"Immigrants" Flood New Orleans
New Orleans baby boom following Hurricane Katrina
By Emer Mullins
The large increase in babies being born to immigrants in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is putting maternity hospitals in that city under strain, The New York Times has reported.
Hundreds of babies are being born to Latino immigrant workers, who flocked to the city to work during the reconstruction. "The throng of babies gurgling in the handful of operational maternity wards here has come as a big surprise — and a financial strain — to this historically black and white city, which before the hurricane had only a small Latino community and virtually no experience of illegal immigration," according to the report.
Because many immigrant mothers cannot afford to pay for prenatal care or delivery services, New Orleans’'newest citizens are adding an unexpected load to the decimated health infrastructure in a city abandoned by many of its doctors after the hurricane.
Some 18 months after the hurricane struck, much of the public hospital system, remains closed. But pregnant immigrant women who don't have health insurance don't have that choice anymore. "Prenatal care is our daily nightmare," said Shaula Lovera, programme coordinator for the Latino Health Access Network.
The two health units providing prenatal care run by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals saw more than 1,200 pregnant women — almost all Latino immigrants — from January to mid-November.
Before the hurricane, only two per cent of patients were Hispanic. That figure is now 96 per cent. The maternity clinic, previously held two days a week, is now held five days a week.
Figures from the Louisiana Health and Population Survey in late 2006 showed the number of Hispanics in Orleans and Jefferson parishes had increased from 10,000 in 2004 to 60,000 in 2006, while the state’s total population fell by some 25 per cent.
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The large increase in babies being born to immigrants in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is putting maternity hospitals in that city under strain, The New York Times has reported.
Hundreds of babies are being born to Latino immigrant workers, who flocked to the city to work during the reconstruction. "The throng of babies gurgling in the handful of operational maternity wards here has come as a big surprise — and a financial strain — to this historically black and white city, which before the hurricane had only a small Latino community and virtually no experience of illegal immigration," according to the report.
Because many immigrant mothers cannot afford to pay for prenatal care or delivery services, New Orleans’'newest citizens are adding an unexpected load to the decimated health infrastructure in a city abandoned by many of its doctors after the hurricane.
Some 18 months after the hurricane struck, much of the public hospital system, remains closed. But pregnant immigrant women who don't have health insurance don't have that choice anymore. "Prenatal care is our daily nightmare," said Shaula Lovera, programme coordinator for the Latino Health Access Network.
The two health units providing prenatal care run by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals saw more than 1,200 pregnant women — almost all Latino immigrants — from January to mid-November.
Before the hurricane, only two per cent of patients were Hispanic. That figure is now 96 per cent. The maternity clinic, previously held two days a week, is now held five days a week.
Figures from the Louisiana Health and Population Survey in late 2006 showed the number of Hispanics in Orleans and Jefferson parishes had increased from 10,000 in 2004 to 60,000 in 2006, while the state’s total population fell by some 25 per cent.
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posted by jillosophy at 1/11/2007 12:25:00 PM
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