Una Voz Para La Salud/Call for Health Program: Bridging the Gap to Healthcare Access for Farmworker Families

Later this month we will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Migrant Health Act, the landmark legislation that paved the way for so many programs that continue to serve the farmworker population today.  While strides have been made to improve their health status, access to quality healthcare continues to be a challenge for many farmworkers and their families. That’s where the Una Voz Para La Salud/Call for Health Program comes in. 
 
About the Call for Health Program 
We know farmworkers face unique challenges and barriers and often need a bridge to connect them to health care and other wraparound services. The Una Voz Para La Salud/Call for Health Program was established in 1997 by the National Center for Farmworker Health (NCFH) as a nationwide, bilingual information and referral service for farmworker families. In addition to navigation and referral services, from 2000-present, the Program has provided more than $36,000 in financial assistance to 2,127 farmworkers and leveraged over $546,000 in in-kind donations from providers of care.  
 
Services Offered: 
Some of the services offered through the program are: 

• Connecting farmworker families to the closest Community and Migrant Health Center (C/MHC) 
• Negotiating for reduced rates with private providers to lessen the financial burden on the farmworker 
• Providing interpretation services to alleviate language barriers 

• Connecting farmworker families to legal aid, food, and transportation resources 
• Assisting with access to COVID-19 testing, vaccinations, and replacement of lost vaccination cards 

 
The Una Voz Para La Salud Program in Action   
The following is just one of the stories that illustrates the impact of the Una Voz Para La Salud.  ​

 Martha grew up in a small town in Mexico. Her family was poor, and her father died when she was a child. When Martha was 24 years old, she came to the U.S., along with her brothers and sisters, to work in agriculture. After 20 years of hard work in the fields in California, her body is starting to feel the repercussions of this hard labor.  
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When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Martha did not believe in the benefits of getting the vaccine given all of the different information gathered from friends and family. But in August of 2021, Martha and all her family got COVID-19, and her younger sister died from the virus. 
 
As soon as they all recovered, they got vaccinated. Martha wishes she could go back in time and ask all her family to get the COVID-19 vaccine.  She thinks her sister might still be alive had they taken this precaution. 
 
Life after COVID-19 has not been easy for her. She has been diagnosed with what we now know as long COVID-19. Having a name for her condition does not help her feel better every morning when she gets up to go to work or when she is in pain harvesting strawberries. Nor does it numb the pain of losing her sister. 

Martha called Una Voz Para la Salud to request assistance with follow-up doctor's appointments and tests, as she has no health insurance and needs help paying for medical expenses. Una Voz Para la Salud contributed by paying for a test in July 2022; however, she needs more help. ​

How You Can Help 
Martha is one of so many farmworkers that Una Voz Para La Salud has assisted with over the years. One way you can help Martha, and other farmworkers like her, today is through your support of the Program.  

1. Help us spread the word about Una Voz Para La Salud.  Visit our webpage  to order free posters and key tags to distribute to your farmworker patients so they can access Una Voz Para La Salud wherever they are, when they need it. 
2. Donate to the Una Voz Para La Salud Program today. There are two ways you can donate today: 
   1. Direct donation: Visit our Go Fund Me page to make a direct monetary donation in the amount of your choice. 100% of your tax-deductible donation will help farmworkers with their healthcare needs. 
   2. Purchase the Esperanza Candle: GYV Mesoamerican Beauty partnered with NCFH to create a limited-edition candle to support the Una Voz Para La Salud Program. Proceeds of your purchase will be donated directly back to the program.

 
Your support will help Una Voz Para La Salud continue, and expand its reach, to bridge the gap to health care access for farmworkers across the country. Visit our webpage to learn more.  Questions? Contact Elvia Anderson at [email protected].