​​Since 1995, the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) has celebrated National Health Education Week (NHEW), (initially in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services), during the third week of October.

NHEW is focused on increasing national awareness on major public health issues and promoting a better understanding of the role of health education.

​This year NHEW is celebrated from October 19th to October 23rd. SOPHE has many interesting resources and FREE webinars to share:

 Tuesday, October 20 | Emergency Preparedness: Are You Ready?

• Activity: Webinar – Emergency Management during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Stories from the Field | 2pm EDT

Wednesday, October 21 | Mental Health & Mindfulness

• Activity: Webinar – Supporting Employee Mental Health and Well-being during COVID-19 |  2pm EDT

Thursday, October 22 | Health Literacy: Words Matter

• Activity: Webinar – Health Literacy: Words Matter | 2pm EDT

Friday, October 23 | Career Settings for a Health Education/Promotion Specialist

• Activity: Webinar – A Snapshot of Health Education and Promotion Career Settings | 2pm EDT

​NCFH offers a variety of Educational Resources in English and Spanish, focused on health topics related to general and agricultural worker population that can help address any need for information.

​According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness, one in five adults experience mental illness each year. Taking care of your mind is just as important as taking care of your body. In honor of Mental Illness Awareness Week (Oct. 4-10) and National Depression and Mental Health Screening month in October, we wanted to share some important resources related to mental health that contain valuable information, tools, and resources that you can share with your patient populations, colleagues, family, friends, etc.

​NCFH also has COVID Resources for Mental Health specific to the agricultural worker population available. We encourage you to utilize these resources to educate and inform others about mental illness and the importance of taking care of one’s mental health.

"Sometimes we get so used to our traditions, it becomes hard for us to change. But we need to live a healthier life,” says Elvia Alcala. National Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 - October 15, is a great time to start!
 
As a lifestyle coach with the National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP) lifestyle change program, Elvia helps her Hispanic/Latino community understand that they don’t need to abandon their traditions when celebrating their Hispanic heritage in order to achieve or maintain health goals. She shows people with prediabetes how to make healthy food and activity choices to lower their risk for type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is a serious disease that can lead to other health conditions such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease. Hispanics/Latinos are more likely than other groups to have prediabetes, which is when a person’s blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not yet high enough for a type 2 diabetes diagnosis.
 
The good news is that type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed by making lifestyle changes, such as eating healthier and being more physically active. When it comes to balancing family traditions with these changes, there are many options! For example, modify an existing tradition by preparing your family’s favorite meal in a healthier way, like using the tips and recipes in the Tasty Recipes for People with Diabetes and Their Families booklet. Or start a brand-new tradition, like having a dance party after dinner to get up and get moving as a family.
 
“It’s important that we all understand why these changes are needed, which is for prevention,” explains Elvia. “We don’t want to end up with type 2 diabetes.”
 
Making healthy food choices, being more active, and supporting family members with prediabetes to lose a few pounds are all ways you can start a new family tradition for better health – and show the next generation that type 2 diabetes doesn’t have to be their future.
 
During this National Hispanic Heritage Month, if you think you may have prediabetes or may be at risk for type 2 diabetes, talk to your doctor or learn more about a lifestyle change program, like the CDC’s National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP). The National DPP helps people with prediabetes change their lifestyle to improve their health. Participants work with one of our trained lifestyle coaches and share experiences with others who have the same goals and challenges. Many who have participated in the program say they have more energy, less stress, and better checkups. Signing up with your family can help you create a new, healthier family tradition!

October 1, 2020 - The latest issue of NCFH News is now available! 

• NCFH News! 2021 Virtual Forum for Migrant & Community Health, Limited Time Offer for PPE, Upcoming Webinars, New Learning Collaborative Page + More!

​Stay informed of our events, products and resources, as well as news from the migrant health center community.  Sign up to have NCFH news delivered to your inbox every month.

​Learn more about this special population that is so essential to our food system, and the Migrant Health Program that provides funds to Community and Migrant Health Centers across the country to care for Agricultural (Ag) workers and their families.

• Presenters will provide an overview of the Migrant Health Program, as well as information about Ag worker demographics and culture, and the unique challenges and barriers that impact health care access for Migratory and Seasonal Agricultural Workers and their families.

 
Learning Objectives:

• Understand how a Migrant Health Program functions and is funded in C/MHCs across the country
• Describe services provided by Migrant Health Program to the Ag worker population
• Identify agricultural worker demographics, discuss how the demographics and culture of the population impact health care access
• Identify unique challenges and barriers faced by this population

In addition to being a required reporting element for health center grantees in their UDS, accurate identification and classification of the Ag worker population is a critical step to success in increasing access to quality health care for this special population. 

• Presenters will provide an overview of the federal definition of agriculture, including qualifying industries, the classification of Ag workers, and guidance from the UDS manual for accurate reporting. Participants will learn about available tools and resources to assist health center staff in implementing effective processes and procedures for accurate classification and reporting Ag worker status of their patients in UDS.  Participants will also have an opportunity to submit questions prior to the webinar to ensure their most common challenges in the verification process are addressed. 

 
Learning Objectives:

• Describe the relationship between classification, Uniform Data system reports, and health center funding
• Identify industries and tasks that meet the definition of agriculture and should be considered when classifying an agricultural worker in a Migrant Health Program
• Distinguish the different classification types for Ag workers
• Utilize acquired knowledge to correctly classify and report Agricultural worker patients

 
Questions? Contact our IAC Coordinator 

​This September during National Suicide Prevention Month, help us spread the facts about suicide and mental health. By educating ourselves and others using good resources, we can help save lives and break down the stigma surrounding suicide and mental health.

This is part 3 of a 3 part series spotlighting this year’s recipients of the Bobbi Ryder Migrant Health Champion Award.  These individuals are pursuing educational opportunities that further their work to ensure access to quality healthcare for Agricultural workers and their families.  #AgWorkerAccess
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​Name:  Gary R. Kersbergen  
Health Center:  Maine Mobile Health Program – Augusta ME
Health Center Role: Community Health Worker
Educational Goal:  Pursuing an MD degree
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Please tell us a little bit more about what you’re studying and how you are going to apply that in your work with Ag Workers?
I will be attending the MD program at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College in the fall. After working at a migrant farmworker health center during college, and for two years after completing college, I hope to return to serve the migrant farmworker as a provider. Working in a migrant health center was incredibly formative for me, and I aspire to advocate and serve the migrant farmworker community as a medical provider. To me, providing essential healthcare to those who have been neglected and rejected by the communities in which they work to provide the fresh food that we enjoy is an important act of resistance, gratitude, and advocacy.
 
What led you to become an Ag Worker Access Champion?
I first began working with migrant farmworkers at the Maine Mobile Health Program during college. I had grown up in Maine and knew about its large agricultural bounty of wild blueberries, broccoli, and dairy, yet I was unaware of the migrant workforce that drives these industries. As I began to learn more about the migrant workforce in Maine I realized that not only were these workers providing the labor behind my home state's largest products and exports, providing the same food that me and my family had enjoyed for years, but also that they were living on the margins of society. They were not recognized or acknowledged in their community because of what they looked like and the language that they spoke. The abusive nature of their condition and work as migrant farmworkers was causing them to suffer. Access to healthcare with dignity was a right that I believe needs to be bestowed upon them, and on all people.
 
Why do you care about increasing access to care for Ag workers?
I believe that increasing access is an act of gratitude and respect for the work of migrant farmworkers, I believe that it is an act of resistance to systems of racism and classism that disenfranchise them, and I believe that it empowers them to continue their work with pride and dignity.
 
What advice would you give to individuals interested in/considering a career in migrant health?
Never forget about the patients and the populations you want to serve. Always keep those connections and communities close to your heart.
 
How did you hear about the NCFH scholarship program?
Through the wonderful and supportive migrant health center where I have worked for the past two years, the Maine Mobile Health Program.

August 6, 2020 - The latest issue of NCFH News is now available! 

• COVID-19 Project, PPE Donations and Distributions, Agricultural Worker Health Center Day + More! 

Stay informed of our events, products and resources, as well as news from the migrant health center community.  Sign up to have NCFH news delivered to your inbox every month.