Healthcare Roundup—1 in 6 healthcare workers are foreign-born, study finds

Study: 1 in 6 healthcare workers are foreign-born

Researchers at Harvard dug into demographic data on healthcare workers and found that 16.6% of those working in the industry in 2016 were born outside the U.S.

Amid a heated immigration debate, much of the discussion has centered on immigrant physicians. But the Harvard study found that immigrants make up a significant portion of the healthcare workforce beyond doctors as well.

Immigrants fill jobs that will be increasingly in-demand as the population ages, the researchers said.

“As the U.S. population ages, there will be an increased need for many healthcare professionals, particularly those who provide personal care like home healthcare aides, a large proportion of whom are currently non-U.S. born,” the researchers wrote. (Journal of the American Medical Association)

Climate change could mean an increase in mosquito-borne disease

An earlier spring and warmer temperatures could mean more patients contracting illnesses carried by mosquitos, like Eastern Equine Encephalitis.

The rates of mosquito-, tick- and flea-borne illness tripled between 2004 and 2016, and states that are especially vulnerable, such as Florida, may lack crucial diagnostic tools to identify some of the rarer conditions.

Patients can face significant financial costs and health complications if these conditions aren’t quickly and accurately identified. (Health News Florida)

Sens. Baldwin, Murkowski unveil bill to improve access to maternal care in rural areas

Sens. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, have introduced a bill that aims to boost access to maternal healthcare in rural and underserved areas.

The legislation aims to identify regions where there are significant access gaps to obstetric and gynecological care, and then provide incentives from providers to practice in those areas. It will direct the Health Resources and Services Administration to use its National Health Service Corps to address those concerns.

“I am happy to support this bill that directs much-needed maternity care resources to where they are most needed in rural Alaska,” Murkowski said. “So many parts of our state lack any form of access to maternity care, a service that some parts of the U.S. take for granted.” (Announcement)