NATIONAL CENTER FOR FARMWORKER HEALTH
  • About
    • NCFH History & Mission
    • Staff
    • Careers
    • Board of Directors
    • Partners
    • Artwork >
      • Meet the Artist
      • Call for Artist
    • Scholarships
    • IMPACT
  • Ag Worker Health
    • History
    • Fact Sheets & Reports
    • Open Access Data
    • Number of Ag Workers
    • Migrant Health Centers
    • Ag Worker Organizations
    • Farm Labor Data Dashboard
  • Resources
    • Helpline for Ag Workers
    • Health Education Resources >
      • Diabetes Resource Hub
      • Mental Health Resource Hub
      • SDOH Hub
    • Health Center Toolbox
    • Farmworker Outreach Resources
    • Digital Stories
    • Digital Archive
    • Online Store
  • Training
    • Workforce Development Trainings
    • Webinars >
      • Archived Webinars
    • Midwest Stream Forum >
      • Regional Stream Forums
    • NCFH Consulting & Professional Development Services
  • PROGRAMS
    • INFECTIOUS DISEASES
    • Health Center Learning Collaboratives
  • COVID-19
    • Our Response
    • COVID Educational Resources for Ag Workers
    • COVID Resources for Service Providers
    • COVID Resources for Ag Employers
    • COVID-19 Promising Practices
    • Demonstration Project Grants
    • Farmworker COVID-19 Community Assessments
  • Español

My Ag Worker Health Champion Story - Joan Altenbernd

3/8/2017

 
Picture
Picture









Wow, what can I say? Thirty-seven years working with Migrant Health Service, Inc. (MHSI) was an amazing opportunity. I began as an intern in the mid-seventies while I was in college, then was hired for a one-year position as a health educator, and over the years I transitioned to Executive Director. 

What did I learn over the years?
I learned the inner workings from a dedicated administrative staff, including an amazing and creative Executive Director, Ann Zuvekas. The program provided access to health care services to 8,000-14,000 farmworkers and their families in a two-state area of Minnesota and North Dakota (with the majority of care provided in a 8-10 week period of time each summer) through the operation of fifteen seasonal nurse-managed health clinics. There were no cell phones, no electronic health records, no fax machines or scanning capabilities. We utilized family charts and telephones at the health centers (which were rented spaces in the small communities - churches, storefronts, social service buildings, etc.). Health center staff provided care through home visits, voucher referrals to local providers, coordination with migrant schools, and evening clinic services.

I learned how challenging it was to have such a large service area which included two states, two regions, spanning over 45 counties. I learned how rewarding it was to have voucher referral agreements with over 300 service providers throughout rural Minnesota and North Dakota. I learned our program was quite different from many migrant programs as we had only two areas where farmworkers lived in migrant camps (southeastern Minnesota - corn harvest and asparagus picking). The remaining farm worker families worked in the Red River Valley for over 1300 individual growers.

I learned that the health center staff were creative and very resourceful in working with the farm worker families. I learned that home visits were often times challenging for the health center staff due to the sheer numbers of farms, location of housing and hours families worked. In spite of these challenges, home visits were the most rewarding for health center staff and appreciated by the farmworker families.

I learned that the farmworkers and their families who traveled to Minnesota and North Dakota each summer from South Texas were some of the hardest working, family focused, proud, and talented people I have known. They came to work in sugar beets, potatoes, small grains, asparagus, corn and cucumbers. I learned that changes in agriculture (space planting and chemically resistant seeds) impacted the work lives of the migrant farmworkers. Jobs were eliminated for many people. I learned that the migrant workers were resilient, finding other jobs to fill in between spring planting and harvest employment, or going back to school and learning other trades.

I learned that I had great support and direction from our Board of Directors, project officers, fellow health center directors, HRSA grantee programs such as National Center for Farmworker Health, Health Outreach Partners, and the National Association of Community Health Centers. Minnesota was a foundation rich state and the state offered a number of grants and I learned how important it was to have their support and direction as well. While project reviews and annual audits were sometimes painful, I learned that MHSI and the patients served did indeed benefit.

While a majority of the folks served through MHSI had Spanish as their first language and, often times, their only language, I learned the farmworkers and their families shared what our family wished for as well: a solid education, fair pay, safe work and home environments, respect, health, and to practice their faith. 

While I continue to enjoy retirement, I am thankful others continue to work toward furthering the mission of migrant and community health centers. 


    The National Center for Farmworker Health

    Improving health care access for one of America's most vulnerable populations

    Archives

    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    November 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015

    Categories

    All
    Agricultural Workers
    Anniversary
    Artwork & Artist
    Digital Stories
    Factsheet
    Farmworker Health
    Health Education
    Health Literacy
    Health Tips
    Midwest Stream Farmworker Health Forum
    Migrant Health
    Policy
    Scholarships
    Spanish Website
    Tools
    Training
    Wall Of Wonder

    RSS Feed


Ag Worker Access Campaign
Blog
Careers
Commemorative Artwork
Contact Us
Health Centers
Midwest Stream Forum
​
NCFH Online Store
Patient Education
Scholarships
Staff
Webinars

Follow us!

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

Join Now

This website is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $1,916,466 with 5% financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government
  • About
    • NCFH History & Mission
    • Staff
    • Careers
    • Board of Directors
    • Partners
    • Artwork >
      • Meet the Artist
      • Call for Artist
    • Scholarships
    • IMPACT
  • Ag Worker Health
    • History
    • Fact Sheets & Reports
    • Open Access Data
    • Number of Ag Workers
    • Migrant Health Centers
    • Ag Worker Organizations
    • Farm Labor Data Dashboard
  • Resources
    • Helpline for Ag Workers
    • Health Education Resources >
      • Diabetes Resource Hub
      • Mental Health Resource Hub
      • SDOH Hub
    • Health Center Toolbox
    • Farmworker Outreach Resources
    • Digital Stories
    • Digital Archive
    • Online Store
  • Training
    • Workforce Development Trainings
    • Webinars >
      • Archived Webinars
    • Midwest Stream Forum >
      • Regional Stream Forums
    • NCFH Consulting & Professional Development Services
  • PROGRAMS
    • INFECTIOUS DISEASES
    • Health Center Learning Collaboratives
  • COVID-19
    • Our Response
    • COVID Educational Resources for Ag Workers
    • COVID Resources for Service Providers
    • COVID Resources for Ag Employers
    • COVID-19 Promising Practices
    • Demonstration Project Grants
    • Farmworker COVID-19 Community Assessments
  • Español