FJ Celebrates Farmworker Health Day

Since their inception, community and migrant health centers have proven to be a vital access point to health care for farmworkers and their families. The Migrant Health Act of 1962 and Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 set in motion the network of locally driven, federally supported health centers that exist today. By having patient representation on the board of directors and partnering with other local organizations, health centers are able to evolve to meet the needs of farmworkers. As a result, health centers are often the most viable, affordable, and culturally competent providers of primary care for farmworkers.

Farmworkers face a number of barriers to care. In focus groups conducted by Farmworker Justice last year, many workers and promotores de salud discussed barriers such as transportation, language access (including availability and quality of interpretation services), cost, and clinic operating hours. They are also a highly mobile population who may need care coordination across multiple states.

Migrant health centers work to mitigate these challenges by performing enabling services such as outreach, translation, and case management. With farmworkers on their boards of directors, they are able to institute policies to respond to the needs of the community. For example, in recognition of the transportation barriers in rural communities, many migrant health centers have mobile clinics at farmworker labor camps, with some even arranging transportation to the clinic. Additionally, because most farmworkers lack health insurance and their average wages are near the federal poverty line, health centers offer care on a sliding fee scale.

In response to an FJ needs assessment survey last year, almost universally, workers, promotores de salud and community organizations cited the local health center as a critical source of primary care for farmworkers and their families when asked about health care access in their communities. Promotores reported that the health centers were very engaged with getting information and educational materials out in the community. Workers found the providers to be compassionate. However, according to data from the Bureau of Primary Health Care, in 2014, community and migrant health centers only served approximately 20% of the nation’s farmworkers and their family members.

To increase farmworker utilization of health center services, FJ participates in the AgWorker Access 2020 Campaign, led by the National Association of Community Health Centers and the National Center for Farmworker Health. The goal of the initiative is for health centers to serve 2 million farmworkers and their families by 2020. FJ provides training and technical assistance to health centers to help them address the factors that affect farmworkers’ access to health services. FJ also leverages partnerships with community-based farmworker organizations, legal services providers, Migrant and Seasonal Head Start, and other farmworker-serving organizations to strengthen relationships between the health center and the community it serves. 

FJ is proud to celebrate Health Center Week and is committed to working with health centers to continue their strong tradition of providing health care in farmworker communities.
 

Since their inception, community and migrant health centers have proven to be a vital access point to health care for farmworkers and their families. The Migrant Health Act of 1962 and Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 set in motion the network of locally driven, federally supported health centers that exist today. By having patient representation on the board of directors and partnering with other local organizations, health centers are able to evolve to meet the needs of farmworkers. As a result, health centers are often the most viable, affordable, and culturally competent providers of primary care for farmworkers.

Farmworkers face a number of barriers to care. In focus groups conducted by Farmworker Justice last year, many workers and promotores de salud discussed barriers such as transportation, language access (including availability and quality of interpretation services), cost, and clinic operating hours. They are also a highly mobile population who may need care coordination across multiple states.

Migrant health centers work to mitigate these challenges by performing enabling services such as outreach, translation, and case management. With farmworkers on their boards of directors, they are able to institute policies to respond to the needs of the community. For example, in recognition of the transportation barriers in rural communities, many migrant health centers have mobile clinics at farmworker labor camps, with some even arranging transportation to the clinic. Additionally, because most farmworkers lack health insurance and their average wages are near the federal poverty line, health centers offer care on a sliding fee scale.

In response to an FJ needs assessment survey last year, almost universally, workers, promotores de salud and community organizations cited the local health center as a critical source of primary care for farmworkers and their families when asked about health care access in their communities. Promotores reported that the health centers were very engaged with getting information and educational materials out in the community. Workers found the providers to be compassionate. However, according to data from the Bureau of Primary Health Care, in 2014, community and migrant health centers only served approximately 20% of the nation’s farmworkers and their family members.

To increase farmworker utilization of health center services, FJ participates in the AgWorker Access 2020 Campaign, led by the National Association of Community Health Centers and the National Center for Farmworker Health. The goal of the initiative is for health centers to serve 2 million farmworkers and their families by 2020. FJ provides training and technical assistance to health centers to help them address the factors that affect farmworkers’ access to health services. FJ also leverages partnerships with community-based farmworker organizations, legal services providers, Migrant and Seasonal Head Start, and other farmworker-serving organizations to strengthen relationships between the health center and the community it serves. 

FJ is proud to celebrate Health Center Week and is committed to working with health centers to continue their strong tradition of providing health care in farmworker communities.