Publications by authors named "Matthew G Gartland"
Article Synopsis
- Migrant children in detention face poor living conditions and fragmented medical care due to frequent relocations, highlighting the need for better medical documentation.
- A study of 165 medical records from a family detention center showed significant gaps in documentation for acute care, follow-up recommendations, and vaccination history.
- Improved documentation practices are essential to prevent errors in diagnosis and ensure that all detained children receive appropriate healthcare regardless of their immigration status.
The increase in forcibly displaced populations seeking refuge in the United States has been met with fragmented, chaotic, and highly politicized responses to the detriment of migrants and receiving communities alike. Migrants encounter compounding systemic barriers to accessing basic resettlement resources. Expanding on pandemic-era innovations can strengthen social safety net infrastructure as a whole.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMedical Care for Displaced PersonsThe United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports that more than 100 million people have been forcibly displaced from their homes due to persecution, conflict, violence, and human rights violations. Displacement has profound health impacts. Here, Jain and colleagues review medical care for newly displaced persons.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- In 2019, the U.S. established Asylum Cooperative Agreements with El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, aiming to expedite the removal of asylum seekers by claiming these countries had sufficient legal protections for asylum claims.
- Research at a Boston asylum clinic from 2017 to 2020 showed that Northern Triangle migrants experienced high levels of trauma, violence (including gang and gender-based violence), and psychiatric disorders.
- The findings raise concerns about the safety and protections in these countries, suggesting that the agreements be terminated and an investigation launched into the effects on those deported under these policies.
Applications for asylum in the United States have increased significantly in the past decade, including those by children fleeing persecution. Pediatricians may serve as a resource for children seeking asylum by participating in specialized training and performing forensic medical evaluations for use in the legal process. A forensic medical evaluation comprises an interview to elicit a narrative of reported abuse, a psychological assessment, and/or a medical assessment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFor American professional and graduate health sciences trainees, a mentored fellowship in a low- or middle-income country (LMIC) can be a transformative experience of personal growth and scientific discovery. We invited 86 American trainees in the Fogarty International Clinical Research Scholars and Fellows Program and Fulbright-Fogarty Fellowship 2011-2012 cohorts to contribute personal essays about formative experiences from their fellowships. Nine trainees contributed essays that were analyzed using an inductive approach.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To evaluate if a pilot programme to prevent mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was associated with changes in early childhood survival at the population level in rural Zambia.
Methods: Combination antiretroviral regimens were offered to pregnant and breastfeeding, HIV-infected women, irrespective of immunological status, at four rural health facilities. Twenty-four-month HIV-free survival among children born to HIV-infected mothers was determined before and after PMTCT programme implementation using community surveys.
Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of maternal combination antiretroviral prophylaxis for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) in a program setting.
Design: Prospective cohort study.
Setting: Nine primary care clinics in rural Zambia.
Objective: Rural north-central Liberia has one of the world's highest maternal mortality ratios. We studied health facility birthing service utilisation and the motives of women seeking or not seeking facility-based care in north-central Liberia.
Design: Cross-sectional community-based structured interviews and health facility medical record review.