Over the past three years, I have spent a lot of time in hospitals supporting close relatives with serious medical conditions. I’ve been there many mornings, afternoons and evenings, interacting with doctors, nurses and other personnel. And I often wonder: Where would hospital patients be without immigrants?
Many of the people on the front lines of the battle against the coronavirus came here from other countries. A 2018 study found that 29 percent of physicians were born abroad and seven percent are not U.S. citizens. For registered nurses, the figures are 16 percent and three percent. There is no telling how many hospital kitchen workers, IT staff and maintenance employees — all crucial to operations — are also foreign-born.
If you find yourself in the hospital with COVID-19, chances are very good that you’ll get care and help from immigrants. You may end up owing your life to one. Some of them have died of the disease. Continue reading.