Thread: Group urges county to provide dialysis to illegal immigrants

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/met ... 81926.html

Feb. 23, 2006, 11:05PM

Group urges county to provide dialysis to illegal immigrants
By BILL MURPHY
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

Harris County's charity hospital system should provide ongoing dialysis treatment to all undocumented immigrants and not waste money by treating some patients only when they land in emergency rooms, an advocacy group said Thursday.

The Metropolitan Organization lauded the County Hospital District for agreeing to open a dialysis clinic. But the group's representatives said the district should change a rule that bans illegal immigrants whose visas expired from treatment at clinics, but allows it for those who never have been legal.

Those with expired visas aren't eligible for the district's Gold Card, which authorizes non-emergency services.

"It seems to us quite arbitrary that the district would cover one group and leave out the other," said the Rev. Paul English, a TMO member and priest at St. Anne Catholic Church on Westheimer.

Hospital District chief executive David Lopez said the district's board has concluded that undocumented immigrants with expired visas do not qualify for Gold Cards and, thus, will not qualify for ongoing dialysis at the clinic.

By granting Gold Cards to illegal immigrants whose visas have expired, the district would assume responsibility for a group of patients that it cannot afford to treat, he said.

The district will open a dialysis treatment center in the Riverside Clinic in south Houston within 12 months, said district spokesman Bryan McLeod.

The clinic will treat 144 dialysis patients for less than the $1.8 million that the district is paying a contractor this year to treat 60 patients, he said.

The district also is on course this year to spend about $1.8 million providing more than 14,000 dialysis sessions in emergency rooms at its Ben Taub and LBJ hospitals, he said.

It is cheaper in clinics than in emergency rooms.

bill.murphy@chron.com

had_enuf,

I'm getting ready to start donating blood again, is it going to illegal aliens?

The Nation's Blood Supply
Hi Had Enuf,
We all know that giving blood is a noble and honorable civic responsibility. We all know that blood goes thru the blood bank to where it's needed to save lives.

Call me mean spirited, but I too have a problem with my blood going into the veins of a MS-13 gang banger illegal who just raped my next door neighbor's daughter, so he can get healthy and commit vehicular homicide or just blow somebody's head off.

Illegal aliens do not donate their blood, nor do they even offer to. ack. that the risk of hepititus, aids, TB, or narcotics would be unacceptable high from the population of illegals. You'll be hard pressed to find a H-1B or L-1 visa holder willing to donate their blood. Read what they post on their own websites - they despise America with a vengence. You think they're gonna donate their blood? No way.

Keep in mind, that John Cornyn, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Teddy Kennedy, and the majority of the senate love and adore these people

Had_Enuf, there are 2 ways I know of to donate blood exclusively to American citizens:

1. Call the nearest military installation and ask the information operator for the number of the miliary medical blood bank, and she'll put you right through. That blood goes straight to DoD medical facilities to military personnel, their dependents, or military retirees. You can donate whole blood or platlets.

2. Call the nearest VA hospital and ask for their blood bank, then you know your donated blood goes to a veteran.

Had_Enuf, I don't know what to say about the rest; we donate blood 'cause it's the right thing to do, one of our own family members may need it. If I were to make a recommendation to this website, I'd recommend we add our concerns to correspondence to elected officials.

What makes you think they're gonna listen

Well, I know John Cornyn won't, getting him to deviate from his groveling to India and Mexico would be as tough as trying to teach a grizzly bear to use a litter box.

Had_Enuf, well that's why I raise these points to this website, other, more experienced, website members who are far smarter than I am will know the best way to channel this blood donation issue. Can you imagine the demand these illegals have on the our nation's blood supply - with all the diseases they bring with them - with all the vehicle accidents they cause - with all the shootings, stabbings, and other felonies they cause? And the majority of the US senate loves, admires, and adores these people. Where's my barf bag?