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Serving the Underserved SIG

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SIG Description:

The Serving the Underserved (SUS) SIG is dedicated to improving the health care of high-risk pediatric populations such as children who are economically disadvantaged, uninsured, underinsured, homeless and face barriers to accessing quality health care. SUS focuses on clinical practice, education, research and advocacy that further this cause.

June 2013 Newsletter Article

Once again, it was a great PAS meeting in Washington, DC and the Child Abuse and Serving the Underserved Special Interest Groups had a combined session which intersected both SIGs entitled "Human Trafficking, Immigration and the Common Challenges to Healthcare Delivery". Jordan Greenbaum gave a great talk on human sexual trafficking, and introduced the participants to the legislative protections against trafficking; the international and domestic realities of trafficking; and, how children and adolescents are at risk for this pervasive form of maltreatment. She discussed the healthcare implications and provided some key characteristics that could help to improve detection of a sexually trafficked patient and what supports and referrals are available. Fernando Mendoza spoke on the challenges in providing healthcare to immigrant children in the U.S and described some of the key factors that affect health and well-being in this population. He informed the participants of specific risks and vulnerabilities and reiterated the common theme that places children and adolescents at risk for sexual trafficking. Practice opportunities to improve immigrant children's health were outlined into a practical framework for clinical practice. Finally, Cristina Meneses, an attorney from the Network for Public Health Law in Baltimore, MD, spoke about immigrant children and the legal issues they face. She began her presentation by speaking in Spanish, which helped the audience understand how challenging it can be to navigate life in a country where one doesn't speak the language. Ms. Meneses reviewed the numerous ways that individuals and families from other countries might come to live in the U.S., and how access to resources such as assistance for domestic violence victims can vary significantly by visa status. Finally, she spoke about undocumented immigrants and the particular challenges that undocumented children face in accessing health care, education, and other services. The session concluded with a small group exercise where the participants discussed their clinical experiences with regards to the sexually trafficked and/or immigrant pediatric patient in the healthcare system, and how to enhance their clinical care to improve healthcare delivery to these patients.

Child Abuse SIG Co-Chairs:
Wendy Lane
WLANE@epi.umaryland.edu

Phil Scribano
ScribanoP@email.chop.edu

Serving the Underserved SIG Co-Chairs:
Steve Federico
steve.federico@dhha.org

Arvin Garg
Arvin.Garg@bmc.org