Today is Farmworker Health Day. Please join CHCANYS as we celebrate the work of FQHCs throughout New York State and the nation that provide migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their families with access to the primary and preventive care services to which they are entitled.
Migrant and seasonal farmworkers have many unique health care needs due to their migratory lifestyle with its inherent isolating factors. As a result of immigration status, income level, and a number of other factors, many of them remain ineligible for health benefits and are poorly integrated into community health care system, instead relying heavily on emergency rooms for care.
In the most recent episode of his Immigrant America documentary series, social scientist and filmmaker Roy Germano, Ph.D. highlights the challenges faced by dairy workers in upstate New York, many of whom are resettled Latino farmworkers seeking more financially stable, non-seasonal positions. Language barriers, lack of transportation and an inability to enroll in health insurance plans pose major obstacles for these workers, thanks largely to whom New York State ranks 3rd nationally for milk production.
Specially tailored programs, such as those provided by FQHCs, are required to reduce the tendency of this population to seek treatment only for acute problems, rather than for chronic conditions and/or preventive services. Traveling medical teams visit the housing sites of agricultural workers to conduct assessments, provide care and referrals, and/or transport patients to the closest health center sites.
To learn more about community and migrant health and the services that they provide, please click here.