Cooking and Eating Fercility in Migrant Frame worker. American journal of public health, 78-84.
Fredrick, M. (2012). Community Outreach. Family and Community Health, 40-41.
National Organisation for Public Health Nursing. (2009). Migrant Worker. The Public Health Journal, 50-56.