Migrants Who Care: The Untold Story of West African Immigrants in the U.S. Health Care System

As the U.S. population ages and health care needs become more complex, the demand for paid care workers in home and institutional settings has increased dramatically. This shift has led to a growing reliance on immigrant labor, particularly from West Africa, to meet the need for skilled and compassionate care providers.

In this revealing book, immigrants from countries such as Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, and Liberia share their stories of navigating the U.S. health and long-term care systems. With high human capital and middle-class pre-migration backgrounds, these individuals have found themselves blocked from opportunities in the U.S. labor market, leading them to pursue careers as home health aides, certified nursing assistants, qualified disability support professionals, and licensed practical and registered nurses.

The Global and Economic Factors Driving Immigration in Health Care

The book delves into the global, political, social, and economic factors that have facilitated the entry of West African immigrants into the health care labor force. From the push and pull factors driving migration to the role of labor brokers in channeling co-ethnics to meet labor demand, this book provides a comprehensive understanding of the complex dynamics at play.

The Transformative Journey of Migrant Care Workers

Through intimate stories and personal anecdotes, the book reveals the transformative processes migrants undergo as they become produced, repackaged, and deployed as health care workers after migration. It highlights the ways in which West African care workers understand their work across various occupational settings and segments in the health care industry, including home and institutional care for older adults and individuals with physical and intellectual disabilities, as well as skilled nursing.

Ultimately, this book tells the very real and human story of an immigrant group surmounting tremendous obstacles to carve out a labor market niche in health care, providing some of the most essential and intimate aspects of care labor to the most vulnerable members of society.

Published by Rutgers University Press, “Migrants Who Care” is a timely and essential contribution to our understanding of the complex interplay between immigration, labor markets, and health care systems.

ISBN: 9781978828988, 9781978829015

Language: English

Published: September 15, 2023