Beginning in the 1960s, thousands of nurses from Kerala migrated to the United States, helping American hospitals overcome chronic nursing shortages. Enabled by changes to U.S. immigration law and nursing recruitment programs, they became indispensable in major urban health systems, particularly in New York and Chicago. Many served on the front lines during the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and again throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Their dedication transformed nursing into one of the defining professions of the Indian diaspora and helped sustain the delivery of healthcare in the United States for generations.
