The fast-paced coronavirus has overwhelmed clinics and health centers around the country -- but not only as a result of the increase in patient visits. Clinicians everywhere are feeling inundated with questions from patients and colleagues that are hard to answer, and are receiving new information, recommendations, and early resources from the CDC and others every day. In addition to struggling to keep up with news on the rapidly progressing pandemic, clinicians are having difficulty locating resources relevant to the specific needs of their own migrant communities.
Despite a wealth of new resources, we remain very concerned for agricultural workers and other laborers who may not have access to essential information. Migrant Clinicians Network has been assessing resources regularly as they are developed. (You can see some of the resources we recommend in last week’s blog, “COVID-19 Widens Health System Inequities, Threatening to Leave Migrants and Immigrants Behind: MCN Analysis and Resources [2].”) At the same time, we recognize that what we’ve seen may not work in many communities. Mobile agricultural workers living in a bunkhouse at a labor camp, for example, need different recommendations than seasonal workers living with their families or with a small group of agricultural workers in single-unit homes or apartments. MCN continues to monitor resources, connect and collaborate with fellow organizations, and develop resources as needed.
MCN recognizes that facts and personal actions -- and not fear -- are the key elements that will stop coronavirus and any other disease. In our attempt to provide information that triggers personal preventive actions, we are sharing three resources that we think are particularly useful at this time.
- CDC’s Printed Materials [3]: This list of resources was selected because of the breadth of languages and the simplicity of the infographics.
- PAHO/WHO Communication Materials [4]: These infographics and social media cards are simple and bright. The order in which the recommendations are presented is great.
- COVID-19 Materiales de consulta [5]: This list of resources compiled by the federal government of Mexico were chosen because the Mexican government is doing a commendable job alerting their health workers to new essential information and providing easy to understand resources. With a limited number of Spanish language resources available in the US, this list fills important gaps.
We encourage you to reach out and let us know what you need. MCN is committed to:
- Providing facts from credible sources;
- Clarifying misunderstandings, rumors, and stereotypes; and
- Using simple and clear language to make our messaging pertinent to our audiences.
With this in mind, we endeavor to provide you regular updates over the course of the pandemic. As always, we welcome your insight, questions, and struggles. Please email Claire at chutkins-seda@migrantclinician.org [6] to share your perspectives and concerns.
Like what you see? Amplify our collective voice with a contribution [7].
[6] 
[8] 
[9] 
[10] 
[11] 
[7]
Got some good news to share? Contact us on our social media pages above.
Return to the main blog page or sign up for blog updates here. [12]