Arjona: ICE raids are causing patients to skip health fairs

WESLACO, Texas – Unidos Contra la Diabetes’ collective impact director, Moises Arjona, Jr., has discussed the Rio Grande Valley’s health clinic concerns after recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.

Arjona gave an update during a recent Hidalgo County Prosperity Task Force webinar on Tuesday. Here is an audio recording of what he said on the webinar:

Unidos Contra la Diabetes is a collective impact initiative working to prevent and reduce and type two diabetes in the Valley by 10 percent by 2030. The initiative works with clinic and nonprofit health care centers such as Family Clinic, El Milagro, Proyecto Juan Diego and other clinics in the area. 

In an exclusive interview with the Rio Grande Guardian, Arjona said he is worried about a decline in the number of patients that come to health fairs hosted by Unidos Contra la Diabetes.

The initiative’s health fairs include a series of community health clinic partners that also provide educational services. RGV Food Bank provides food and vegetables for the event. The health fairs typically receive an attendance of 300 people but according to Arjona Jr. their last health fair, March 26, “barely had 100 people.”

“Ever since the current administration started talking about ICE raids, our population is fearful and does not feel comfortable going out,”Arjona said. “We have to also understand that we have mixed-status families in our community, so maybe grandma, who might be undocumented, is the one that is the babysitter or drives the kids and drops them off at school.”

Arjona said the initiative has been told by partners there has been an increase of patients wanting to do doctor’s sessions over the phone. Patients are also asking for more prolonged prescriptions for their refills, and an overall absence in patients at the clinics, Arjona said.

“It is going to be an impact for emergency rooms and urgent care, which then causes them to spend more money on health care, because it could have been prevented,” Arjona said. “It is going to be a ripple effect for us, and it is kind of scary.”

Arjona said nonprofit clinics like MHP Salud in Weslaco are already seeing effects from possible changes to the Affordable Care Act that will be presented at the end of the year.

Arjona said MHP Salud receives funding from the Affordable Care Act so they have let their staff know August 31 will be the last day for them because they have not received notice of more funding for the following year.

“The problem that happens with staff being removed or being let go because of funding is, is our population tech savvy? Can they go into the marketplace themselves, on a computer or smartphone, and make those changes during open enrollment, if they have to change from one provider to another provider,”Arjona said. “That is why they go to the navigators at MHP Salud to help them understand what they are doing right.”

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