Thread: Groups seek to reinstate care for illegal immigrants

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/15024164.htm

Posted on Wed, Jul. 12, 2006

Groups seek to reinstate care for illegal immigrants

By ANTHONY SPANGLER
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER

FORT WORTH -- The Tarrant County League of Women Voters is joining another political advocacy group’s campaign to expand publicly funded healthcare to illegal immigrants through JPS Health Network clinics.

The group is expected to ask the Tarrant County Hospital District board Thursday to reverse its position on charity care for illegal immigrants at JPS clinics. The board could consider the request at its August meeting.

The board voted in 2004 to restrict charity care to legal residents of Tarrant County. Illegal immigrants can still access JPS clinics if they have health insurance or if they pay cash for services.

“I think the public needs to be aware that JPS is a public hospital district, and there is a mission to the poor and low-income residents of Tarrant County,” said Charlotte Hyams, first vice president of the Tarrant County League of Women Voters. “We are going to urge the board to reconsider their 2004 vote. We believe that JPS’ mission is to provide healthcare for the indigent, including the undocumented immigrants who live here.”

Under federal law, no patient can be denied treatment in an emergency room. The JPS board voted 6-4 to prevent illegal immigrants from utilizing the network’s charity program, Connection, following an opinion issued by the Texas attorney general that leaves the decision up to hospital districts whether to extend such programs to noncitizens.

Last month, Allied Communities of Tarrant asked the JPS board to include illegal immigrants in charity healthcare. Board Chairwoman Erma Johnson Hadley, who could not be reached for comment Wednesday, said last month that the board would consider the issue after JPS administrators studied the impact of such a policy change.

Some JPS board members have said that the taxpayer-supported hospital district must first serve the legal residents of Tarrant County before spending money on illegal immigrants. In an informal poll of the 11-member board, a majority say they would vote to continue prohibiting illegal immigrants from receiving charity care at JPS clinics.

JPS staff members are gathering information from other public hospitals to estimate the cost of “servicing the undocumented population,” said JPS spokesman Robert Earley, senior vice president of public affairs and advocacy.

“We are also in the midst of communicating with any and all sources to best determine what the undocumented population is for Tarrant County,” he said. “I have asked ACT to provide any numbers that they have.”

JPS is also analyzing its own records to help estimate how many illegal immigrants may live in Tarrant County. After JPS stopped serving illegal immigrants at its clinics in 2004, about 3,100 such patients were identified as enrolled in Connection, according to Star-Telegram archives.

Although the issue is not on today’s hospital board agenda, members of Allied Communities of Tarrant and the Tarrant County League of Women Voters said they will ask the board to vote on the policy at the August meeting.

“We are trying to maintain a relationship with JPS because they do a lot of good things,” said Patricia Gaffney, a spokeswoman for Allied Communities.

The group, which is made up of mostly church leaders, presented a plan to help JPS better reach the county’s indigent population and to help educate the public about how to access the public health system.

JPS officials say they would welcome a grassroots relationship with Allied Communities to better serve those in need of healthcare.

Hyams of the League of Women Voters said her group of about 150 members has studied the issue of healthcare for illegal immigrants since September. They will present their findings today at the JPS board meeting.

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Anthony Spangler, 817-390-7420
aspangler@star-telegram.com

Why don't these "caring groups" cowboy the hell up and pay for it themselves out of their own rich pockets. And good luck on the head count in Tarrant County. Whatever they come up with as a total, multiply by 10-15 for a more accurate figure.

We will have to become a communist country where everyone gives all their money to the government to dole out accordingly just to afford all this garbage.

Trouble

I'm with you on that one Trouble. Let these "special interest groups" take care of their own illegals. Not my dime thank you.

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/local/15037832.htm

Posted on Fri, Jul. 14, 2006

More groups ask JPS to treat illegal immigrants

By ANTHONY SPANGLER
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

FORT WORTH -- Three more community advocacy groups and a Fort Worth City Council member joined Thursday in calling on the JPS Health Network to offer nonemergency healthcare to indigent illegal immigrants.

Saying that the taxpayer-supported hospital district has a moral and ethical responsibility to treat every resident of Tarrant County, representatives of the League of Women Voters, the League of United Latin American Citizens and Catholic Charities, and Fort Worth City Councilman Sal Espino were among the standing-room-only crowd at the regular JPS board meeting.

In 2004, the board voted 6-4 to bar illegal immigrants from its clinics.

At June's board meeting , Allied Communities of Tarrant proposed a plan that would make illegal immigrants eligible for care.

Espino said he supports ACT's plan, calling it sound public policy.

"There may be reluctance in our community because of the negative tone regarding fair immigration reform," said Espino, once an illegal immigrant from Mexico who became a U.S. citizen.

Under federal law, hospitals must provide emergency care regardless of citizenship.

After listening to a JPS financial report that showed the hospital district running a surplus for the year of about $37.6 million, a representative of the League of Women Voters told the board that JPS can afford to expand charity care to illegal immigrants.

"We support ACT's plan on the basis of JPS' surplus that emergency room care is more expensive and on the moral basis and medical-ethics basis," said Charlotte Hyams, first vice president of the Tarrant County chapter.

Under ACT's plan, the grassroots group would help educate the public on JPS' services and would create a task force to study how well JPS is serving Tarrant County residents.

"It would be a guess how many undocumented immigrants live here," ACT member Jose Aguillar said Thursday. "The number that is important is how many of you who are willing to reinstate" a policy of treating illegal immigrants.

A majority of board members have said they would vote to continue prohibiting illegal immigrants from receiving charity care at JPS clinics.

At last month's meeting, JPS board Chairwoman Erma Johnson Hadley said the board would consider the issue after the district's staff studies the impact of such a policy change.

On Thursday, ACT representatives asked the board to vote on their plan at the August meeting.

Hospital attorney Larry Thompson advised Hadley not to answer because the speakers were not on the agenda; instead, they were addressing the board during the citizens' comment portion of the meeting.

"The Tarrant County hospital district is a public entity and you have a right to help us make this decision," she said.


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Anthony Spangler, 817-390-7420 aspangler@star-telegram.com