Maine Community Integration

Connecting immigrant children and their families to health services

Location: Maine
Website: mcimaine.org
Grant amount: $25,000

Based in downtown Lewiston, Maine Community Integration (MCI) works with local families, both long-term and newer residents from immigrant communities, to help them access medical and mental health services. The organization focuses on girls and their families, many from war zones, using a holistic approach that addresses trauma as part of healing and connects youth to nature and expressive art.

During the pandemic, MCI established its Community Health Worker outreach group, which provided frontline care and services like food delivery to families in need. The group continues to conduct outreach in the community, supporting dozens of families through healthy food security, access to care and health education. MCI also provides social services, interpretation and cultural consideration training.

The Health Access Hero Award grant will support MCI’s new initiative: Access to Care: Dental & Health Equity, which focuses on new families in Maine and addresses oral health, type 2 diabetes prevention, and healthy eating habits through education, outreach and care coordination. As MCI has grown its outreach, the teams noticed how impactful oral health can be on people’s overall health, including connection to other health issues such as diabetes. Many areas of Maine, particularly rural, are often far from any dental provider, creating a “dental desert” in the area.

Health access is about the people you’re serving. A lot of times the community are told where to go, but they don’t necessarily know how to navigate those systems. That often creates a disservice to the community. We believe the door swings both ways, and that with cultural support and respect for different backgrounds, everyone can receive care.