Vista Community Clinic health care workers have been selected for the 2023 Kugel & Zuroweste Health Justice Award presented by the Migrant Clinicians Network.
Dayci Merino-Gonzalez, Immigrant Health Assistance Program Manager at the clinic, was recognized for its collaborative efforts to address health disparities and increase access to health care and resources for local immigrant and farmworker communities. It was done.
Merino Gonzalez was recognized for her insight into how to support immigrant communities, based on her experience working on the farm with her parents and helping them access health care. She was one of the contributors to the study on the impact of COVID-19 on farmworkers, a collaborative research project led by the California Rural Institute. One of the study leaders is Bonnie Bade, a longtime professor of medical anthropology at California State University, San Marcos, and Merino Gonzalez is an alumnus of the school.
“What I find more rewarding about my job is knowing that I am giving back to the community that has welcomed me, embraced me, and supported me since I immigrated to the United States almost 20 years ago.” said Merino Gonzalez. “My work at Vista Community Clinic builds on the experience, knowledge, and expertise that the community has shared with me over the years. It is fundamental to promoting equity.”
The Health Justice Award is named in honor of Candace Kugel, former clinical systems and women's health expert for the Immigrant Clinicians Network, and Dr. Ed Zrowest, founding medical director of the Immigrant Clinicians Network. Ta. A national nonprofit organization based in Austin, Texas, that addresses the health needs of immigrants, immigrants, and other underserved communities.
Ms. Merino-Gonzalez was nominated for the award by Michelle Sevilla, Director of Community Outreach at Vista Community Clinic. “Deisi embodies what this award stands for: courage, compassion and health justice,” Sevilla said in its nomination application.
Born in Oaxaca, Mexico, Merino Gonzalez joined Vista Community Clinic as a community health specialist in 2020 at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic to provide vaccines and medical care to agricultural workers. played an important role in providing the
In 2021, Merino-Gonzalez revisited the Carlsbad farm where her father worked and lived. She returned to the farm to assist in the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine as a member of the staff at her Vista clinic in her community. “For me, it was a full-circle experience,” Merino Gonzalez said in a statement to her Immigrant Clinician Network. “He is the reason I do this job.”
