NCFH Products and Publications

Over the years, a goal of NCFH has been to provide helpful tools and materials to Community and Migrant Health Centers and other agencies and organizations whose missions involve the education, outreach, and health improvement of the farmworker population. NCFH has prided in the production, collection and distribution of useful educational materials, tools and publications that are both relevant and adequate to this population as well as other beneficiaries. Resources are deemed valuable if they take into consideration the many barriers involved in communicating and serving the traditionally underserved populations, such as lower literacy levels, the use of helpful illustrations, and cultural and linguistic appropriateness.

Below you will find a listing of those resources developed by NCFH, or by NCFH partners, which we have found most valuable for an array of uses. The listing is organized by the following categories:

NCFH materials for health center professional growth and development,
NCFH materials for health education, outreach and promotion,
NCFH materials to share with your patients, and
A number of select materials from our partners.

Each listing provides a brief description of the resource, specifies the format in which it is available and lists the cost associated with it, if any. It will also indicate whether it is available in Spanish or in bilingual format. Click on the titles for more information about each resource.

Resources for Professional Growth and Development

Migrant Health Newsline
Published quarterly the Migrant Health Newsline is an electronic publication that aids migrant health center professionals in addressing the barriers involved in providing health services, education and outreach to the farmworker population. It is available as a free electronic subscription email garcia@ncfh.org or from the website directly in PDF format.

Farmworker Factsheets
These topic-specific factsheets bring together the latest research findings and statistical data regarding farmworkers and the health topics and issues most commonly affecting this population. The factsheets are a great resource for researchers, students, health care professionals and others who serve or work with farmworkers and are interested in learning more about their health needs. They are available for free in PDF format.

Quarterly Health Topic Alerts
These topic alerts are a quick and concise summary of the resources available on a given farmworker primary care issue. They highlight the latest published research studies, patient education material, and organizations doing work related to a health topic or farmworker primary care issue. They are intended for those seeking farmworker health resources on a specific topic. They are available for free in PDF format.

Independent Learning

Midwest Stream Forum Self-Study Sessions
These self-study sessions are based on past NCFH’s Annual Midwest Stream Farmworker Health Forum workshops presented by experts in specific, farmworker health issues. They include a self-study guide and test. They are available for free in DVD format (mail order required).
Cost-Effective Prescribing vs. Moments of Compromise
A self-study web-based course designed for prescribers in Community and Migrant Health Centers, free of pharmaceutical marketing influence. It is available for free in DVD format (mail order required).

Performance Management and Governance Toolkit

This toolkit includes practical materials and tools to support the HRSA program requirements helpful to health center management and boards. The toolkit includes recommendations and sample forms, policies, protocols and procedures that can be adapted for service delivery to migrant and seasonal farmworker health center users. Documents and tools are available for free in either PDF or Word document format.

Leadership and Staff Development Training

NCFH offers trainings in a number of management and primary care topics that aim to increase the knowledge, skills, and leadership abilities of all staff and board members, in order to strengthen the network of providers of care to the farmworker population nationwide. All training services can be customized to your organization’s needs and desired outcomes.

Health Education Program Training

NCFH offers customized training and consultation services around health education topics in order to increase the capacity and skills of health education program planners and trainers. In addition, NCFH has developed a series of health education programs and training toolkits on specific health topics and can provide training services on the implementation of these programs. The health education program topics available are: breast and cervical cancer, other cancers (lung, testicular, oral, skin, etc.), pulmonary health, oral health, HIV/ AIDS, arthritis, and heat and sun safety (see Health Education Program Toolkits under Resources and Tools for Health Education and Outreach section to learn more about the materials that accompany these trainings). Toolkit materials can be purchased alongside the training services.

Resources and Tools for Health Education and Outreach

Health Education Program Curricula and Toolkits

Over the years, NCFH has developed topic-specific bilingual health education programs and tools for the lay health worker (promotor/a de salud). The lay health worker approach to health education has proven to be very effective among the farmworker population and other underserved groups. These materials are produced after rounds of focus group and field testing by some of our leading health experts and have proven over the years to be very effective educational materials. They are available in the form of “train the trainer” toolkits intended for training lay health workers to deliver educational sessions on health issues that are frequently present among underserved populations, especially in the Hispanic community (all toolkits are available in English and Spanish). The toolkits provide detailed lessons and activities for training lay health workers, who can then use the materials and tools provided in the toolkit to deliver their education sessions. The toolkits may include curricula, lesson plans, flipcharts (rotafolios), teaching guides and/or DVDs or CDs. These materials are designed to be used as a complete package. Some toolkit materials are available for free and others are for cost. Customizable training on these toolkits can also be provided by NCFH staff to interested organizations (see Health Education Program Training section under Resources for Professional Growth and Development).

Health Education Program Flipcharts

Flipcharts (or rotafolios) are a very effective tool to for health education and promotion, especially when reaching out to a low literacy population. They can be used in a variety of ways and settings—individual or small group education in a clinic, home or community center. They contain text for the educator to read aloud while students follow a story that summarizes the important lessons related to a specific health topic. Some flipcharts are part of a health education program toolkit (see Health Education Program Toolkits section). They can be purchased individually, but it is strongly encouraged that they be purchased with the toolkit as a package. NCFH offers training on the health education programs supported by these flipcharts to interested organizations (see Health Education Program Trainings section under Resources for Professional Growth and Development).

Patient Education Teaching Tools and Materials

For many years NCFH has been involved in the production of free or for cost, materials and tools that clinical providers, health educators, outreach workers, lay health workers or promotores(as) de salud, and others can use to educate their farmworker or other Hispanic and Spanish-speaking populations. The materials and tools listed below are intended for use by the health educator or the provider; therefore, they include instructions and guidance on how to most effectively use the materials with the patient. However, some of these tools could be accessed and used independently by the patient as well.

For Your Health/ Para Tu Salud Mini Lessons These are free, bilingual, topic-specific health education instructional packets designed to be used with farmworker teens, out-of-school youth, and adults, but can also be used with other Hispanic audiences. They include teaching plans, an introductory lesson, guided practice, useful vocabulary, practice dialogues, and pre/posttests.

Resources for Your Patients

Over the years, NCFH has been involved in the production of free or for cost resources, publications and other informational materials directed to patients and the general public, in particular to the farmworker population and other Hispanic audiences. These resources can be used as stand-alone materials to be accessed by the patient directly or can be distributed by a health center, health care provider or any other organization wishing to share health information with their patients and beneficiaries.

Health Tips/ Consejos de Salud

Published by NCFH, Health Tips/ Consejos de Salud is a bilingual, quarterly publication that focuses on health topics and issues prominent to the farmworker and general Hispanic population. It makes use of low-literacy and culturally-appropriate terminology to present the latest, most updated information on health topics. The electronic version is available for free as an electronic subscription or from the website in PDF format. The print version is available as a cost subscription for bulk distribution to patients. Some health centers may qualify to receive the print version for free.

Diabetes: Information for Healthy Living/ La Diabetes: Información para una Vida Saludable

This is a, bilingual and interactive CD-ROM developed by NCFH. This tool can be used by health centers in their waiting rooms as part of a learning kiosk, it can be given to patients to use at home, or it can be used by a nurse, doctor, or diabetes educator to guide a newly diagnosed patient through the disease. This CD ROM is available for free (mail order required). Please contact Erika Garcia to place an order.

Meal Planning for People with Diabetes/ Planificación de Comidas para Personas con Diabetes

This is a bilingual booklet that teaches patients with diabetes how to make healthier meal choices for diabetes management. It is available for free in PDF format and limited quantities of hard copies are available (mail order required).

Compendia of Spanish-language Patient Education Resources on Clinical Topics

NCFH is compiling a collection of Spanish-language patient education materials on a select number of clinical topics. Each compendium will include materials on a specific clinical topic intended for educating and distributing to Spanish-speaking patients. The materials selected take into consideration cultural and linguistic appropriateness, but also include useful illustrations, lower literacy levels and clear and concise health information. The compendia are available at no cost in PDF format.

Tips for a Healthy Back/ Consejos Para una Espalda Saludable

This free bilingual tip sheet offers illustrated recommendations for maintaining a healthy back, recognizing back injury, and managing the injury. It also contains some information about the Call for Health Program. The tip sheet is available for free in PDF format. Larger, poster-sized copies are available for free in limited quantities (mail order required).

Resources from our Partners

There are many organizations whose missions are closely aligned with that of NCFH. Whether through outreach to the farmworker or other underserved populations, or the creation of quality educational materials, these partners share with us a common goal to improve the health status of these populations. Below are a few partners who produce excellent resources that may be of assistance to your health center, clinic or organization. Included are resources for patient use or for use by health care educators, outreach workers, clinical providers and others.

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

AHRQ is committed to improving healthcare safety and quality by developing successful partnerships and generating the knowledge and tools required for long-term improvement. The goal of AHRQ’s research is to make measurable improvements in health care in America, gauged in terms of improved quality of life and patient outcomes, lives saved, and value gained for what we spend. Some AHRQ materials are available from NCFH and more can be found on the AHRQ website

Farmworker Health Network

The Farmworker Health Network (FHN) is comprised of six National Cooperative Agreements in migrant health funded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide training and technical assistance to current and potential Migrant Health Center Programs. The FHN is committed to supporting the development of leadership within Community and Migrant Health Centers and increasing access to care for the farmworker population. The individual organizations in the FHN have also produced useful educational materials for farmworkers throughout the years. Download Key Resources in Migrant Health to learn more about each FHN member and the Migrant Health resources they offer.