By Esther Pizza | Program Manager
During the project period, MCN actively shared and promoted resources to help clinicians, community health workers, and underserved communities prepare for and respond to climate-related health threats and disasters. In June, MCN disseminated a collection of extreme heat preparedness resources through its e-newsletter: As the Heat Rises: Field-Ready Tools to Protect Workers This Summer campaign. The outreach highlighted bilingual training curricula, educational materials, webinars, and practical tools designed to help communities recognize, prevent, and respond to heat-related illness, with a focus on agricultural workers, construction workers, disaster-recovery workers, and other populations disproportionately affected by extreme heat. These resources were developed to support community preparedness and build resilience as rising temperatures continue to pose significant health risks.
In July, MCN published and promoted Disaster Preparedness at Health Centers, an accredited continuing education article focused on helping clinicians and health centers prepare for weather-related emergencies and the disruptions that often follow. The article provided guidance on anticipating the health impacts of extreme weather events such as hurricanes, floods, droughts, poor air quality events, and heat waves. It also highlighted practical preparedness strategies, including patient education, continuity-of-care planning, and the use of MCN’s care coordination resources to support patients whose treatment may be disrupted by disasters. The publication additionally featured MCN’s comprehensive curriculum on addressing weather-related extreme events in agricultural communities, offering resources on topics such as safe water, pesticide safety, heat-related illness, and environmental health risks.
In response to an invitation from the University of Florida’s Center for Public Issues Education and the Southeastern Coastal Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (SCCAHS), Dr. Marysel Pagán, Director of Environmental & Occupational Health at Migrant Clinicians Network (MCN), served as a featured presenter in the July 23, 2026 webinar, Preparing Farmworker Communities for Hurricane Season. The webinar addressed the unique risks agricultural workers and their families face during hurricanes and severe storms, including hazardous working conditions, housing instability, income disruption, and barriers to healthcare. Dr. Pagán shared practical strategies for emergency preparedness, risk reduction, and response efforts to strengthen the safety and resilience of farmworker communities. The webinar was further highlighted through a related article published in Growing Produce, expanding the reach of key preparedness messages to agricultural stakeholders nationwide.
This month, MCN is continuing to raise awareness of the ongoing climate-related emergency surrounding Puerto Rico’s water crisis and the challenges faced by communities impacted through its Five on Friday: Puerto Rico Drought Edition publication. The feature examined the ongoing drought and water crisis affecting Puerto Rico, highlighting the intersection of climate-driven disasters, infrastructure vulnerabilities, and systemic health inequities that perpetuated the disaster. The publication also shared information on the health impacts of drought, mental health concerns associated with water shortages, and challenges faced by vulnerable populations, including farmworkers, outdoor workers, individuals with chronic health conditions, and low-income households. By connecting current events to broader preparedness and resilience efforts, MCN provided timely information to help communities and health professionals better understand and respond to emerging climate-related threats.
Collectively, these activities demonstrate MCN’s continued commitment to strengthening community preparedness, supporting health professionals, and promoting practical resources that help communities anticipate, withstand, and recover from climate-related disasters and environmental health threats.
Looking ahead into the following project period, The Great Lakes Center for Farmworker Health and Wellbeing (GLCFHW), a NIOSH-funded agricultural health center, has invited Dr. Marysel Pagán to serve as a guest speaker in its Research Seminar Series to present her work on mental health and natural disasters affecting agricultural communities in Puerto Rico. The seminar would provide an opportunity to share research and practical insights with a national audience of agricultural health researchers, practitioners, students, and other NIOSH Agricultural Safety and Health Centers.
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