Public hospitals vow secrecy on immigration status

“Your status is safe with us,” is the joint message that New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) President Alan D. Aviles and Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Guillermo Linares have together issued to the city’s immigrant population.
The message, delivered in an open letter written in 12 different languages, was timed to coincide with Immigrant History Week, April 16-22. The letter reassures immigrants of every patient’s right to health care privacy and the public hospitals’ commitment to keep immigration status completely confidential. The letter was also issued last year, in the midst of heightened debate over immigration laws.
According to Aviles, “It is important to remind immigrant New Yorkers that they can get quality health care in our city without fear. We want to remove any worry of having their status disclosed so they can focus on what is really important - keeping their families healthy.”
There are nearly three million foreign-born persons living in New York City, including an estimated 500,000 who are undocumented. “I want to join HHC in letting immigrant New Yorkers know they can rely of the city’s public health care system not only to stay healthy, but also to protect their privacy,” Linares said.
According to HHC, most children and pregnant women in the city are eligible for health insurance. HHC staff helps all uninsured patients apply for the insurance programs for which they may be eligible. They also provide reduced rates for the uninsured under the “HHC Options Program.”
In order to provide these services, HHC says that authorized employees must ask patients for information which may include immigration status, proof of income, home address and date of birth.
However, HHC declares it “does not compile records or lists of undocumented immigrants nor does it share individual patient information with immigration authorities.”
As the largest municipal hospital and health care system in the country, HHC has reduced language barriers for non-English speakers through its Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Program that includes: UN-style simultaneous interpretation services, specialized staff training in medical interpretation, translation of health education and hospital policy literature into the 11 most commonly spoken languages among patients and multi-lingual signage throughout its facilities.