The 4th annual NCFH Ugly Sweater and Christmas Decorating Contests were held earlier this month.    
 
The Christmas Decorating Contest winners were:
1St Place:  Santa’s Farm Village
2nd Place:  Santa’s Toyland
3rd Place:  Wish Upon a Star
4th Place:  Whoville
5th Place:  The Grinch Who Stole Christmas
 
Participating staff members, and children from a neighborhood day care, enjoyed the decorations, sweet treats, and even had an opportunity to take a photo with Santa Claus.

In May of 2015 the Ag Worker Access 2020 Campaign was launched jointly by NCFH & NACHC. The goal of the Campaign is to increase provision of quality primary health care services to 2 million Migratory and Seasonal Agricultural Workers (MSAWs) in Community/Migrant Health Centers by 2020. This represents a more than 100% increase in Ag Workers to be served. NCFH and NACHC have joined forces to embrace and advance this effort and Farmworker Health Network members, as well as the Bureau of Primary Health Care, are actively engaged. There are three Ag Worker Access 2020 Campaign strategies, which are: 1) Credit Where Credit is Due; 2) Open Hearts, Open Doors, Open Access and; 3) Building Capacity to Sustain Growth.
 
The motivation for this effort was the input provided during the Closing Plenary at the 2014 Midwest Stream Forum, in which a picture of health centers’ reality in serving MSAWs was painted through an exercise called the Wall of Wonder (WOW). This information made it clear that there is a continued need for access to quality care, as testimony illustrated an outstanding and unmet need. Two additional WOW exercises were conducted at the 2015 East Coast and Western Stream Forums to verify that the need is not isolated to the Midwest, rather a national trend. Data from these three events is available on the NCFH website at www.bit.ly/NCFH_WOW. We found it to be a compelling call to action.   
 
Several things have become clear since the Campaign was launched. These include:

• Despite heroic efforts on the part of NCFH and NACHC in sponsoring this Campaign, real change can occur only at the local level. We are your cheerleaders, we can help you to tell your story, but the place where action must happen is at the local level. Together we must be the agents for change.
• You are the best and brightest of advocates for Ag Worker health. To the extent that we can equip you to recruit other champions and improve access, your successes become ours also.
• It is all too easy for consumers of fresh produce, meat, and other commodities to close their eyes to the reality that Ag Workers face every day. We must appeal to the greater good in all to see Ag Workers for the hardworking, industrious individuals and families that they are. 
• We must dispel the fear, and myths, among those who choose not to see Ag Workers as we see them. As a nation, we need to revolutionize how this population is perceived by the consumers who benefit from their labors. Change must occur. At all levels. 
• You are important in this effort. We need you to take the time to think about how you can influence change, and what you need from NCFH, NACHC and others to support your work.

 
We could not have started without your support in 2015 and we will not succeed without your continued support within your home communities. Please help us reach the goal of increasing access to quality care to 2 million MSAWs and their families annually. 
 
Join the Ag Worker Access 2020 Campaign at: http://www.ncfh.org/ag-worker-access-2020.html and let’s make 2017 the best year yet!

Each year, NCFH commissions an artist to depict an image relevant to the life-style of migratory and seasonal agricultural workers to support the Migrant Health Scholarship Award program. Proceeds from the sale of fine art prints and posters are used to award scholarships to individuals with the potential to positively affect Ag workers. 
 
We invite you to consider this wonderful opportunity to showcase your work and be part of a program that helps others to achieve success. If you are interested in being considered as the 2017 artist, please submit the following to [email protected] by January 20, 2017:

• a direct link to your website or samples of your work (i.e. photographs, brochure, etc.)
• a sketch of your idea along with a description

 
The artist chosen must complete the artwork no later than March 3, 2017.

A $1000 cash prize will be awarded to the selected artist upon completion of the artwork, as well as 5 fine art artist proofs and 10 posters of the image.

In addition to the creation of the original piece of art, the artist agrees to attend the artwork unveiling and participate in poster and print signing at the May 2017 Conference for Agricultural Worker Health in Savannah, GA. Travel expenses will be paid for by NCFH.
 
We invite you to visit our website to learn more about the Migrant Health Scholarship program and view previous years’ artwork. If you have any questions, please contact Janie Favre at 512-312-5460 or [email protected].