Dear John,  

In this newsletter:

• Anti-Immigrant Sentiment Linked with Health Disparities
• Drop in Healthcare Utilization Linked with Chilling Effect
• PIF in the News: Thawing the Chilling Effect

• National Community Health Workers Awareness Week

The American Academy of Pediatrics, in collaboration with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, published a new study titled “State-Level Anti-Immigrant Sentiment and Policies and Health Risks in US Latino Children.” This research is timely and much needed because, while there is data clearly linking anti-immigrant policies and rhetoric to poor health outcomes in adults, there is a scarcity of research on those same factors’ impact on children, particularly among Latino populations. Key finding:

• Latino children residing in states with higher levels of systemic inequity are more likely to experience mental health or chronic physical health conditions relative to those in states with lower levels of systemic inequity.

Read the Report

Children’s Health Watch just published a report in Health Affairs Scholar titled, “Reduced health care utilization among young children of immigrants after Donald Trump's election and proposed public charge rule.” This research is the first study to examine whether the chilling effects produced by the Trump election have affected the health care utilization of young children. The data clearly show that widespread fear among immigrants led to a decrease in social and health care service enrollment among the children of immigrants. Key findings:

• Data linked to the timing of Trump’s election (Nov 2016) showed a 5% decrease in well-child visit (WCV) schedule adherence for the children of immigrant parents compared with US-born mothers.
• When the study timeline was extended to include the release of the leaked draft of proposed changes to public charge rules (January 2017), the results showed an even greater decrease (8%) in WCV adherence among children of immigrant vs US-born mothers. 
• These findings also indicate decreased rates for early childhood vaccinations, health and developmental screenings, and family support. 

Read the Report

We were delighted to partner with Enlace Latino NC, a Spanish-language news outlet in North Carolina, to help thaw the public charge chilling effect. PIF director Adriana Cadena joined Enlace Latino’s Jessica Mayora to talk about the people and programs that count in public charge determinations, and the people and programs that don’t.

Watch on YouTube

In commemoration of National Community Health Workers Awareness Week, we want to recognize and celebrate the work of Community Health Workers who are at the front lines ensuring that immigrant families are well informed on how to access public benefits. Our work at PIF could not be possible without the countless hours of dedication that Community Health Workers provide to ensure that immigrant families have access to the help they need to thrive. Thank you for all you do!

Visit our website at www.pifcoalition.org

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