The National Advisory Council on Migrant Health (Council) was formed under the 1972 Federal Advisory Committee Act. The Council is mandated to make annual recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services regarding the
health and health care needs of migrant and seasonal farmworkers in the United States. The members are comprised largely of farmworkers who also serve as governing board members of local federally-funded migrant health care programs. As such, the Council offers a practical knowledge about the health and health care of farmworkers, which is vital to the development and implementation of effective federal farmworker health policy. Toward this end, the Council works closely with the Department of Health and Human Services' Migrant Health Branch.

The National Advisory Council holds public meetings three times each year. Input to Council recommendations is regularly solicited from migrant health programs, various federal and non-governmental agencies, farmworkers, and any other interested parties. The farmworker input process has been institutionalized in the form of public hearings held as part of Council meetings. These hearings share in a long-standing tradition of farmworker hearings sponsored by various federal agencies and committees to discern the conditions of farmworkers' lives.

Entering the new millennia, the Council sought an opportunity to create a publication that would address both the pervasive and new migrant health issues, and that would reflect the recommendations made in 2000. The result of this effort is the Migrant Health Monograph Series published in April of 2002. This Monograph Series consists of 10 monographs on health topics supporting the 2000 Recommendations in their content. Specialized experts in each of the topic areas were identified and contracted to write the monographs. Each monograph contains a full bibliography that will aid researchers or those interested in learning more about a specific migrant health issue. In addition, as the monographs are not a bound document, interested parties can print or obtain copies of monographs specific to their area of interest. The series includes the following papers:

• Preface by Adolfo Valdez, Introduction by Daniel Hawkins
• Dental / Oral Health by Gina R. Lombardi
• Environmental / Occupational Safety and Health by Alice Larson, Ph.D.
• Medicaid and The State Children’s Health Insurance Program by Elizabeth Arendale, M.A.H.S.
• Mental Health and Substance Abuse by Joseph D. Hovey, Ph.D.
• Outreach Services by Tina Castañares, M.D.
• Domestic Violence Services by Rachel Rodriguez, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N.
• Disaster Relief by Elia Gallardo, J.D.
• Housing by Christopher Holden
• Recruitment, Retention and Training of Bilingual/Bicultural Staff by Marian McDonald, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.A.
• Child Labor by Shelley Davis, J.D.
  
  
• COMPLETE PAPER SERIES