Improving Migrant Health Policies and Programs: From the Normative to the Positive

Abstract

As the population of migrants continues to grow, ensuring migrant health needs are met is a global-public health priority. This dissertation examines health policies and programs that impact migrant health to improve upon them and mitigate disparities. The focus is on Mexican citizens, immigrants in California and elderly immigrant populations in the U.S., since they represent a large share of immigrants with increasing health needs in this country and the world. To do so, I draw from an interdisciplinary approach to health policy investigation at the intersection of ethics, health services research and implementation science. I use normative, quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze these policies. The work presented shows that justifying policies and their limits, measuring the effects of a policy to inform health reform and making adaptations to interventions in order to ensure successful implementation, are important ways to improve health policies that affect immigrants in the United States.