Alone

This picture was taken in the courtyard of St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. Similar to the lone lampstand in the cold, dark garden of the hospital, our immigrant patients and families are often made to feel alone in a variety of healthcare settings, even when they are surrounded by people. Patients who have recently immigrated often do not have the same support system and network to help them as they prepare to give birth and care for their child, and some patients even have to go through labor alone.
If patients do not speak the same language as their healthcare providers and staff, they often receive less attention from their medical team. Interpreters are used but can be seen as a burden and are often not called unless the conversation is deemed to be important enough for their use