Presents

Journal Club with Jordana Mosten

Medical Care and Immigration Status: The Grady Dialysis Clinic Closure

Wednesday, February 24 12:45-2 p.m.,
Room 271, Stanford Law School – Food will be served

Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia closed its public outpatient dialysis clinic in October and is temporarily paying for its former patients to get treatment at private clinics, but many have not found another clinic that will take them. Many of the patients in the dialysis clinic are undocumented immigrants, whose immigration status makes them ineligible for Medicare. These patients face a choice, either move to another state with a free dialysis clinic, return to their home countries, wait until they can be admitted to an emergency room, or die without care. In most cases, however, regular treatment is unreliable or unavailable in their home countries and many patients are too sick to move to another state or country. A group of patients has sued Grady, claiming the hospital is abandoning them; a judge threw out the case in December but the patients are appealing. The patients also filed a petition in the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to pressure the United States government to intervene on their behalf.

We will discuss the issues with shifting the burden of health care costs, duties assumed by a free clinic, and international human rights. Jordana Mosten, 3L, will facilitate discussion.

Readings:
Nov. 21, 2009 – Hospital Falters as Refuge for Illegal Immigrants
Dec. 16, 2009 – Immigrants Lose Lawsuit Against Atlanta Hospital
Feb. 2, 2010 – Grady dialysis patients band together to face new deadline on care
Feb. 18, 2010 – US State Department Reviewing Grady Dialysis Crisis

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