Support MCN's #HeroesOnTheFrontline

More than a year and a half after the first confirmed case of COVID-19 ripped across the globe, the lingering effects continue totakea heavy toll on the #HeroesOnTheFrontline.Even with the progressmadeby vaccination efforts, the human cost of the pandemic isimmense. The stress of the work has not abated. Fortunately for these heroes--the providers and clinicians whoworkat the frontlines--Migrant Clinicians Network has continued to nimbly respond to the rising needs with adeptness. Chief among the supports offered during this last year is the Witness to Witness Program, a unique project here to help withthe unparalleled stress resulting from one of the most devastating public health crises in the lastcentury. 

The Witness to Witness Program has evolved fromits inception in July,2018.Itstarted as aproject to address moral injury among professionals whose occupational workwas extremely challengingwithin the immigration system. Once the pandemic became the dominant force in daily life for somany providers, the focus and scope of Witness to Witness likewise changed toberesponsive to the new COVID-19“normal.”Part of this new normal includes recognizing the extraordinary—including acknowledging“heroes” at the frontlines, doing all kinds of work, from cleaning rooms left by COVID patients to running emergency departments. 

“When the historyofthe last four years is written, I believe that ordinary people are going to be portrayed as the heroes of our time,” Kaethe Weingarten, the founderand directorof Witness to Witnesswrote in a blog post recently. “That was the nature of their heroism: helping others. W2W exists to help those helpers. Those who participate in this work know that helping the helpers benefits us as well.” 

Acknowledging gratitude for the opportunity to serve, Dr. Weingarten and the rest of the Witness to Witness crewarecommitted to working withas many people as they can reach. In the last year,in addition to meeting with scores of attorneys and healthcare workersindividually,Witness to Witness has offered seven peer support groups, which allowedexperienced clinicianvolunteers to work directly with groups of professionals grappling with moral injuryand other empathic stress responses. In addition to the peer groups,W2W also offered webinars on 15differenttopics— sixof which wereoffered in Spanish.In total, more than 2,000 peopleattended these webinars.Future effortswill continue to respond to emerging issues.Recently, Witness to Witness welcomed its first full-timeseniorprogram manager, PamelaSecada, who will work closely with Dr. Weingarten andprogram associateJessica Calderonto increase programming and diversify offerings. 

Whatever other changes the future mayyet bring, one aspect of life will remainthe same: the commitment of the Migrant Clinicians Network, particularly through the efforts of Witness to Witness, tobe of service, worker by worker, group by group, organization by organization.