Trump travel ban would also affect nurses
I read with interest Dr. Richard Bertken’s commentary in the Feb. 26 Bee regarding President Trump’s travel ban on foreigners and its potential for severely reducing the number of qualified doctors who come to this country to train future doctors and practice medicine.
I offer another concern, that of the nursing shortage. It would be much worse if not for the contributions made by foreign-born nurses serving in our hospitals and elder-care facilities.
Before my parents died, I visited them in local and Bay Area hospitals, and later at San Joaquin Gardens. In the Bay Area, the nurses were primarily Filipino and Scandinavian. At San Joaquin Gardens, they were primarily from Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. They were all efficient, caring, hardworking people who took wonderful care of my parents. I thank them for that.
As it stands, many hospitals and nursing-care facilities in the U.S. are understaffed. Without immigrants and guest workers, things will only be much worse.
Dean Simpson Jr., Visalia
This story was originally published March 1, 2017 at 11:31 AM with the headline "Trump travel ban would also affect nurses."