For Immediate Release: April 23, 2020
Contact: Michael Earls: [email protected]
TheDream.US Spotlights Healthcare Graduates: “Veronica,” a DACA Recipient and Medical Group Care Coordinator in Phoenix
“If it were not for DACA, I wouldn’t be able to help in these trying times”
Washington, DC – As the nation struggles with COVID-19 response and containment, TheDream.US offers a special note of gratitude to our Graduates who are working in healthcare and on the front lines of the pandemic response. For the rest of this week, we will highlight former TheDream.US Scholars working in healthcare.
Today, we highlight the story of “Veronica,” a DACA recipient and former TheDream.US Scholar who now works as a care coordinator for a Phoenix, AZ medical group:
“I coordinate virtual and in-office visits for hospital follow-ups for patients that have Covid-like symptoms but tested negative for Covid, to ensure they have a treatment plan in place so they stay out of the hospital settings due to fear of possible future exposure. Our patient population mainly consists of seniors 70 years old and above.
In these moments, there should not be separate categories of DREAMers vs. residents vs. citizens. We are all part of one big team trying to help one another in terms of health and wellness. I entered the medical field to be able to help and that is exactly what I am doing. If it were not for DACA, I wouldn’t be able to help in these trying times. And honestly, we need all the help we can get.
Though these times are plagued with uncertainty and fear, I am honored to be able to help and do my part. I am only a singular being and I can only speak for myself, however, there are many of us in the medical field and together we are making a difference in people’s lives every day.”
Earlier, TheDream.US highlighted the stories of “Lucia,” a lab technician in Atlanta, as well as Sol and Grace, who are now working as nurses – each one of the 27,000 DACA recipients who work in health care. Watch a 2-minute video of Sol’s story here and read more about Grace here and “Lucia” here.
This week’s focus on additional healthcare graduates’ stories comes after the Supreme Court granted a motion on behalf of DACA recipients to accept a supplemental brief that highlights the contributions of the DACAmented workforce in healthcare and other frontline fields. As the supplemental brief notes, “Healthcare providers on the frontlines of our nation’s fight against COVID-19 rely significantly upon DACA recipients to perform essential work. Approximately 27,000 DACA recipients are healthcare workers—including nurses, dentists, pharmacists, physician assistants, home health aides, technicians, and other staff—and nearly 200 are medical students, residents, and physicians.”
The supplemental brief also quotes the following excerpt from an amicus brief filed by Association of American Medical Colleges and 32 allied organizations last fall: “The country [is not] prepared to fill the loss that would result if DACA recipients were excluded from the health care workforce…To ensure health security, the country needs a robust health workforce. Rescinding DACA, however, would deprive the public of domestically educated, well-trained, and otherwise qualified health care professionals.”
About TheDream.US
TheDream.US is the nation’s largest college access and success program for immigrant youth, having provided more than 5,000 college scholarships to DREAMers at more than 70 partner colleges in 16 states and Washington, DC. We believe that all young people, regardless of where they were born, should have the opportunity to obtain a college education, pursue a meaningful career, and fully contribute to the country that they call home.
Read through TheDream.US Scholar story-bank, featuring powerful personal reflections from Scholars about their lives, journeys, and future goals here
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