With the season of giving fast upon us, Migrant Clinicians Network continues to look to the helpers, the healers, the hopeful, the movers and the shakers to make a kinder, more inclusive, and ultimately equitable reality possible. Across many individual acts of care and consideration, the dreamers have ushered in a world closer to sustaining health justice than ever before.

And MCN has been at the forefront for all of it.

“Amidst health disparities perpetuated by the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations like MCN have continued the fight against health injustice, climate justice, equitable language access, and advocacy for refugee, migrant, and immigrant communities,” Esther Rojas, Project Coordinator, said. “In my own work as project coordinator, I have had the unique opportunity to see that advocacy in motion from the White House stage to my own community's outreach events. One thing is for certain, in order to secure a healthier future for all we must meet our communities where they are and continue to give voice to those who need it the most.

As a 501(c)3 public health nonprofit, we are so grateful to have curated a network of dedicated health care professionals, clinicians, activists, advocates, and supporters to create a seismic impact. For 37 years, we have made the fight for health justice our main priority, from the newly arrived refugee preparing to toil in the fields to the seasoned medical doctor navigating bureaucracy at an underfunded community clinic. Without any other comparable organization, institution, or nonprofit, MCN shows up whenever vulnerable populations require support for their health. The scope of the help we render is almost incalculable; in the time we have been operational, more than 20,000 migrants, immigrants, asylum-seekers, refugees, and the frontline clinicians who care for them have benefitted from our services, programs, and resources.

“The work is both exciting and heartbreaking,” Deliana Garcia, MCN’s Director of Emerging Issues and International Projects, said. “Knowing that we make a difference in lives everyday makes getting up in the morning and going into work something to look forward to.”

Such an impact is only possible because of the constituency that supports us. Because of them, MCN has been able to provide critical care and guidance to individuals like Fernando, a diabetic agricultural worker struggling to manage his diabetes on the move; Maya, a pregnant mother grappling with depression while migrating from farm to farm; Sheena, a mental health worker experiencing moral injury while serving on the frontlines in rural California; and Willow, a registered nurse battling with the devastation of COVID in her understaffed Ohio hospital. Without such support, MCN could not have provided the necessary resources to make a difference, improve outcomes, and save lives across the community.

“MCN has been able to work with community stakeholders to address many of the needs of immigrant populations throughout the country and world—the impact and reach have been enormous,” Moises Arjona, Project Manager, said. “MCN could not have done any of this without many, many partners. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic MCN was able to partner with over 100 organizations providing educational webinars to grassroots organization leaders and community health workers, keeping them informed [when] information seemed to change weekly. We love our community, so we work to ensure we address their needs.”

Entering the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, MCN’s work has continued to expand by leaps and bounds. From coordinating relief efforts within Puerto Rico following the devastating hurricane season, to mobilizing resources for frontline workers exhausted by the toll of the pandemic, MCN jumps into to help wherever a need presents. According to Noel Dufrene, Communications Program Manager, MCN is working intensely every day to put theory into action to support health justice and equity in communities across the United States and Puerto Rico.

“Each staff member passionately holds the essence of the organization’s mission for health justice close to their heart,” Dufrene said. “That passion demonstrates the quality and impact of our vital work, and the need for it to continue.”

And the need continues to grow.

So, we are asking: can you help us to continue this critical work into 2023? Please donate now to help migrants just like Fernando and Maya, and frontline workers like Sheena and Willow. Just click the link below and make a difference now to be part of our #ThankfulFor37 campaign—a recognition of our gratitude for the support that has made our far-reaching, deeply meaningful work possible across decades—and know that we are thankful for you.