As applied social workers, it is important to understand how migration, immigration, and documentation or lack there of affects the Hispanic community’s coping abilities and access to health care when being confronted with a terminal illness. This community is a diverse population with a large array of health care needs, and for some families their immigrations status, length of time in the U.S, and movement within the country will influence their knowledge concerning services, and can consequently, have a negative affects on them receiving proper medical services. A person’s immigration status and ethnicity can directly impact access to health care, housing, employment, and overall health and mental health services in the US (Carrión, 2007).
