Thursday, October 19, 2023 | The Latest Research, Commentary, And News From Health Affairs
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John, ICYMI, Rashad Burgess of Gilead Sciences joined our health equity podcast, Research and Justice For All, to discuss how private sector companies can advance health equity goals.
Health and Structural Racism in US Immigration Prisons
In the October 2023 issue of Health Affairs, Chanelle Diaz and coauthors pen a commentary on the health impacts of structural racism within US immigration prisons.
They argue that US immigration policy is a structural determinant of health, and that "ending the
practice of immigration imprisonment is the most effective solution to mitigating its harms."
They document that within immigration prisons, provision of care is fragmented, focused on acute care "often to the neglect of chronic disease management and preventive care," and that imprisonment can make healthy people sick and lead to a reduction in mental health.
Diaz and coauthors also note that immigration prisons can cause spillover health harms onto those related to those who are detained, and broader communities surrounding immigrant prisons.
The authors conclude by advocating for abolitionist policy solutions which move toward the ending of immigrant imprisonment "as well as other carceral technologies used in immigration enforcement," and calling for increased research that further examines the health impacts of immigration imprisonment.
We convened a panel of experts, including Michael Cary, Chanelle Diaz, Siobhan Wescott and Michelle Ko to discuss ideas from the October issue on systemic racism and health care.
Topics include immigration, AI, and the interplay between policy and lived experience in health.
Watch the short film to learn more about how structural racism manifests in health and health
care.
Health Affairs is the leading peer-reviewedjournalat the intersection of health, health care, and policy. Published monthly by Project HOPE, the journal is available in print and online. Late-breaking
content is also found through healthaffairs.org, Health Affairs Today, and Health Affairs Sunday Update.
Project HOPE is a global health and humanitarian relief organization that places power in the hands of local health care workers to save lives across the globe. Project HOPE has published Health Affairs since 1981.
