Nurses call for stopping the inhumanity to immigrants and migrants
They are human beings. They are us!- Dr. Grant, ANA president. Published in American Nurse Today, September 2019.
I am pleased to blog this commentary, by the American Nurses Association President Dr. Ernest J. Grant.
Advocating for improved conditions and access to healthcare for migrant children and families.
We've all seen and heard the countless media reports about the deplorable conditions in migrant detention centers: young children taking care of even younger children, no access to basic hygiene products and clean clothes, freezing temperatures, and overcrowded, squalid conditions. Words like appalling, shocking and disturbing have been used by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, members of Congress, and others to describe what they've observed after being allowed to visit some of the detention centers.
These accounts have only served to galvanize us. As nurses, we see a need and we act.
We see a wrong and we want it righted.
We are advocates, and that role, especially speaking up for vulnerable populations like these detained children who can't possibly understand why this is happening to them, is defined by our Code of Ethics, our nursing standards, and our long standing social justice mission.
Many nurses have contacted the American Nurses Association (ANA) and more recently me personally about what they- and we as a national nurses' association- can do to stop this inhumane treatment. These nurses also expressed a desire to provide healthcare to children and migrant families who are suffering physically, mentally and emotionally. Many of these families are asylum seekers who already are traumatized by violence, war and extreme poverty.
Since this crisis began, ANA has been engaged in a series of outreach efforts to federal officials about our concerns and to convey nurses' willingness to help.
Most recently, our governing body, the ANA Membership Assembly, overwhelmingly approved a resolution asking that ANA again reach out to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to voice our grave concerns about detention center conditions. In a letter sent to DHA (bit.ly/20dWgxs), we asked that an expert task force, including nurses, be convened to review and adopt best practices to ensure detained immigrants' health and safety. We also requested that detained migrants have the opportunity for quick and fair hearings.
When it comes to complex issues, such as immigration policy and border security, we know that nurses and the greater public have varying personal and political viewpoints. But, one thing we should all be able to agree on is that every child - every living person- should be treated humanly in all circumstances and have access to health care.
As of this writing, the media have published reports about 24 death of immigrants who have been in U.S. custody, including seven children. In addition, cases of contagious diseases, such as chickenpox, mumps, and influenza have been reported at detention centers. And, research has pointed to the long-term physical and mental health effects, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, experienced by the detained people.
After outrage over deaths at the border and certain detention center conditions, Congress passed emergency supplemental funding to help alleviate this humanitarian crisis. More needs to be done, but ongoing differences among elected officials about reforming immigration policies make this difficult to achieve.
ANA's efforts so far have largely focused on addressing migrant families' health and well-being. We will continue reaching out to federal officials, including requests for greater transparency around detention center conditions and the provision of quality, timely, healthcare.
ANA and the nursing profession have a long and strong tradition for shining a light on humanitarian issues and using our nursing knowledge and skills to assist vulnerable popuplations in any way we can. For those of you who feel passionate about this issue, seek out ways you can help migrant families through your communities and other key organizations, such as the American Red Cross (and Rotary International). We recently developed a resource guide to assist (tinyurl.com/yyc2xpkt) and you can reference ANA and healthcare for imigrants (bit.ly/2y1WigB).
As nurses, we can't sit silent. We must advocate. These detained children and adults deserve better than what we've been seeing and hearing. They are human beings. They are us.
Ernest J. GRant, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN
President, American Nurses Association
I am pleased to blog this commentary, by the American Nurses Association President Dr. Ernest J. Grant.
 |
| NPR- Migrant Kids Survive Hardship To Reunite With Parents. |
Advocating for improved conditions and access to healthcare for migrant children and families.
We've all seen and heard the countless media reports about the deplorable conditions in migrant detention centers: young children taking care of even younger children, no access to basic hygiene products and clean clothes, freezing temperatures, and overcrowded, squalid conditions. Words like appalling, shocking and disturbing have been used by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, members of Congress, and others to describe what they've observed after being allowed to visit some of the detention centers.
These accounts have only served to galvanize us. As nurses, we see a need and we act.
We see a wrong and we want it righted.
We are advocates, and that role, especially speaking up for vulnerable populations like these detained children who can't possibly understand why this is happening to them, is defined by our Code of Ethics, our nursing standards, and our long standing social justice mission.
Many nurses have contacted the American Nurses Association (ANA) and more recently me personally about what they- and we as a national nurses' association- can do to stop this inhumane treatment. These nurses also expressed a desire to provide healthcare to children and migrant families who are suffering physically, mentally and emotionally. Many of these families are asylum seekers who already are traumatized by violence, war and extreme poverty.
Since this crisis began, ANA has been engaged in a series of outreach efforts to federal officials about our concerns and to convey nurses' willingness to help.
Most recently, our governing body, the ANA Membership Assembly, overwhelmingly approved a resolution asking that ANA again reach out to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to voice our grave concerns about detention center conditions. In a letter sent to DHA (bit.ly/20dWgxs), we asked that an expert task force, including nurses, be convened to review and adopt best practices to ensure detained immigrants' health and safety. We also requested that detained migrants have the opportunity for quick and fair hearings.
When it comes to complex issues, such as immigration policy and border security, we know that nurses and the greater public have varying personal and political viewpoints. But, one thing we should all be able to agree on is that every child - every living person- should be treated humanly in all circumstances and have access to health care.
As of this writing, the media have published reports about 24 death of immigrants who have been in U.S. custody, including seven children. In addition, cases of contagious diseases, such as chickenpox, mumps, and influenza have been reported at detention centers. And, research has pointed to the long-term physical and mental health effects, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, experienced by the detained people.
After outrage over deaths at the border and certain detention center conditions, Congress passed emergency supplemental funding to help alleviate this humanitarian crisis. More needs to be done, but ongoing differences among elected officials about reforming immigration policies make this difficult to achieve.
ANA's efforts so far have largely focused on addressing migrant families' health and well-being. We will continue reaching out to federal officials, including requests for greater transparency around detention center conditions and the provision of quality, timely, healthcare.
ANA and the nursing profession have a long and strong tradition for shining a light on humanitarian issues and using our nursing knowledge and skills to assist vulnerable popuplations in any way we can. For those of you who feel passionate about this issue, seek out ways you can help migrant families through your communities and other key organizations, such as the American Red Cross (and Rotary International). We recently developed a resource guide to assist (tinyurl.com/yyc2xpkt) and you can reference ANA and healthcare for imigrants (bit.ly/2y1WigB).
As nurses, we can't sit silent. We must advocate. These detained children and adults deserve better than what we've been seeing and hearing. They are human beings. They are us.
Ernest J. GRant, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN
President, American Nurses Association
Labels: American Nurse Today, American Nurses Association, ANA, Department of Homeland Security, Dr. Ernest J. Grant
posted by Juliana L'Heureux | 2:24 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home