Hurricane Katrina's impacts on immigrant rights and health services in Gulf Coast Mississippi

Hurricane Katrina not only caused enormous damage in the Mississippi's Gulf Coast, but also changed the ethnic composition of the region's counties. Population shifts include a significant influx of Hispanics involved in construction and other recovery-related enterprises. Many of these individuals are undocumented and are not legally eligible for health services. Since Hurricane Katrina also severely damaged health care facilities and led to an outmigration of health professionals, it clearly has created serious and enduring obstacles to health care access for Gulf Coast immigrants. A study of the impacts of Hurricane Katrina on Gulf Coast Mississippi, sponsored by a state public health organization, has been recently completed by the authors. It consists of document acquisition and analysis, a survey of 126 medical professionals in Gulf Coast Mississippi counties, and 18 in-depth interviews of individuals and groups involved in all aspects of the health response to Katrina. It shows that immigrants lack many essential health services, including dental and other primary care, and consequently experience high rates of chronic illnesses such as diabetes and HIV/AIDS. All too often, concerns about immigrant legal status have resulted in the neglect of individual, family and overall community health. Several important policy reform proposals have been developed based on this report. Local emergency responders must be effectively trained in cultural competency, and local immigrants, along with their advocacy groups and organizations, must also be given training in emergency preparedness activities. Additionally, the private sector (including employers) must provide essential medical services for immigrant populations.