"Birth Tourism" Hospital Confirms WhatsApp Line, Tours, and Cash
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A source familiar with the South Texas hospital under state investigation for alleged "birth tourism" reached out to Current Revolt with claims about how the program worked. Then the hospital confirmed most of them.
Last week, a story regarding Mission Regional, a south Texas border hospital, went viral when billboards advertising “Birth Packages” was posted online:
After the story went viral, Texas Governor Greg Abbott released a statement directing Texas Health and Human Services Commission to investigate Mission Regional regarding allegations of “birth tourism.”
Abbott also promised to work with the Legislature to eliminate birth tourism next session, which at press time remains 182 days away.
This weekend, a source familiar with Mission Regional Medical Center reached out to Current Revolt with information on how the “Birth Package” program works.
The source told Current Revolt that the person in charge of the program had a work phone with the messaging program WhatsApp installed. WhatsApp was used to communicate with Mexican nationals who would call the number. WhatsApp is effectively the default messaging application in Mexico, which seems to be the entire point: this is a dedicated, staffed channel for cross-border clientele, which the hospital confirms it maintains.
The source also told Current Revolt that the hospital would do tours with the Mexican nationals and give the women bags of free items. Afterward the hospital would accept payment from the Mexican nationals in cash.
Current Revolt reached out to the Prime Healthcare, whose spokesperson provided the following response:
Mission Regional Medical Center is a nonprofit community hospital that has served the Rio Grande Valley since 1954 with a mission to provide quality, compassionate care to the communities we serve. We recognize that a very limited marketing campaign may have caused unintended misunderstanding and was immediately discontinued. The campaign was meant to highlight services available to the communities we serve and were never intended to encourage any unlawful activity. We do not support or facilitate any unlawful activity and work to comply with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations. We intend to work cooperatively and transparently with local and state officials. Mission Regional Medical Center remains committed to serving our community with integrity, compassion and in full compliance with all applicable laws.” - Mission Regional Medical Center spokesperson
editor’s note: the "very limited marketing campaign" included billboards in Mexico the size of a building and a dedicated website that ran for three years. It was "immediately discontinued" six hours after our first article.
Do you or the hospital use WhatsApp for any communication with patients or prospective patients?
Like most hospitals, we offer a variety of communication channels to patients and the community to provide general information about our services, including our website and a local, Texas telephone number linked to WhatsApp, in compliance with HIPAA and applicable privacy requirements.
Do you or anyone at the hospital give tours to Mexican nationals? Do you provide any gifts or items free of charge as an offering from the hospital?
The hospital provides tours of its maternity facilities to expectant parents upon request, consistent with common hospital practice. The hospital does not provide gifts or financial incentives to encourage patients to seek care.
Do you generally request payment via cash? Do you accept payment after tours?
We do not request payment in cash. Like hospitals nationwide, a variety of payment methods are accepted, including cash, which typically represents a very small percentage of payments. The hospital does not accept payment in connection with facility tours.
- Mission Regional Medical Center spokesperson
One follow-up we'd love answered: the hospital says its WhatsApp line operates "in compliance with HIPAA," but Meta does not sign the HIPAA agreements that make a messaging vendor compliant. We would sincerely enjoy reading the explanation. Our inbox is open and we are monitoring.