141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

292979
Inter-jurisdictional legal and policy issues associated with tuberculosis control among undocumented immigrants

Wednesday, November 6, 2013 : 11:10 AM - 11:30 AM

Aubrey Joy Corcoran, JD, MPH , Education and Health Section, Arizona Attorney General's Office, Phoenix, AZ
The inter-jurisdictional—federal, state, and bi-national—legal framework relating to the coordination of TB control is a complicated matter that has a clear public health impact. Although the overall number of TB cases reported annually in the United States has decreased, there has been an increase in the proportion of total cases occurring in foreign-born persons. Undocumented persons, in particular, are subject to a disproportionately high incidence of TB and, due to their generally lower socioeconomic status and frequent travel, may go long periods without adequate health care and therefore may serve as significant vectors of TB and multidrug-resistant TB transmission in the U.S. and abroad. Further, removal of these individuals prior to completion of TB treatment can contribute to the emergence and spread of drug-resistant strains, which is problematic not only for the countries to which they are removed, but also for the United States when these undocumented persons—or others they have infected—return to the United States with drug-resistant forms of the disease. The public health issues associated with the inter-jurisdictional coordination of TB control are of national, and especially regional, importance. This presentation will provide an overview of the efforts that have been taken to facilitate inter-jurisdictional coordination of TB treatment for undocumented individuals and describe how the effectiveness of these programs could be improved by an enhanced legal framework.

Learning Areas:
Other professions or practice related to public health
Protection of the public in relation to communicable diseases including prevention or control
Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines

Learning Objectives:
Describe the current legal and policy framework for tuberculosis control as it relates to undocumented immigrants, especially during the removal process. Explain what legal and policy measures could improve continuity of care and treatment completion for undocumented immigrants with tuberculosis.

Keywords: Tuberculosis, Immigrants

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am an Assistant Attorney General and a Fellow in the National Attorneys General Training and Research Institute's Public Health Law Fellowship Program sponsored through a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. My research topic for the fellowship program is the inter-jurisdictional legal and policy issues associated with tuberculosis control among undocumented immigrants. I have also been a participant in a bi-national legal forum.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.