This year’s Midwest Stream Forum for Agricultural Worker Health Closing Plenary in Grand Rapids, MI, was a celebration of health centers’ accomplishment of serving 957,529 agricultural workers and their families in 2016, an increase of 47,357 over 2015.
Participants were lead in an exercise, facilitated by NCFH CEO, Bobbi Ryder, to create a Victory Circle celebrating and, documenting health centers’ strategies contributing to this nationwide increase in access. Participants at each table were asked to discuss and then document one activity that they were doing/had done to increase access to care. Representatives from each table then shared their achievements with the full group attending the closing plenary.
The following are individual responses, by state reflecting a significant in investment in addressing the social determinants of health for this very special population.
California
- Train staff on the definition of “Agricultural Worker”
- Collaboration with local agencies that outreach to the local agri-community
- Expansion of Dental Program
- Implementation of transportation for patients
- Patient transportation at no cost for 2 counties – expanding
- Implementation of promotoras in new county areas
- Obtained funding to reach Ag workers (insurance/health care access)
Colorado
- Developed a fact sheet for employers to know the services we provide for their employees
- Identified and trained our staff on all branches of ag
- Began using our mobile unit for medical & dental
Illinois
- Launched our AG Worker Access 2017 Campaign ad incentivized staff (Bonus) and included it in their individual performance measures
- Partnerships with other providers to expand services like HIV and other STDs to serve farmworkers better
- Take clinicians to the MSAWs
Kansas
- Visit employers of farmworkers to get new families
- Interpreter
- Reporting Data
- Case management
Maine
- When we realized we had high demand at some camps, we increased the # of mobile clinics
Michigan
- Partnership with LLEAD to fund to cover patient fees
- SPN Diabetes Self-Management Program Classes
- Establish rapport with growers to increase service access
- Participated in camp out events with other organizations for maximum outreach!
- Expanded services to the camps with mobile buses
- Medical, dental & behavioral health collaboration to fulfill complete medical needs
- Hired a promotora
- Transport migrant workers to clinic
- Help them with services like eye doctors, specialist
- Identify camps
- Use of electronic translators at FQHC
- Increased transportation and access to mammography
- Multiple dental providers on our new dental bus
- Traveling important information folder for each family (Accordion folder for each)
- Hired Spanish speaking nutrition instructor to offer classes in community
- Added migrant community health worker and outreach specialist
- Creating a welcoming atmosphere, (example, played familiar music during in camp mobile clinics)
- TV ads inviting all to FQHC nationally
- Increase awareness of available health center services
- Outreach team was largely made up of internal staff who were already committed to our ag worker community
- Lending a compassionate ear to all encountered
- Mobile clinic (Health Screenings)
- Expanded medical services to include pediatric care
- Spanish/English bilingual CHWs
- Mobile dentistry services
North Carolina
- Making Dental & Diabetes Health accessible
- Bringing mobile clinic to camps
- Implement mobile laboratory services during outreach
Oklahoma
- Outreach
Oregon
- Streamlined intake process
Pennsylvania
- Biweekly Physician’s Assistant. for camp visits
Texas
- Increased collaboration with MSAW departments at the following organizations: ISD; Head Start Centers; Workforce
- Eliminate barriers to register them to our clinics through navigation
- Extending outreach services to schools & Ag site
- Extending clinical & dental hours
- Distribuimos volantes con información para los trabajadores del campo y para toda la comunidad donde proporcionaron la información de todos los servicios de la clínica
- Distributed flyers with info for workers and community with clinic information
- Look for sponsors to provide them a comfortable sleeping environment
- Outreach to Ag sites
- SWART transportation
- Extended hours and open Saturdays
- Monthly employee training
Participants documented their achievements on circles provided for this purpose which were then displayed as a visual graphic surrounding the 2003 Commemorative Artwork poster by Austin Artist, Lyrae Perry. NCFH expressed its appreciation to those who stayed through the last session on the last day and contributed to this graphic display, by awarding a Giclée fine art print of “Vigilando el Futuro” to one lucky participant at each of 10 tables via hidden chair tags.
As promised, an 8x10 photograph of the graphic display was personally presented to BPHC leaders, Jim Macrae and Tonya Bowers the following week as a collective demonstration of front line commitment to increasing access to quality care for this essential Ag labor workforce.
What has your health center done to increase access to care for Ag workers and their families? Please let us know so we may share with other health centers, and continue to build on the momentum of our 2016 increase in access.
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