Velazquez Unveils Immigrant Health Legislation

Washington, DC – Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) has introduced legislation (H.R. 5981) aimed at helping traditionally hard-to-reach immigrant populations better access quality medical care. The bill, the “Mobile Medical Immigrant Health Improvement Act”, would help steer federal resources to local organizations that have a strong presence in immigrant communities.

“Recent immigrants face unique challenges in locating and accessing high quality medical care,” Velázquez noted. “This bill will bolster those organizations that specialize in helping immigrants in our City.”

Velázquez’s legislation would create a new grant program at the Department of Health and Human Services. Clinics, hospitals and other healthcare providers could apply for grants to fund mobile medical resources to go into immigrant communities and provide primary health services, substance abuse services, and mental health counseling to patients who face language barriers and other hurdles to care.

“This legislation will invest in organizations with deep ties in the local community, so they expand their reach and assist recent immigrants,” Velázquez added. “By helping clinics with on-the-ground experience expand their reach, we can ensure we are caring for some of our most vulnerable neighbors.”

Under Velázquez’s legislation, grant applicants located in areas with a comparatively high number of immigrants would receive preference from HHS.

The bill has been endorsed by the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association, the Bowery Alliance of Neighborhoods, Chinatown Headstart, Chinese Freemasons Educational Alliance, the Greater New York Hospital Association, Grant Street Settlement and New York Legal Assistance Group.