Brokering Resources during a Pandemic: Exploring How Organizations and Clinics Responded to the Needs of Immigrant Communities during COVID-19.

This article examines the impact of COVID-19 on immigrant communities in the southeastern U.S. states of Kentucky, North Carolina, and South Carolina, focusing on how local immigrant-serving organizations (ISOs) and health clinics acted as resource brokers during the pandemic. Through qualitative interviews with leaders of 31 ISOs and clinics, the study highlights immigrants' heightened vulnerabilities—including economic hardship, limited access to testing and treatment, and language barriers—and details how ISOs adapted by providing emergency supports, partnering with local entities, and leveraging trust within immigrant communities to improve outreach. The findings underscore ISOs' critical role in bridging gaps in the fragmented safety net, while also revealing challenges such as inadequate local funding and structural inequities that persist beyond the pandemic. The study suggests that strengthening ISOs' capacity and integrating them into formal public health and social service systems are essential for addressing ongoing disparities faced by immigrants in new destination areas.