A group of USC students and resident representatives from the USC Keck School of Medicine attended a conference in mid-March to propose solutions for improved patient care in the United States.
The delegation consisted of 10 student advocates and two family medicine residents. They attended a conference hosted by the California Academy of Family Physicians (CAFP), the state’s largest medical society.
The delegates were given the opportunity to present resolutions they had written on a topic of interest during the All Member Advocacy Meeting (AMAM), a conference organized by the CAFP that brings together family physicians, student advocates and delegates.
Ashna Kumar, a first-year medical student, spoke first, advocating for enhanced medical education for providers and medical support for the immigrant community.
Kumar said healthcare providers in Los Angeles, “a city of transplants,” serve a diverse range of patients, which makes it important for them to have knowledge and understanding of how to approach immigrant health.
Studies have shown that 35% of patients who could not converse in the local language experienced confusion about how to use a prescribed medication, while 16% had adverse reactions due to misunderstanding the prescription.
“If you get medical care in the actual language that is your native tongue, your health outcomes are proven to be better,” Kumar said.
According to the California Department of Health Care Access and Information, 43% of the healthcare workforce speaks a language other than English. Yet, Spanish remains the most underrepresented language across all 47 California counties.
The conference also addressed disruptions to care caused by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, which have increased over the last year.
Angella Estel, a first-year medical student, said that following the increase in ICE raids in L.A., many patients stopped coming in and making appointments, disrupting the continuity of care.
“We would hear a lot about physicians and residents not really knowing what to do if immigration officers were to come into the clinic,” Estel said. “Are they allowed to turn them away? Do you have to disclose that patients that you’re seeing don’t have documentation?”
Kumar also highlighted that due to the presence of ICE in the L.A. community, any immigrant patient coming in to see a doctor has a prominent fear in their mind.
“It’s important that as physicians, as healthcare professionals, we’re equipped with the skills to actually know how to navigate the complexities of immigrant health and the experiences that they go through,” Kumar said, considering the current “political climate.”
According to LAist’s data analysis, federal officials made 14,000 arrests last year, most of whom had no criminal records.
The delegates, each representing a county, saw the resolutions and pulled those they thought were worth debating on the floor.
Avery Uriostegui Muniz, a fourth-year medical student and co-chair of the Keck delegation, said that their resolutions sparked a surprisingly responsive conversation among the delegates.
“I think having everyone show up in white coats, and having a mix of physicians and students, really gave us a lot more impact,” Muniz said.
Muniz added that her participation in the conference opened up a way to advocate for healthcare concerns and gave her a better understanding of what advocacy looks like in practice.
“It also decreased the barrier to entry. I feel more confident going to the Capitol and doing this type of advocacy work, whereas if I were just on my own, I wouldn’t have really known where to start,” Muniz said.