Disaster Preparedness
The impact of natural disasters and other major weather events can vary greatly.These events amplify preexisting vulnerabilities and bear down the hardest on those already struggling. This is particularly evident during major disasters. Some members of our communities – due to individual characteristics including geographic remoteness, language, culture, poverty, medical issues, among others – are frequently unaccounted for when a disaster strikes. Communities need to prepare for disasters, and build plans for response and recovery, with the most vulnerable at the forefront. Migrant Clinicians Network’s (MCN’s) disasters preparedness initiative seeks to provide training, technical assistance, resources, and strategies to communities and community health centers (CHCs) for hyperlocal, hyper-inclusive responses to major natural events. |
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Our History Working with Communities Affected by Disasters
MCN facilitates culturally contextual, robust CHC emergency management planning; builds community engagement by bringing in community leaders to develop, review, and strengthen emergency action plans; and identifies and engages vulnerable populations like farmworkers, children, and isolated rural residents. But we aren’t just bringing partners together; we’re enabling stronger, more resilient communities. For example, we’ve learned plans must address the mental health and psychosocial needs of both community members and CHC staff impacted by disasters. One tactic we offer is a natural hazards intervention to build tools and resources for educating CHCs on the screening, monitoring, and evaluation of the different aspects that can need to be assessed when it comes to major disasters including mental health and the ability to recover and prepare for new events.
Community Health Centers Lead Emergency Response
We activate our 35+ years of providing training and technical assistance to CHCs to guide them in expanding their reach to the most vulnerable. CHCs, with emergency infrastructure including generators and with mandated emergency plans already in place, can be key anchors to steady the community as the focal point for community mobilization during and after a major event. While CHCs are tasked to prepare for typical emergencies within their walls, our new efforts: 1) pull clinicians out into the community and prioritize recognition of and care for those who are often overlooked or have limited care access; and 2) acknowledge natural hazards and expand emergency preparedness to adapt to changes in the environment or the population.
Best Practices: How we support communities and health centers in addressing natural disasters and major events.
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Our Research: Increasing Resilience
MCN is exploring the impact of major events and public health emergencies on agricultural workers and their families in central Puerto Rico. Understanding the impact and the social factors influencing them is essential for policymakers, clinicians, worker groups, and other stakeholders. Through these projects, we are working with CHCs, schools, and community leaders in the region to address the gaps, needs, and challenges when implementing emergency resiliency initiatives. In addition, knowing the effect of recent emergencies and disasters on agricultural workers’ children can help them design evidence-based intervention strategies, and prevention programs.
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Looking Ahead
In 2022, MCN was extremely successful in our efforts to support the development and improvement of skills to address emergencies. As part of our educational and outreach effort, we delivered five national webinars, several professional forum presentations, three learning collaboratives, and multiple hours of one-on-one technical assistance. In 2023, we will continue our efforts by offering collaborations and training on environmental issues and best practices to mitigate its impactAmong these, our training programs for emergency response workers and collaborative learning for school nurses supported by CDC Foundation stands out.
Learn More About Our Efforts
Peer-Reviewed Publications 2022
- Pagán-Santana M, Liebman AK, López-Correa AY. Looking at the gaps and program needs to address the impact on children of agricultural workers in Puerto Rico during and after public health emergencies. Front Public Health. 2022 Nov 7;10:1046701. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1046701. PMID: 36419994; PMCID: PMC9677091.
- Grzywacz JG, Gonzales-Backen M, Liebman A, Marín AJ, Trejo M, Gudino CO, Economos J, Tovar-Aguilar JA. Attending to Pesticide Exposure and Heat Illness Among Farmworkers: Results From an Attention Placebo-Controlled Evaluation Design. J Occup Environ Med. September 2019. doi: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000001650.
Related Blogs
- Disasters, Mental Health, and Puerto Rico: Interview with Dr. Lorena Torres
- Hypertension During Disasters -- Lessons from Puerto Rico
- Urgent Care During Migration, Interrupted by a Hurricane
Other Resources
- Heat-Related Illness Clinician’s Guide (Available in English and Spanish)
- Environmental Education [Videos, Resources and Curriculum] (Available in English and Spanish)
- Heat-related Illness and Farmworkers - Training Curriculum and Facilitator Guide (Available in English and Spanish)
- Heat-related Illness Webpage (View MCN's heat-related illness webpage for more resources)
Advocacy and Media
- Regional Heat Stress Standard to Protect Workers
- Calling for Federal Heat Standard for Workers
- Protecting Farmworkers from Heat
Learning Opportunities
- It’s Hot and It’s Dangerous! A Webinar for Community Health Workers to Learn about Heat Related-Illness and How to Help Prevent It. [Recorded Webinar ENG]
- Antes de los días de verano, aprenda cómo los Promotores de Salud pueden ayudar en prevenir enfermedades a causa del calor
Updates
- MCN has new funding to work on patient navigation and resiliency.
- MCN is working with agricultural communities to increase preparedness and mitigation to address natural hazards in the Caribbean.