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Hospitals Say They Won’t Turn Patients Away

January 23, 2025 (1 min read)

Vanessa G. Sánchez, Daniel Chang, KFF Health News, January 23, 2025

"California is advising health care providers not to write down patients’ immigration status on bills and medical records and telling them they don’t have to assist federal agents in arrests. Some Massachusetts hospitals and clinics are posting privacy rights in emergency and waiting rooms in Spanish and other languages. ... [H]ospitals around the U.S. say patients won’t be turned away for care because of their immigration status. ... In New York City, hospital administrators are directing staff to seek guidance from an “immigration liaison” if immigration authorities show up, and to take photos and videos of any enforcement actions if they can’t reach them first. They are also discouraging staff from actively helping a person hide from ICE. In Massachusetts, some clinics and hospitals are training staff on how to read ICE warrants and plan to require ICE agents to identify themselves and present a warrant if they want to enter a private area."