“We wanted to see the sun because the lights were on inside all the time. They would wake us up all the time, they wouldn’t let us sleep,” said one unaccompanied minor placed in a Texas detention center. “I wanted to cry. I thought, ‘God why am I here. Why did I come?’”
Media coverage of unaccompanied minors has subsided in the past couple of months, although immigration hearings and deportations continue. Meanwhile, what do we know so far about the quality of health care provided to such minors?
The neglect in their home countries, the journey and the adjustment have caused deep scars in unaccompanied minors from Central America that fled to the United States. The goal for these kids now is to overcome their emotional issues so they can lead healthy and productive adult lives.
Unaccompanied minors from Central America made headlines in 2014 after crossing the USA-Mexico border in unprecedented numbers. Presently, many live in North Texas with parents or guardians. Samuel, a young man age 16, arrived alone trying to avoid the gangs or "maras" in Honduras.
I will be reporting on three health issues that affect Latino families in North Texas, as part of my National Health Journalism Fellowship.
Nearly every day, Arleen Hernandez battles an aging septic tank that backs up into her toilet and shower. Upon moving to Parklawn in 1986, she didn’t realize her new neighborhood lacks basic public services.
A coalition of local and global health groups have banded together to bring the lessons they've learned in developing countries to south King County, where the health index is as bad as Nairobi.
The Watts Healthy Farmers Market is challenged by more than just poverty. Safety and changing demographics make it difficult to reach large pockets of the community, say organizers.
Mirka J. Negroni currently serves as an HIV policy advisor for the Futures Group. Previously, she was a resident advisor for the Futures Group's Policy Project Mexico, where she oversaw cross-border and private-sector HIV/AIDS prevention programs and promoted policies to reduce stigma and discrimination. She has also served as an associate researcher at the National Institute for Public Health, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico. Ms. Negroni has co-authored various articles and chapters on qualitative research on HIV/AIDS in Mexico and Central America.
