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NH Medical Society speaks out against policy allowing ICE arrests at hospitals

Concord Hospital
Zoey Knox
/
NHPR

The New Hampshire Medical Society is speaking out against the Trump administration’s decision to allow immigration arrests at hospitals, saying it could deter patients from seeking care.

“We saw this in previous years, where there was increased and heightened threat of deportation, that resulted in delay of seeking treatment by patients with immigrant status within the state,” said Dr. Marie-Elizabeth Ramas, a board member and the medical society’s president-elect.

Previously, Department of Homeland Security policy limited Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from making arrests at schools, churches, hospitals and other “sensitive” locations.

In a statement Tuesday, the department said it was rescinding those rules. “The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense,” it said.

Ramas, a family physician in Nashua, said former patients have been reaching out to her, concerned about whether it’s safe to go to the doctor. She said the New Hampshire Medical Society’s position is that everyone deserves a safe place to receive care, regardless of immigration status — and it’s critical that health care providers convey that message to patients.

“We can only disclose patient information to ICE if there's a court order, a warrant, subpoena or a summons that's issued by a judge,” she said. “And so I think it's really important that our medical community recognizes that we can still take care of our patients.”

It’s not fully clear how this change in policy will impact the health care system at large. Steve Ahnen, president of the New Hampshire Hospital Association, told NHPR the Trump administration’s new immigration enforcement policies “will be handled in the same manner as other law enforcement requests, and hospitals will comply with all federal and state laws.”

“We can only disclose patient information to ICE if there's a court order, a warrant, subpoena or a summons that's issued by a judge."
Dr. Marie-Elizabeth Ramas

Dartmouth Health, the state’s largest health care system, said its hospitals do not ask about patients’ immigration status.

“As a non-profit health system, Dartmouth Health’s mission is to provide the right care at the right time to any patient who requires it,” a spokesperson, Audra Burns, said in a statement.

Burns also noted that federal law requires Dartmouth and other health care institutions to protect sensitive patient data.

“We will never disclose this information without patient consent unless we are required to do so by law,” she said.

Concord Hospital, a major health care provider across central New Hampshire, also said it “does not inquire or collect information regarding patients' immigration status.” In a statement to NHPR, spokesperson Veronica Rosa emphasized that the hospital “believes that everyone deserves access to healthcare and our number one priority is providing high-quality, compassionate and safe medical care to the communities we serve.”

“We do cooperate with law enforcement as may be required by applicable law or regulation understanding that we always advocate for our patients' right to privacy, safety and well-being,” she added.

Several other hospitals contacted by NHPR declined to comment or did not respond.

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I report on health and equity for NHPR. My work focuses on questions about who is able to access health care in New Hampshire, who is left out, and how that affects their health and well-being. I want to understand the barriers that make it hard for people to get care – including financial barriers – and what people in power are or aren’t doing to make things better.
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