Topic to Cover
“Health Care Among the Immigrant Community and its Impact During the COVID-19 Pandemic”
Biography
As executive director of the department’s Office of Minority and Multicultural Health, Medina-Forrester is charged with ensuring health equity policies, practices and programs are implemented to reduce and eliminate health disparities among diverse and marginalized populations. She also co-leads the specific population team for the COVID-19 vaccine plan to ensure vaccine equity across marginalized populations in New Jersey.
Medina-Forrester developed COVID-19 testing and mitigation strategies for migrant and seasonal farm workers, establishing vaccine implementation committees comprised of community members with access to critical populations, enhancing communication plans to access specific populations, as well as the engagement and activation of key stakeholders, community organizers and tribal leaders.
Mrs. Medina-Forrester serves as a resource on health equity, cultural competency, implicit/explicit bias and health literacy for community and provider education and awareness materials and content. In addition to COVID-19 work, she also has over 20 years of program and grant development and management for underserved communities with a primary responsibility is to ensure any implementation and sustainability of this grant is seen through a health equity lens.