Systematic review of former unaccompanied immigrant minors’ access to healthcare services in the United States

Abstract

Aim Former unaccompanied immigrant minors (UMs) now living in the USA are a uniquely vulnerable population. The US Office of Refugee Resettlement shelters provide health services, but most are discontinued once UMs leave the shelters. A systematic review was therefore designed to quantify access to medical, mental, and dental healthcare services by former UMs living in the USA. Subject and methods The study protocol was registered with PROSPERO. A search was made in Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and Academic Search Complete in June 2020. Full-text review, data extraction, and data analysis were completed by all authors. Results Searches returned a total of 2646 studies, of which 15 met all eligibility criteria. There was an overlap in the services investigated in the studies — 13 assessed mental health, ten assessed medical, and four included dental care. Sample sizes ranged from one to 4809, and there was a wide range of study designs. Some studies included multiple locations. Nine studies demonstrated success in community-based clinics or programs; one in a hospital, four in schools, three in group living settings, and one in U.S. Customs Border Patrol (CBP) custody. Three studies explored access to services post-release from shelters. Conclusions Healthcare programs at shelters, schools, and in the community have provided some screening and diagnosis of medical, mental health, and dental conditions for UMs, but multiple financial and cultural barriers make ongoing treatment difficult to access. Long-term studies following UMs in shelters and post-release through adulthood are needed to help create new, or modify existing, programs, to adequately support UMs now living in the USA.

Health inequities and social determinants of health in refugee and immigrant communities.

“…Additionally, imMigrants often cite discrimination (Sharif et al, 2020) and language barriers (Liem et al, 2020; Rasi, 2020) as obstacles to seeking health care. Due to cultural barriers and financial disparities, unaccompanied minors often receive health screenings but not follow-up care or ongoing treatment (Misra et al, 2022). These disparities, in part, lead to increased vulnerability to COVID-19 in imMigrant communities that often depend on tenuously funded free clinics (Clark et al, 2020).…”

O Acolhimento De Crianças Refugiadas Desacompanhadas Nas Américas: Um Estudo Comparado Entre Os Processos De Proteção E Acolhida De Brasil E Eua

“…De forma geral, as crianças não são elegíveis a algum programa específico de saúde até a finalização do processo de imigração 28 . Seu acesso a saúde depende de atendimentos particulares e de cobertura de seguro da família, o que é problemático visto que muitos dos responsáveis não têm recursos suficientes e as crianças são inelegíveis a subsídios federais devido ao seu status imigratório (MISRA et al, 2021). Assim, não há um programa estruturado para garantir os cuidados de saúde básicos para estas crianças em seus primeiros meses em solo estadunidense.…”