Equitable health messaging is a key strategy in providing health access to disenfranchised communities. In this episode of ‘On the Move with MCN’, hosts Deliana Garcia and Alma Galvan, with guest Sarah Price, discuss innovative methodologies that Migrant Clinicians Network (MCN) used during the COVID pandemic to effectively provide education and resources to immigrant and migrant communities – and can serve as best practices for the issues we face today. The discussion will cover how the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) created opportunities for their partners to use this methodology during the course of projects supporting COVID immunization, and now serves as an important template for projects to support general adult immunization. Episode speakers will share how they effectively present information to adults based on language needs, culture, environment, and in a way that is generally appealing to diverse Spanish-speaking communities. Listeners will hear about how MCN and NACHC engaged with communities, identified needs, and worked with community members to support and add to community health advocacy.

The elderly, those who are pregnant, and other underserved groups including migrants and immigrants, are at higher risk for contracting and becoming severely ill with respiratory viruses, adding to the importance of adherence to vaccine recommendations. In this podcast, speakers discuss the latest efforts of the ‘Risk Less. Do More.” Campaign from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the importance of vaccines in general and for high-risk patient groups. Episode speakers will discuss how HHS and its partners are using the “Risk Less. Do More.” Campaign to help reduce the effects that respiratory viruses have among individuals in the United States. They will also discuss variables impacting risk for illness in patients and the benefits of vaccination for vulnerable and underserved groups. Listeners will learn about how to identify risks in patients, and how they can connect their work to the “Risk Less. Do More.” Campaign to improve quality of care.

La vacunación es la herramienta de medicina preventiva más importante en el mundo entero. Sin embargo, en los EE. UU. las disparidades en la vacunación siguen existiendo en grupos vulnerables como en el caso de los trabajadores migrantes hombres que hablan español como primer idioma. En este episodio, las invitadas, Nelly Salgado de Snyder, PhD, MA, científico principal de investigación del Instituto de Investigación Latino de UT Texas y Alma Galván, MHC, directora de Capacitación y Participación Comunitaria de MCN, hablarán sobre cómo los proveedores de servicios de salud pueden comprender mejor los determinantes sociales de la salud y las barreras que puedan estar en juego. Los oyentes también aprenderán sobre cómo pueden diseñar intervenciones equitativas, hiperlocales y culturalmente apropiadas para llegar a estas poblaciones.

Vaccination is one of the most important preventive medicine actions worldwide. However, in the US, immunization disparities continue to exist in vulnerable groups like male migrant workers who speak Spanish as their first language. In this episode, guests, Nelly Salgado de Snyder, PhD, MA, Senior Research Scientist at the Latino Research Institute at UT Austin, and Alma Galván, MHC, MCN's Director of Community Engagement and Worker Training, will discuss how health care providers can better understand the social determinants of health and barriers that may be at play. Listeners will also learn how they can craft equitable, hyperlocal, and culturally appropriate interventions to reach these populations.

The impact of long COVID on patients goes beyond physical symptoms. In this episode, Kaethe Weingarten, Ph.D. (she/her), Director of the Witness to Witness (W2W) Program for MCN, will discuss the impacts of long COVID which have been shown to affect patients, their families, and caregivers psychologically and relationally. The discussion will include ways for clinicians serving immigrants, migrants, and patients from other under-resourced communities to better understand the challenges patients and their families may face before, during, and after a long COVID diagnosis, and ways to assist them through the process of coping with illness.

Episode resources:

• See the webinar - ‘Long COVID: Supporting Patients and Families, Understanding the Barriers to Care and Challenges Faced’: English, Spanish
• The podcast on YouTube – https://youtu.be/oo_tMy66sSk
• W2W webpage - Witness to Witness (W2W) | MCN
• Contact W2W - w2w@migrantclinician.org
• COVID-19 Resource Hub | MCN
• Upcoming Webinars | MCN
• Podcasts | MCN
• Connect with MCN!
• Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Instagram, and YouTube!

Sign up to MCN’s email list to get updates on W2W’s anti rhetoric webinar series on the power of words this Fall.

How does COVID impact people differently across a lifespan? In this episode, Dr. Chanelle Diaz, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center and the Internal Medicine Medical Director at the Charles Rangel Community Health Center, and episode host, MCN’s Chief Program Officer of International and Emerging Issues, Deliana Garcia, will discuss how COVID treatment and care may vary across populations, particularly from underserved, immigrant, and migrant populations. Clinicians will learn about how to tailor care plans to best serve these populations, considering pre-existing health conditions such as chronic diseases, diabetes, cancer, obesity, asthma and tobacco use, occupational hazards, and other factors. Speakers will delve into strategies to improve patient-provider relationships to ensure the continuum of care across all ages and stages, from childhood to adulthood.

Featured Resources:

• See the webinar and other resources - ‘COVID-19 Across a Lifespan’: English, Spanish
• Doctors for Immigrants
• Watch the podcast – https://youtu.be/k2uWDjU1jxU
• COVID-19 Resource Hub | MCN
• Upcoming Webinars | MCN
• Podcasts | MCN
• Connect with MCN!
• Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Instagram, and YouTube!
• For more information about the National Hispanic Medical Association, visit www.nhmamd.org

Questions about treatment and prevention strategies of COVID-19 remain as national cases of COVID-19 infections rise, and JN.1 becomes the dominant variant. In this episode, Dr. Laszlo Madaras, MD, MPH, FAAFP, SFHM, Chief Medical Officer for Migrant Clinicians Network, will discuss the latest update on COVID-19 and other respiratory infections, like RSV and influenza, with particular consideration for immigrant and migrant communities. Clinicians will learn about the JN.1 variant, COVID-19 vaccinations and other prevention strategies, considerations for anti-viral treatment options, and resources to support culturally contextual education and the clinical care of patients.

Featured Resources:

• See the webinar - ‘COVID-19 Just Won’t Go Away! Updates & New Insights in Patient Care’: English, Spanish

• Watch the podcast - YouTube

• COVID-19 Resource Hub | MCN

• Upcoming Webinars | MCN

• Podcasts | MCN

• Connect with MCN!

• Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Instagram, and YouTube!

• For more information about the National Hispanic Medical Association, visit www.nhmamd.org

How do comorbidities influence COVID outcomes? In this episode Dr. Susan Gaeta MD, FACP, Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at MD Anderson Cancer Center, will discuss the challenges posed by co-morbidities, particularly for low-income and low-resourced populations such as migrants and immigrants. Clinicians will learn about strategies for screening, prevention, and treatment of patients with COVID and underlying co-morbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, some cancers, asthma, and other conditions. They will also learn as how the prioritization of preventative measures, vaccination, early treatment, and other strategies can impact health outcomes for patients with underlying co-morbidities and the needs of members of special populations.

Listen to this episode, access resources and more on the MCN Podcast webpage:

Addressing COVID-19 in Special Populations with Underlying Co-Morbidities

Connect with MCN on our website: ⁠⁠www.migrantclinician.org/signup⁠

Resources

• Updates to Bivalent COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility | Migrant Clinicians Network
• FAQ: COVID-19 and Migrant, Immigrant, and Food & Farm Worker Patients | Migrant Clinicians Network
• COVID-19 Vaccine Awareness Campaign Resources | Migrant Clinicians Network
• The COVID-19 Pandemic | Migrant Clinicians Network

¿Cómo podemos proteger a los empleados, colegas y pacientes de las enfermedades infecciosas transmitidas a través del aire?

La pandemia COVID-19 y otras enfermedades infecciosas que se transmiten por aire han traído la necesidad de revisar, mejorar e implementar los controles de infección. En este episodio, la Dra. Marysel Pagán Santana quien es directora de salud ambiental y ocupacional y, gerente principal de programas de MCN en Puerto Rico, y; nuestra anfitriona y miembro de la Junta Directiva, la Dra. Eva Gálvez, hablarán sobre las estrategias que existen para proteger a las personas de las exposiciones y sobre cómo mejorar la calidad del aire tanto en nuestros hogares como en el trabajo. Los proveedores de servicios de salud aprenderán cuáles son las estrategias de control disponibles, su costo, cómo pueden implementarse y sobre las ventajas y desventajas económicas que pueden enfrentar las poblaciones que sirven los proveedores a la hora de implementar estos controles de infección.

Listen to this episode, access resources and more on the MCN Podcast webpage:

Uso de prácticas de higiene industrial para prevenir y controlar COVID-19 y otras enfermedades infecciosas en el ámbito ambulatorio Connect with MCN on our website: ⁠www.migrantclinician.org/signup

Resources

• Ventilation and COVID-19 Resources | Migrant Clinicians Network
• Respirators and Masks Resources | Migrant Clinicians Network
• Welcome to Migrant Clinicians Network | Migrant Clinicians Network
• Dr. Eva Galvez (Host) Contact: Email - egalvez@vgmhc.org ; LinkedIn – Eva Galvez | LinkedIn
• Dr. Marysel Pagan-Santana (Guest): Twitter (X) - Dr. Marysel Pagán-Santana (@MaryselPagan) / X (twitter.com)
• List N Tool: COVID-19 Disinfectants | US EPA
• English webinar: Using Industrial Hygiene Practices to Prevent and Control COVID-19 and Other Infectious Diseases | Migrant Clinicians Network
• Spanish webinar: Uso de prácticas de higiene industrial para prevenir y controlar el COVID-19 y otras enfermedades infecciosas | Migrant Clinicians Network