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Civic health refers to the ability of a community to organize and collectively address problems that affect the well-being of its members through democratic participation. Civic health should be an integral part of the medical school curriculum because improving a community's civic health shifts the distribution of power toward patients, better enabling them to address social determinants of health that are affecting their well-being. This article details how to effectively integrate civic health curriculum into already-existing medical education frameworks, outlines how these interventions will improve both patient care and the student experience, and addresses barriers that might restrict the implementation. Civic health can be integrated into the didactic curriculum in the form of lunchtime guest lectures, panels with community organizations, and small-group discussions; it can be integrated into experiential curriculum by distributing QR codes to aid in voter registration, organizing voter registration drives, and participating in nonpartisan canvassing. This civic health content can be integrated into existing social justice curricula without massive investment or structural change. Medical students are capable and effective messengers of civic health and can affect change at all levels of training. Notably, because civic health is directly actionable, it can be a source of motivation rather than burnout for medical students. As students develop into medical professionals, the training in civic health improves their understanding of social determinants of health and enables them to play an important role in promoting civic engagement and empowering patients with the democratic tools necessary to enact social change.

Restrictive policies and limited resources create challenges for care delivery for patients without documentation status (PWDS). This study explores the motivators and sustainers for healthcare providers serving PWDS. Twenty-four direct providers in public and private sectors were interviewed using semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Two members of the research team independently coded interviews using inductive thematic analysis. Four major themes emerged illustrating intrinsic and extrinsic sources that motivated and sustained providers: (1) a sense of calling to serve their community; (2) solidarity is sustaining; (3) organizational culture as a key element for provider engagement; (4) insight into necessary change. Providers who care for PWDS are driven and sustained by internal motivations and a sense of solidarity in working towards better care access for their marginalized patients. Findings illustrate the importance of recruiting and retaining providers with histories of recent migration. Immigration and healthcare policy reform may improve provider workflow.