Following the recent expansion of HUSKY Care for undocumented immigrants up to 15 years old, activists are seeking improved access to health care information and services for undocumented residents in Hartford.
Community organizer Brigith Rivera is with Make the Road Connecticut. She said undocumented people are not being informed about financial and translation services for which they may qualify.
"We want to make sure that they're being treated with the same dignity and respect as any other patient,” Rivera said. “That they have the right quality interpretation. That they have all the knowledge on their current health issues to make an informed decision.”
Rivera said Make the Road Connecticut is urging community hospitals and clinics in Hartford to have a phone system in the five primary languages spoken in the city. The group would also like to see a multicultural awareness program and access to automated information on health resources available at the community and state level such as services for mental health, oral health, vision, and laboratory needs.
According to DATA USA, in 2020, roughly one in five Hartford residents was born outside of the United States.
Dr. William Rabitaille is the director of safety net clinics at St. Francis Hospital. He says he doesn’t serve many undocumented patients, but he does refer some patients to places like Malta House of Care.
He also said St. Francis Hospital provides interpretation services.
“We have something called three in one interpreter services, depending on what the need is,” Rabitaille said. “We'll provide either a telephoneSkype type of call or a live person."
In a statement to Connecticut Public, Hartford Hospital said they serve about 57,000 people regardless of their coverage or immigration status through Hartford Hospital's Community Health Program and Neighborhood Health programs.
Under Connecticut law, health care providers are not required to report undocumented immigrants. Hartford Hospital and St. Francis Hospital say they do not track the immigration status of their patients. Both hospitals said the top requested language is Spanish, including the emergency departments, which provide in-person, over-the-phone, and remote video interpretation.
Hartford City Council member Maly Rosado said the council is working on a potential resolution to improve communication between non-English speaking patients and health providers.
