The Sierra Vista Herald reported yesterday that a hospital that had been forced to cut services is now doing better financially.
Three or four years ago, Jim Dickson, CEO of Bisbee’s Copper Queen Community Hospital, was not feeling very upbeat.
He had had to cut back on employees and hours, shutter his skilled nursing facility and close the hospital’s maternity ward. The reductions, he says, were largely due to a massive influx of patients from Mexico — illegal immigrants or residents of nearby Naco, Sonora — who could not pay for services.Today, however, things are looking brighter for the hospital and its CEO.
Federal funds that provide partial compensation for treating undocumented immigrants have finally started to come in. And even better, Dickson says, the number of undocumented patients at the hospital has gone into rapid decline (emphasis added).
Dickson speculated about the reason for the reduction in undocumented patients.
“It might be the increased number of Border Patrol agents in the area or it might be the notoriety of the Minutemen,” he said. “But there are just not as many people crossing from Mexico (into the Bisbee area).”
“Whoever is doing it, they are doing a good job because it has meant financial viability for us.”
It's about time there's good news for our border hospitals. We need to encourage Congress to build the fence and fund more border enforcement, so more hospitals can get back on their feet or reopen their doors. And we need to do whatever we can to discourage citizens of other countries from crossing our borders illegally. As this hospital saw the hard way, the influx of illegals affects more than just jobs.
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