The Campos-Medina clinic inside the consulate of the Dominican Republic in Paterson treats underserved patients for free.UNETE Foundation
Alberta Jiménez lives in Passaic but recently traveled a few miles to the free ÚNETE health care clinic inside the Dominican Republic’s consulate in Paterson, where uninsured migrants seeking care are safe from immigrant enforcement.
“I learned about ÚNETE’s services through friends, and the service I’ve received – especially psychological support – has been incredibly important,” said Jiménez, a mother of seven. “We all need help sometimes, and not everyone has access to it. I had the opportunity to talk and be heard while receiving guidance on how to handle different situations.”
The clinic, established in partnership with Hackensack Meridian Health, opened on April 1 inside the consulate at 140 Market St.
Staffed by licensed volunteer doctors and dentists, the clinic provides preventive medical, dental, and gynecological care to individuals who face social barriers and lack access to the U.S. health care system.
Its services include glucose, cholesterol, and triglyceride evaluations, blood pressure monitoring, nutritional counseling, primary dental care, mental health services, and colon and prostate cancer screenings. Pap smears and mammograms are available through the organization’s mobile units or referrals to partner centers.
“The ÚNETE clinic is crucial for vulnerable people, particularly Latino minorities, who face multiple barriers to accessing health care in the United States,” said Irma Hernández, Únete’s president.
“By setting up the clinic in a consulate, they create a secure space where people can receive health care without fear of immigration enforcement,” she added.
Consulates are safe spaces for migrants because they are not subject to a host country’s laws.
The Dominican Republic’s Consul General José Santana welcomed the ÚNETE clinic.
“This alliance strengthens our consular work and our bond with the community,” he said in a prepared statement. “We are proud to offer free, high-quality health care services right here in New Jersey, where the largest Dominican population in the United States resides.”
While the ÚNETE clinic’s primary focus is serving vulnerable migrant communities, officials said the services are available to all individuals from minority communities, regardless of immigration status, language, or financial situation. The only caveat is that patients are uninsured.
ÚNETE, which means join, started in 2023 as a mobile clinic that served 1,000 people last year. However, Hernández convinced Latino business owners to fund the Paterson brick-and-mortar clinic where they hope to reach 4,000 patients this year.
ÚNETE partners with Hackensack Meridian Health and the New Jersey Cancer Education and Early Detection Program (NJCEED) to offer care to patients through its mobile and traditional clinic.
“We are pleased to partner with this program and provide a much-needed service for those who are most vulnerable and in need of cancer prevention and early detection care,” said Isabella Sarria, project coordinator in the Cancer Prevention Precision Control Institute at the Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery & Innovation (CDI).
“One of the goals of this program is to provide access to high-quality, compassionate care that’s accessible and convenient, with the hope that we can keep people healthy and save lives,” Sarria said.
Housed within the ÚNETE clinic is a Women’s Cancer Prevention & Detection Medical Office named for former U.S. Senate candidate Patricia Campos-Medina, an activist who became involved with efforts to bring clinics to the consulates.
“My husband and I donated resources to outfit the clinic with the essential equipment for the office,” she said. “In these times of so much fear and controversy over reproductive health care justice for women, this is a good place to offer vital services to make sure that women have the care they need to live a whole life.
To help maintain services at the women’s clinic, ÚNETE is hosting a charity breakfast at the Upper Montclair Country Club on May 10. Contact Únete for more information.
“I am very proud of this clinic servicing low-wage women and men who are uninsured, Campos-Medina said. ”This space symbolizes the power of unity and our collective commitment to human dignity."
Correction: This story was updated to reflect that Únete does not plan to open health clinics in three other Latin American consulates, and Hackensack Meridian did not provide free care to patients diagnosed with cancer in 2024.
